Amazon.com: The Murders of Richard III: Elizabeth Peters: 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

20 Reviews

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

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3.8 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars House party mystery farce, September 5, 2001

By

Carol Peterson Hennekens (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Murders of Richard III (Mass Market Paperback)

The house party mystery is a classic format. Here, Peters takes the format and applies a liberal dose of history as the guests are a group dedicated to clearing the name of Richard III. (Richard is the king whose image is that of the one who killed his nephews.) And while this book is hardly a technical treatise on Richard's innocence, it is an entertaining pitch for that argument. (Josephine Tey's "The Daughter of Time" is a more convincing fictional argument - also a great read.)

As the guests wander around in costume and are generally being eccentric, accidents start to happen. Most assume it is just a "joker" trying to disrupt the meeting but Jacqueline Kirby is suspicious. It's a fun, light entertainment as she considers each of the guests as potential suspects -- and then saves the day.

Bottom-line: This is the second in Peter's Kirby series. Reading of the first book isn't necessary. This book is a good (not great) read for fans of English history who can appreciate a cast of overblown characters. Amelia Peabody fans may find the book too different for their tastes.

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beware of eccentric recreationists running around in velvet, May 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Murders of Richard III (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this a while ago, but it remains one of my favourite Jacqueline Kirby mysteries. She is involved with a group of Ricardians, eccentrics who are determined to prove the 'innocence' of Richard III, and who happily involve themselves in re-creation activities. Knowing some medieval re-creationists myself, she has the bizarre mix of dedication, surrealism and fanaticism you find associated with these groups down perfectly.

The mystery is witty and all that you would expect from a Jacqueline Kirby mystery. The only reason I didn't give it 10 is that I think The Seventh Sinner is even better. I would also recommend the Vicky Bliss and Amelia Peabody stories for those who like their mysteries with unusual flavours.

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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Ricardian Romp!, July 19, 2001

By

Sharon E. Cathcart "Why, yes, I am an author" (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)

This review is from: The Murders of Richard III (Mass Market Paperback)

As a dedicated Yorkist and a member of the Richard III Society, I am constantly reading any work I can find about the Duke of Gloucester. This book is a murder mystery that takes place at a weekend gathering of Ricardians in England. Accidents begin to happen that echo Shakespeare's telling of Richard's alleged murders. Each of the Ricardians in the novel plays a role from the Yorkist period ... one accident has the fellow playing George, Duke of Clarence, bound and stuffed into a barrel (to echo the alleged drowning of the unfortunate Duke in a butt of malmsey). The reading is light and entertaining, and replete with well researched historical information. It's on my Listmania "Ricardian Reader's Library" as a result.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't hate me because I'm a feminist . . . hate me for being obnoxious
Librarian Jacqueline Kirby is invited by her friend Thomas to attend a special meeting of a society dedicated to proving that Richard III did not kill his nephews in order to gain... Read more

Published 7 months ago by Tracy Christenson

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun read, plus Richard III
I had feared there would be too much about the mystery in modern times and not enough about Richard III, but there was enough discussion of the past (and love for the long-dead... Read more

Published 17 months ago by Rachel E. Gray

5.0 out of 5 stars not as good as some of her other books
I wasn't as impressed with this story line as with some of her other books.

Published 23 months ago by Cindy K. Green

4.0 out of 5 stars "Richard" not as stellar as others in the series.
Reviewer : Renee S. NYC
When I was in college -many years ago -my assigned topic for an English History term paper was to read Josephine Tey's book "The Daughter of Time" and research all her... Read more

Published on August 25, 2008

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Ricardian thriller
The second novel in the Jacqueline Kirby series, The Murders of Richard III, finds Jacqueline in England at a country house party dedicated to a Ricardian society. Read more

Published on November 20, 2007 by A. Arey

3.0 out of 5 stars Stumbling along
Jacqueline Kirby and her friend, Thomas Carter, are invited to attend an English house party. There will be several days of masquerades and lectures from the Ricardians, a group... Read more

Published on July 7, 2007 by Barbara K. Davis

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
This, the second Jacqueline Kirby mystery, was a terrible disappointment. The mystery evolves around the going-ons of a English country house party, attended by a bunch of ho-hum... Read more

Published on June 27, 2004

3.0 out of 5 stars I wanted to like this more, really I did....
I am a big Elizabeth Peters fan, I like the Jacqueline Kirby character, love isolated-house-party mysteries, I'm even interested in English history but I did find this a bit of an... Read more

Published on February 16, 2004 by Jeanne Tassotto

4.0 out of 5 stars You Can Tell a Difference
You can certainly tell a difference in Elizabeth Peter's current writing style and what she was writing nearly thirty years ago. Read more

Published on January 25, 2004 by Louis M. Perdue

2.0 out of 5 stars Want a headache? Read this.
Thomas doesn't know why he isn't making any progress with lovely academic Jacqueline Kirby. Personally, I think it's because he's sort of patronizing, and because he checks out... Read more

Published on July 21, 2002 by Kelly (Fantasy Literature)

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Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
THE portrait was that of a man. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Sir Richard, Lady Isobel, Richard the Third, Edward the Fourth, King Richard, Henry the Seventh, Henry Tudor, Elizabeth of York, Duke of Clarence, Elizabeth Woodville, Sir Thomas More, Battle of Bosworth, Elizabeth Peters, Edward the Fifth, Wars of the Roses, Good Lord, James Strangways, Lord Hastings, Queen Anne, Lady Ponsonby-Jones, Crosby Hall, Duke of Buckingham, Old Crouchback, Richard of Gloucester, The Minders of Richard

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