emertbyrne's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
eserafina42's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars - holds up better than some of the others.
thenovelbook's review against another edition
3.0
Entertaining, very quick read with the most memorable character being Margaret (the modern one, not the queen). Pretty likeable main characters. Fun but probably not long-lastingly memorable.
sjgochenour's review against another edition
3.0
Again, not her best effort. Christian is possibly the least charming of her heroes, and Peters wrote a grumpy hero or two.
quietjenn's review against another edition
3.0
Hm, of the Peters I've delved into lately, this was definitely my least favorite. Which is maybe my bad because it's not so different than some of the others. But, there's something that felt a little bit contrived and not quite as smart or witty. Nice setting, though.
bookhero6's review against another edition
4.0
My 125th book of the year, which completes this year's goal. Yay!
I think I read in another review of a different Elizabeth Peters book (Die for Love?) about how awful it was that Elizabeth Peters was making fun of the Romance genre so blatantly in the book. The reviewer seemed to take it amiss. Well, I've read a few of Peters' books and she makes fun of a lot of different genres. In this one she blatantly pokes fun at Mystery novel tropes, Mystery novels being something she's a bit famed for. So I really don't think it comes from a place of derision, more of a place of poking fun at oneself. I think it's just part of who she is as a writer. She has a wickedly wonderful sense of humor.
In this madcap little adventure mystery Elizabeth and Christian try to figure out what happened to Christian's missing mother and why the supposed kidnappers want her bathrobe as ransom. They galavant all over Copenhagen and unravel the mystery. Totally dig it.
I think I read in another review of a different Elizabeth Peters book (Die for Love?) about how awful it was that Elizabeth Peters was making fun of the Romance genre so blatantly in the book. The reviewer seemed to take it amiss. Well, I've read a few of Peters' books and she makes fun of a lot of different genres. In this one she blatantly pokes fun at Mystery novel tropes, Mystery novels being something she's a bit famed for. So I really don't think it comes from a place of derision, more of a place of poking fun at oneself. I think it's just part of who she is as a writer. She has a wickedly wonderful sense of humor.
In this madcap little adventure mystery Elizabeth and Christian try to figure out what happened to Christian's missing mother and why the supposed kidnappers want her bathrobe as ransom. They galavant all over Copenhagen and unravel the mystery. Totally dig it.
laurarlindsay's review against another edition
4.0
It's aight. Fun to read for the Copenhagen place-specific details. Boring characters. Am I getting too old for Elizabeth Peters?
khoerner7's review against another edition
2.0
This book didn't have the wit and fun plots of the author's other works. Elizabeth has saved up for a trip to Denmark. Her favorite author and her son is also on the trip. When something happens to the author's secretary, Elizabeth volunteers to take her place. Then the author disappears leaving Elizabeth and the author's son Christian on the path to figure out what happened.
ssejig's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoy this book every time I read it. The story of a young woman (Elizabeth Jones) who not only comes face-to-face with her author heroine, she gets to work for her after the woman's assistant has an unfortunate accident at the airport. But that accident seems to just be the first in a series of problems that come up before the author herself disappears and Elizabeth is left with the woman's surly son.
This book just tickles me. It's not perfect but it is Peters at the height of her writing.
This book just tickles me. It's not perfect but it is Peters at the height of her writing.
andyn5's review against another edition
2.0
An entertaining novel by Elizabeth Peters, but not one of her best works.
Elizabeth Jones works in a publishing house. After saving money for three years, she’s finally able to take her dream holidays. But things don’t go as planned. In fact, things start going downhill when she recognises the famous historical writer, Margaret Rosenberg taking the same flight. When the plane arrives in Copenhagen, an unfortunate accident renders Margaret without a secretary. Elizabeth introduces herself and volunteers to work with her during her holidays. As she introduced to the authors disagreeable and arrogant son, Christian, she thinks her life can’t get any better. When Margaret suddenly goes missing, they have to work together to unravel the motive and the mystery of Queen Margaret I of Scandinavia.
The novel takes place in the 80s and the setting and language match the plot and the characters. The language used is very similar to that of nowadays and the absence of technology was a breath of fresh air for me. As usual, Peters chose a great setting. It’s a European beauty, marvellously described and the plot develops in a great way in the streets of Copenhagen. I would though, classify this novel as a cosy-mystery more than a historical novel or even a serious mystery. Even though the idea of the plot is good, I got a bit lost in all the unnecessary turns the characters made and the constant abuse of the main male character for no reason.
The characters are likeable but I couldn’t really understand their connection. There is a lack of depth to the characters, at all levels. Elizabeth, the female lead, is a funny, feisty young woman dedicated to her job and her dreams. She’s witty but there were times that I actually doubted her logic. She would just stand there and do nothing. Christian, the main male lead, is the typical handsome, arrogant man with a mean mouth on him. My main problem with these characters is that, firstly, I can’t figure out how they got romantically attached. All they do is fight, argue, put flaws on each other and then suddenly Elizabeth realises she has feelings for him. I couldn’t see a solid development of feelings anyway, they just appeared there, out of the blue. I couldn’t connect with the main characters and I failed to follow the growth of their feelings if there is one. Secondly, there isn’t a good reason for the male character be like this, not a single one. Yes, his mother is a bit crazy, but the abominable way he treats people is inexcusable for me. Additionally, the way he treats his mother as a crazy teenager that has no idea of what she’s doing is going a bit overboard. There’s a lot of whining, a lot of snobby comments and points of view on the events and places, like the small fair and the carousel. There was a lot, but not of anything that actually mattered.
I’ve read several books of Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters and I’m a big fan of her works. Because I know what she’s capable of with Amelia Peabody and Vicky Bliss, I can say that this novel doesn’t fit in that level. This one didn’t leave a positive impression.
Elizabeth Jones works in a publishing house. After saving money for three years, she’s finally able to take her dream holidays. But things don’t go as planned. In fact, things start going downhill when she recognises the famous historical writer, Margaret Rosenberg taking the same flight. When the plane arrives in Copenhagen, an unfortunate accident renders Margaret without a secretary. Elizabeth introduces herself and volunteers to work with her during her holidays. As she introduced to the authors disagreeable and arrogant son, Christian, she thinks her life can’t get any better. When Margaret suddenly goes missing, they have to work together to unravel the motive and the mystery of Queen Margaret I of Scandinavia.
The novel takes place in the 80s and the setting and language match the plot and the characters. The language used is very similar to that of nowadays and the absence of technology was a breath of fresh air for me. As usual, Peters chose a great setting. It’s a European beauty, marvellously described and the plot develops in a great way in the streets of Copenhagen. I would though, classify this novel as a cosy-mystery more than a historical novel or even a serious mystery. Even though the idea of the plot is good, I got a bit lost in all the unnecessary turns the characters made and the constant abuse of the main male character for no reason.
The characters are likeable but I couldn’t really understand their connection. There is a lack of depth to the characters, at all levels. Elizabeth, the female lead, is a funny, feisty young woman dedicated to her job and her dreams. She’s witty but there were times that I actually doubted her logic. She would just stand there and do nothing. Christian, the main male lead, is the typical handsome, arrogant man with a mean mouth on him. My main problem with these characters is that, firstly, I can’t figure out how they got romantically attached. All they do is fight, argue, put flaws on each other and then suddenly Elizabeth realises she has feelings for him. I couldn’t see a solid development of feelings anyway, they just appeared there, out of the blue. I couldn’t connect with the main characters and I failed to follow the growth of their feelings if there is one. Secondly, there isn’t a good reason for the male character be like this, not a single one. Yes, his mother is a bit crazy, but the abominable way he treats people is inexcusable for me. Additionally, the way he treats his mother as a crazy teenager that has no idea of what she’s doing is going a bit overboard. There’s a lot of whining, a lot of snobby comments and points of view on the events and places, like the small fair and the carousel. There was a lot, but not of anything that actually mattered.
I’ve read several books of Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters and I’m a big fan of her works. Because I know what she’s capable of with Amelia Peabody and Vicky Bliss, I can say that this novel doesn’t fit in that level. This one didn’t leave a positive impression.