Die For Love (Jacqueline Kirby) [Mass Market Paperback]

Elizabeth Peters (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1991 | Series: Jacqueline Kirby

At the annual Historical Romance Writers of the World convention, Jacqueline Kirby, a Nebraska librarian and sometime sleuth, finds that when jealousy and passion are released from the printed page, the result can be murder.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Librarian Jacqueline Kirby, wanting a tax-deductible excuse to vacation in New York City (and to leave the small town in Nebraska where she works at a small college), poses as a romance author in order to attend a historical romance writers conference in the Big Apple. She is soon caught up in masquerades, intrigues, and deadly goings-on. This light mystery with intriguing characters is capably narrated by Liza Ross, who produces a range of credible voices for persons both male and female, several with discernible regional accents. Jacqueline's wry tone is matched by Ross's light, never-too-serious inflection, making for a very pleasant listening experience. A good addition to mystery collections and wherever the author is popular.?Melody Moxley, Rowan P.L., Salisbury, N.C.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

About the Author

Barbara Mertz, who is Barbara Michaels and Elizabeth Peters, holds a Ph.D. in Egyptology from the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. Her first published works were nonfiction books on Egypt. Her first novel, also her first Barbara Michaels novel, was The Master of Blacktower, a mystery. Barbara Michaels writes thriller and mysteries, many with supernatural elements, including The Grey Beginning and Here I Stay.

Elizabeth Peters writes primarily mystery/suspense, most notably the Amelia Peabody, Vicky Bliss, and Jacqueline Kirby titles. Books under the Peters name include: The Copenhagen Connection, The Jackal's Head, Die For Love, The Ape Who Guards the Balance, Trojan Gold, and Lord of the Silence.

Barbara Mertz has been President of the American Crime Writers League and a member of the Board of Governors of The American Research Center in Egypt. She has been named a Grandmaster by the Mystery Writers of America. She lives in Maryland.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (October 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812519086
• ISBN-13: 978-0812519082
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,155,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ELIZABETH PETERS, whose New York Times best-selling novels are often set against historical backdrops, earned a Ph.D. in Egyptology at the University of Chicago. She also writes best-selling books under the pseudonym Barbara Michaels. She lives in Frederick, Maryland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dying for "Love", May 28, 2001

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Die for Love (Mass Market Paperback)

Elizabeth Peters is one of those rare authors who can mingle intelligent whodunnits with sheer lunatic hilarity.

And rarely did she show this as expertly as in "Die For Love," a brilliantly twisting whodunnit that expertly lampoons romance novels and the writers who churn them out. Peters surrounds her acerbic heroine with mounds of puffy pink luvvyluv, but also tosses in a startling murder into the mix.

Jacqueline Kirby, seeking to expand her horizens and get out of a romantic rut, travels to New York for a romance writers' convention. After educating herself on sexy schlock, she encounters a bunch of colorful celebrities there -- a scathing columnist, a rabid feminist, an obsessive fan, an old classmate, the gorgeous and talented Queen of Romance Valerie Valentine, a sexy male writer, and a sinister yet hearty literary agent.

Then the columnist dies unexpectedly, and it seems that Valentine is the target. Jacqueline begins peeling away the layers of cotton-candy romance to find out what ugly secrets are important enough to kill for. Was it jealousy, hatred, or money? (Surprisingly, passion doesn't enter into it). Armed with the ugliest hat and the fattest purse in the world, she sets out to smoke out the killer.

"Die For Love" is a massive tonal shift for the too-short Jacqueline Kirby series. After two pretty serious, European-flavoured mysteries, suddenly we're in New York and immersed in hilarious romantic spoofery -- and you can tell Elizabeth Peters is having a delightful time mocking the romance genre.

So she intertwined satire and a clever whodunnit very nicely, swinging deftly between the funny (Jacqueline having a "war of quotes" with Hattie) and a strong collection of motives, suspects and some clever literary allusions mixed in with the over-the-top schlock. But she also reminds us of some of the more serious results of the romance genre, such as the "rape=love" message.

Jacqueline is her usual irrepressible self -- big fat purse, flamboyant clothes, and the lofty position of a librarian with a naughty streak. She steps further from "conventional detective" into her unique, perkily eccentric niche. One interesting fact is that in this book, she sets out to write a historical romance.

And she's backed by a deliciously colourful cast of characters -- demure Sue, the sexy but beleagured hunk Victor, the hilarious hardcore feminist Betsy, the bewigged and timid Valerie Vanderbilt, and the grotesquely scheming Hattie.

"Die For Love" isn't quite worth dying for, but it's not hard to love. Hilarious, barbed and relentlessly clever, this is a must-read for mystery fans... and maybe romance fans with a sense of humor.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A spoof of bodice-ripping writers, May 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Die for Love (Mass Market Paperback)

This is by far, one of the funniest books written by Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels. She must have written bodice rippers at one time in her literary life to have created characters so true to form. Jacqueline Kirby has got to be one of my favorite sleuths of all time - combining great looks with a talent for spotting trouble.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hilarious Romp!, January 11, 2002

By 

Su (Portland, OR, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Die for Love (Audio CD)

There aren't too many books that I find laugh out loud funny but this is one of them. Written with humor and even the occasional burst of compassion, Elizabeth Peters takes on the cut-throat world of romance novelists.
Those who enjoyed this book may also enjoy "Bimbos of the Death Sun" by Sharyn McCrumb, an equally funny mystery about a murder that takes place at a Sci-Fi convention.