I’m addicted to Elizabeth Peters and couldn’t pass up the chance to read a mystery set in Scotland. The mystery and setting were great as usual, but the main characters were not the best. Susan is a Scottish history buff who receives a message not intended for her and, as usual, it draws the bad guys’ attention. This, of course, leads to chaos for our heroine. Susan isn’t a bad heroine, she’s just… average. Nothing stood out about her personality and a lot of the time it felt like her only main purpose was to give us crash courses on Scottish history. The hero, James, was average as well. Except his main purpose was to drag Susan along with him while he was playing super secret spy. At the beginning James really bothered me, because he was an asshole and did very little to prove otherwise. The plot and supporting characters were good enough to carry my attention throughout the whole book. There were only one or two small parts where the story dragged a bit and it was easily picked back up by another plot twist or quirky side character being added to the scene. The plot involved some small group of baddies bent on getting their hands on something.I wouldn’t recommend anyone starting off with this book as their first Peters mystery. If you’re going to start off with any of her books I’d start with Crocodile on the Sandbank. But if you’re a fan her books, then there’s no harm in reading this one. It's still a good read, just not one of her best.
I'm not sure how to classify this. Is there a genre for very silly romantic suspense? If not, this book shows the need for one. Susan is an American archaeology student with a passion for all things Scotland - especially Bonnie Prince Charlie and Scottish poetry and lore, which are layered into this book with a garden spade. James is a young Scot who despises all that and scorns those who prefer to live in the past. Of course they are thrown together when Susan travels to Scotland and they manage to become wanted for murder. This book is nothing like a typical romantic suspense novel, though it contains all those elements. The fact is it's just too silly to be taken seriously. At one point, when the Cavalry arrives, Susan actually cries, "Whoppee!" lol Since Peters, even in the early part of her career, was capable of writing the real thing I have to believe she was trying out her comic abilities here and meant this story to be silly. Also, James' father is over-the-top in the same way the Amelia Peabody and her Emerson will be later on. So approach this book with your sense of the absurd intact and you'll probably be OK. :)
Do You like book Legend In Green Velvet (2002)?
I'm obviously biased toward Elizabeth Peters' books because she is one of my favorite authors, but I re-read her novels because they are fun, comforting and a wonderful palate cleanser after some of the new stuff I try to read. After seeing reviews on this site, I realize Peters isn't for everyone. But, I absolutely love all her books--from the series to the stand-alones like this one. She brings to life interesting characters, especially women who are real yet strong and independent. She includes fascinating places that she's obviously visited and describes them in detail that often isn't there anymore. I always learn something interesting whether it's a historical fact or more details on archaeological digs. Her dialogue is witty and always in-character, and while the plots can be far-fetched like most mysteries, she can turn a zany rescue into something joyful and fun. Overall, her books are just terrific, and she was a truly gifted writer and storyteller in every way.
—Tifa
Interesting story which, unfortunately, showed its age. By this I mean the heroine was a pushover as far as men went and didn't think anything about it. At least at the beginning of the story. Toward the end she developed a backbone. The Scottish history bits were told in such a way that even if history isn't your forte, it would be interesting. At least it was for me but I enjoy this sort of stuff.The adventures through the Scottish landscape was with peril, but fun to listen to. And I liked the various felines the couple met along the way.Would recommend this one for a rainy day. I think it would be perfect. Warning, though, avoid the audio version. The reader on this one was just horrible.
—Susan
Susan is a young archaeology student with a passion for Scottish history. She comes to Scotland to work on a dig and becomes entwined in an antiquities theft ring. She meets James, the sarcastic son of a Scottish laird, who even lives in a relic of a castle. James helps her uncover the thieves and restore the antiquities, mostly while running desperately across Scotland. This was a fun, quick read with a fairly straightforward plot. I liked the quirky, wacky characters. James' father was hilarious. There was plenty of action and plot twists and turns that kept me reading briskly until the end.
—Liora
