Customer Reviews

Naked Once More

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of my fave mysteries of all time, a witty, twisting mystery that will leave you laughing, sighing, frowning, and enjoying every sharply-defined character in it.

This book is the sequel to "Die For Love," starring the incomparable Jacqueline Kirby (first seen in "Seventh Sinner") who is now a bestselling author who previously did two historical romances (which she can't stand). Now she is being approached for one of the biggest book deals in history: Write a sequel to the historical/romance/fantasy epic "Naked on the Ice"--and yes, that is the real title. The author of "Naked," the cult figure Kathleen Darcy, is supposedly dead by suicide, having vanished into the wilderness seven years back, despite being a bestselling millionaire.

Jacqueline gains the book deal, but must now deal with the rising specter of murder. She suspects strongly that Kathleen Darcy was being targeted for death via "accidents." Among her suspects are Kathleen's toad-like half-brother, St. John Darcy; Kathleen's ex-lover; the hack historical-romance writer Brunnhilde; the violent male rival; the married hunk whom "Naked"'s hero was physically based on; the deformed woman who has an almost obsessive fascination with Kathleen; and a sprinkling of other former friends, enemies, and relations...

What happened to Kathleen? Did she really commit suicide, or was she murdered? Is she alive, possibly? And what possible reason would anyone have to want her dead--money, love, revenge? Jacqueline intends to find the truth -- but what if she gets in the murderer's way?

Jacqueline is still the same effervescently vivid character as before. With her slightly eccentric nature and keen mind (not to mention her flamboyant clothing--it's a treat just to visualize her) she is an instantly likeable detective. Yet she doesn't show everything on the surface: when she meets with her new agent, she has a wry cynical edge that is very appealing.

You will thoroughly loathe such characters as St. John Darcy, Tom and Brunnhilde, the overweight historical hack. More appealing is Paul, whose turbulent feelings and quick thinking make him a nice if blunt guy.

Aside from the excellent descriptive writing and wonderful situations (St. John attempting to kiss Jacqueline; Jacqueline showing what Sarah looks like) you also get little pokes and jabs at the book industry. Agents, contracts, those little fifteen-percent paychecks, "lit-ra-choor" and bestselling authors are all lampooned slyly by Ms. Peters. (And if you have ever tried to be published as I have tried and am trying, it's doubly amusing)

One slightly inaccurate thing in this book is that the person doing the cover art obviously didn't read the book. (No nude typing--the "naked" is a joke...) Aside from this, this is a witty, classic mystery that you'll read again and again...

Ms. Peters, write more about Jacqueline Kirby!

Seven years before this novel opens, Kathleen Darcy, a novelist famous for her one book, __Naked in the Ice__, disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Although no body was ever found and the only evidence was her abandoned car, which yielded no clues, her disappearance was officially ruled to be a suicide. Many of her friends, family, and fans question this conclusion and believe that she was either murdered or is still alive.

In the present, our protagonist Jacqueline (don't dare to call her Jackie!) Kirby, a successful novelist in her own right, wins a competition and is chosen to write a sequel to Ms. Darcy's novel. Upset by this decision are some fans who believe that no sequel should ever be written, and at least two of the other authors who lost out to her in the competition. These two rather unsavory characters are the aptly (self)named Brunhilde, and the bullying Jack Carter. How Jacqueline "destroys" these two through public humiliation is almost a case study in "coolness."

Jacqueline is a bit of an amateur detective whose instincts tell her that something is really amiss. There are a lot of people who might have had motives to get rid of Kathleen Darcy, and maybe Jacqueline, too.

She therefore makes it her business to determine:

(A): If Kathleen Darcy was murdered, or

(B): She committed suicide, or

(C): She is still alive, and

(D): If murder, who is responsible, or

(E): If she committed suicide, why, or

(F): If she is still alive, where is she, and

(G): Who murdered the owner of a local bookstore, a fanatical fan of Darcy, and why, and finally

(H): Who is setting up "accidents" that threaten Jacqueline's life, and why do they mirror a series of so-called accidents that happened to Darcy shortly before her disappearance?

Whew! That's a lot. Now let's throw in a sleazy lawyer, Kathleen's most unappealing half-brother, a handsome chef, a handsome neighbor, a dishonest agent, a couple of Kathleen's sisters, the two losing authors already mentioned, and one or two others, all with seeming motives, and all with something to hide.

It's Jacqueline's self-assigned job to sort through all of these people and possibilities while protecting herself, and o find the solution to this "who-dunnit."

How well does she do? You'll have to make it your job to find out.

I didn't think this book was as good as "Die for Love," which I thought was hilarious. It lacked the humor and outrageousness of that book, but I still enjoyed the mystery and "unveiling," which came as a surprise. I LOVE JACQUELINE KIRBY! As a longtime fan of Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels, I only wish that she would write more books with this wonderful lady as her central heroine!

This, the fourth and thus far last installment of the Jacqueline Kirby series, reaches the greatness promised in the first stallment, but left largely unfulfilled by the second and third books. A challenging mystery, a hint of romance, and a more thoughtful, less mean-spirited Jacqueline. Too bad Ms. Peters stopped here. Enjoyable romp.

Jaqueline Kirby is a wonderful character, not as unusual as Ms. Peters' more popular sleuth Amelia Peabody (a hilarious Lady Egyptologist of the last century), but equally delightful to spend time with. The fourth Kirby book isn't as funny as the earlier "Die For Love" (set at a Romance Novel convention), but it's more absorbing and even haunting. This could be called Peter's "Gaudy Night", it accomplishes the rare feat of having an established lighthearted character show more feeling and depth than the reader expected, and doing it well.

Kirby has gone from being an outrageously outspoken librarian to an outrageous "eccentric" bestselling author, and wins the chance to write a sequel to one of the best-selling books of the decade, whose young author disappeared seven years ago. She goes to the home town of the author, intending to do research, but is naturally caught up in the mystery of the disappearance. She finds a somehow haunted town, populated with people unable to go on with their lives, to accept the loss, obsessed with her, needing more from her, living in the past. Where could a strong-willed, outspoken, brilliant amateur sleuth be needed more?

One of Peters' most moving and naturalistic books, I must have read this one ten times.

When writer Kathleen Darcy mysteriously disappeared seven years ago after publishing a hugely successful historical novel, `Naked in the Ice', it was determined that suicide was the likely outcome although her body was never found. Now that she has been declared legally dead, her heirs, agent and publisher are launching a search for someone to write the much-anticipated sequel. Author Jacqueline Kirby, the series protagonist Peters first introduced to us in The Seventh Sinner, easily lands the job.

Jacqueline, sardonic and bitingly charming as ever (think of an alligator in a pink dress, maybe) temporarily relocates to Kathleen's rural digs - the center of her writing life as well as the site of her disappearance - and finds a lot more than she bargained for after moving into Kathleen's cozy cottage. Not only do Kathleen's mooching siblings and half-crazy mother (who all live in a grand estate paid for by Kathleen's earnings) present an unexpected obstacle, but local characters in town seem to have a vested interest in how the final chapter of Kathleen's life plays out. Right from the beginning Jacqueline finds herself drawn deeply into the real-life mystery of Kathleen Darcy herself and what really happened to her - which, oddly enough, no one else seems to be all that interested in.

I've read this a couple of times over the years, so I listened to it on audiobook this time. Most of Peters/Michaels' books are narrated by one particular actress, Barbara Rosenblatt, who embodies the voices so well that I've come to think of her as Peters/Michaels herself. Peters only wrote five Kirby books, which is unfortunate because they're among her best. It seems very obvious to me that the character of Jacqueline Kirby is at least a partial self-portrait of Peters/Michaels/Mertz (she even refers to herself at one point, when going through a mental list of authors who were cat fanciers: `Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, Barbara Michaels...', which made me smile. Her intelligent humor and excellently fleshed-out characters make these books genuine pleasures to read (or listen to) over and over again.

The final Jacqueline Kirby novel, this book finds Jacqueline as the chosen novelist to write the sequel to another novelist's famous novel. Kathleen Darcy disappeared seven years ago and was presumed dead. Jacqueline discovers that Kathleen was most likely murdered. Instead of writing the novel, she sets out to find the killer.

This is perhaps my favorite of the Jacqueline novels. I highly recommend it!

Although I generally prefer the Amelia Peabody books, this was one of the best Elizabeth Peters books I have read. Jacqueline Kirby is one-of-a-kind. It's a great story with just enough gentle sarcasm about mystery/romance writers. Good, suspsenseful plot.

This book is one of E. Peter's very best, and I know, I have read every E. Peter's book including those under Barbara Michael's real name. The book is a clever satire and mystery rolled into one. There are many Peter's books I would happily re-read, this one tops the list.

This was a fairly interesting Jacqueline Kirby romp but it went on for far too long and some of the characters were quite flat. Jacqueline and the author spend so much time sending up the romance genre that the inside jokes become tedious after a while. She also had a lot more sparkle in The Seventh Sinner and I have to admit I really did not like the ending. I had hoped for something more surprising and romantic. Still, if you like the novels featuring this surprising heroine, you will be glad you read it.