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60 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
When First We Practice to Deceive, October 28, 2001
I think one of the things I like best about Elizabeth Peters is that she clearly believes that reading mystery stories is supposed to be fun. Of course, there is much to be said for authors that believe otherwise. But sooner or later I need to take a break and lean back with something by an author who has managed to evade all the Sturm und Drang of modern mystery fiction. Someone I can trust with my sometimes fragile psyche. Elizabeth Peters is my all time favorite in this category of 'cozy' tales, for many reasons. Take the book at hand, "Devil May Care." The plot work is clean and classical. Ellie has been asked by her Aunt Kate to house sit while her Aunt takes a trip. The house is a fine old manse in Burton, Virginia. Ellie arrives with her fiancée Henry, a dull but successful Washington lawyer, to find Aunt Kate clog dancing with a neighbor and deep in football discussions. After a short interlude Henry and Kate head back to the city and Ellie settles in for the long haul. Immediately she finds herself surrounded by ghosts. Aunt Kate's previously unhaunted home suddenly has a transparent young man upstairs, a jilted husband chasing his wife and her lover all over the grounds, a crazy looking red haired woman in the... Well, you get my drift. Ellie, who is an intelligent and well grounded young woman sets about solving these appearances with the help of Ted Fraser (her Aunt's clog dancing friend) and the very attractive (and not at all dull) Donald Gold, the neighbor's son. The mystery revolves around the original six families that founded Burton, and an old history book Ellie bought for a gift to her Aunt. But what it is eludes everyone, even after Ted barely survives a meeting with an irate spirit and the sudden reappearance of Aunt Kate. The reader is well on his way through this roller coaster ride long before the complexities of the plot finally begin to unravel. What makes this mysterious farce enjoyable is not only a clean and lively plot, but an entire cast of eccentric and wonderful characters. I greatly admire Peters heroines, who always display a great deal of intelligence and forethought. Ellie is one of these. Her Aunt Kate is no less memorable, with a defiantly impish streak. The male participants, ranging from the very dull Henry to the quick witted Donald are perfect foils for these women. In addition, all six of the founding families are full of amazing confections and one can hardly leave out the long cast of Aunt Kate's pets, lead by the imperious Roger the Rat and Franklin the Fearless Pekinese. This is mystery fiction intended to be entertainment and little else. Elizabeth Peters is an expert as mixing archeology, the supernatural, and history with the inevitable foibles of human beings and coming up with story after satisfactory story. This is perfect fireside reading for one of those rainy fall days around Halloween. Or for any other time as well.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting plot, September 4, 2001
This mystery includes ghosts, people's reputations, and the dog that barked in the night. It was difficult to put the book down. Ellie goes off to housesit her aunt Kate's estate in the Virginia horse country, and immediately encounters a resident ghost, or is it? Various ancestors of "old families" make an appearance, and just what are the dark secrets the families have buried? Between eccentric Aunt Kate, her friend Ted, the neighboring doctor and his son, Donald, some strange servants, and the present generation of the "old families," not to mention the large assortment of dogs and cats along with a pet rat, the story gets interesting. Is there trickery, perhaps mass hallucinations, or has someone really raised the dead? There are some sidelights about the Washington Redskins, and an argument about who was the best quarterback of all times. Disagreement with Kate can give men a bad itch where gentlemen don't scratch. Overall, it was good reading for a rainy evening.
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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As Elizabeth Peters or Barbara Michaels, she's the best!, April 29, 1999
By A Customer
I first read this book many years ago when I was a only in my teens and I've been hooked on the author ever since. I must have taken this book out of the library over a dozen times! The book is funny, intelligent, scary and intriguing all at once. The characters are wonderful and you wish they were real! A great read as are all her other books. Her style as Barbara Michaels is a bit different, but every bit as good. It'll be a sad day for me if she ever stops writing!
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