The Dead Sea cipher by Elizabeth Peters
8 June, 2008
*****
Yet another standalone Elizabeth Peters with an archaeological subject. Great sense of place if a little implausible by the end. I should probably not be reading all these so close together – they’re getting a bit predictable in their unpredictability.
Genre: Mystery
Read: 31/05/2008
The Copenhagen connection by Elizabeth Peters
27 May, 2008
****
You can tell how much I like Elizabeth Peters from the fact I am reading this in Large Print from the library. Yuck! Anyway, another solid performance. A standalone set in Copenhagen, theres some historical background, a silly girl and an emotionally conflicted man. A Mary-Sue of a writer character strained my patience but the rest is good.
genre: mystery
read: 17/05/2008
The jackal’s head by Elizabeth Peters
26 May, 2008
****
Typical Elizabeth Peters standalone mystery book. Reliably entertaining, well-written and slightly brain-stretching in places. I’m starting to get a feel for how these all work out now, but even so its still a good read.
genre: mystery
read: 17/05/2008
Duplicate Death by Georgette Heyer
30 March, 2008
ISBN: 978-0755108855
This was surprisingly fab. I am a dedicated reader of Heyers Regency Romances (who isn’t? – my hubby like Infamous Army and I love him the more for it!!! ) . Due to Regency love I put off reading her thrilers until reaching this advanced age – what a mistake to make!! This book is a mildly demented mix of Agatha Christie and Jane Austen – brilliant stuff…
Plot: Dope: There is a neat drugs sub plot
Rope: Well wire actually – the instrument of death
Hope: Wronged woman – righted
Characters: Brilliant Detective. Fab heroes and Heroines and wonderfully souless side characters who you are always hoping will be gruesomely bumped off.
What to love: Really rather lovely characters. Humourously drawn – by turns gentle and quite wicked. Heyers gift for the cruel caricature is used to its upmost.
What to loathe: Hideously casual homophobia – fairly typical off the time but quite jarring to read. Sort of jolts you out of the book and sympathy with the characters.
Buy, Borrow or Bin: Buy – Really very good – and worth reading again even when you know who has done it.
If this book was a drink it would be: Home made spicy hot chocolate – mostly lovely but sometimes you end up drinking the nasty dregs and it can spoil your love for the whole.
On the Georgette Heyer Site
