Customer Reviews

Summer of the Dragon

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This delightful confection was originally published in 1979. You might expect that 20+ years would date it a bit, but it manages to retain its entertainment value full force. This is a credit to Elizabeth Peters, who popularized the humorous mystery story in the U.S. and remains its undisputed mistress.

Desperate to find a summer job that takes her away from her beloved, but impossible, parents, D.J. Abbott snaps up a job working for Hank Hunnicut. Hank is an extremely wealthy businessman who has a weakness for crackpot theories and spiritual hokum. D.J. finds herself surrounded by a herd of not quite harmless enthusiasts and practitioners, a treasure hunter, another young (and good-looking) anthropologist, the ineffable Hank himself, and an immense amount of desert.

D.J.'s immediate problem is finding out what it was that Hank needed a physical anthropologist for, but she is distracted from this by an infinite supply of food, several attempts to drug her, some sabotage and, finally, Hank's kidnapping. The excitement mounts as she unravels the tangled threads and identifies the culprit.

D.J. serves as narrator of the book and Peters gives her a charming style that sees everything from its humorous side, including her own failings and weaknesses. Using this device Peters creates a perfect example of summer or vacation reading. D.J. is a type that was once referred to as an 'uppity woman.' She is more truthful than accommodating, which catapults her into many hilarious confrontations.

To top of this tidbit, Peters' Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute stands her in good stead, as she manages to mix her sense of humor with a wealth of interesting facts.

It would be unfair to compare this book to Peters Amanda Peabody series. The latter are, for the most part, the work of a maturer artist. By no means heavyweight, they do have 'meat' and depth to them. But this book has standing and value on its own, and it is our good fortune that Avon has chosen to reissue it.

Ahhh, Peters is so, so great!

Anthropology grad student D.J. Abbott is a master procrastinator. She has left finding a summer job so late than when she sees her advisor about it, all that's left is an offer from well-known crackpot millionaire Hank Hunnicutt, who seems to believe in every weird theory floating about. Since it's an extremely generous offer, though, D.J. decides to apply for it (it doesn't hurt that Hunnicutt's Arizona ranch isn't within visiting distance from her parent's house, something very important for her).

Hunnicutt's already rejected a few applicants, but he accepts D.J., and so she heads over to Arizona. When she arrives, she finds the house full of assorted weirdos and a couple of extremely handsome men. She also meets the endearing Hank, who's very vague about the reason he wanted her at the ranch. He insists she rest and relax and enjoy the amenities until a certain gadget arrives... then he'll show her his discovery.

But soon thereafter, after a couple of suspicious accidents, Hank vanishes, and it falls to D.J. and a few allies to find out what happened to him... and which of the nuts might have had a reason to make him disappear.

Summer of the Dragon has three strengths which are the reason I love this author so much. First, there's the characters. Peters is a master at creating fascinating, three-dimensional, fresh secondary characters, and she's not bad with her protagonists, either! Each of the weirdos in residence has a distinct personality, and they are, every one of them, loads of fun. As for D.J. and her romantic interest (whose identity I won't reveal here, though anyone familiar with her books will probably deduce it the minute he shows up), they're great. I especially loved the way D.J. was a declared feminist and refused to take any silliness from anyone (remember this is a 1979 book, so she's a very unique heroine that way), and the way Peters wrote her total enjoyment of food... and her guy's reaction to this!

Second, I absolutely adore Peters' writing. She's got a wonderful sense of humour, and this shows through, not only in extremely funny scenes, but also in the very way she puts things. If you want to see what I mean and haven't yet tried this author (what are you waiting for?), just go use the Look inside feature amazon offers and read the first couple of pages.

Third, Peters' plots are always enormously entertaining, and I always love her mix of adventure and archeological and historical elements. Summer of the Dragon wasn't an exception. It takes a while to get to what's going on, but once we do get there, it's fascinating, as is the setting!

The heroine is a young anthropologist, D.J. Abbott (named after Deanna Durbin, but strangely embarrassed by this, why?)She takes a summer job working for eccentric millionaire Hank Hunnicut, who fills his beautiful Arizona home with a variety of charlatans, mediums, experts on Atlantis etc. She finds herself at daggers drawn with Hank's gorgeous assistant, Tom De Karsky, Elizabeth Peters' sexiest hero. Permanently hungry, she munches her way through the lavish and delicious meals served at the ranch, while cheerfully goading Hank's preposterous guests. Her spirited denounciations of the drivel spouted by these charlatans are some of the most amusing passages in the book. Some of the guests at least are up to no good, hank dissapears and D.J., Tom, and Debbie, the beautiful indian girl who loves Hank, embark on a desperate search. humour, suspense, romance, and wonderful descriptions of the desert, this book has everything you need for a pleasurable read.

I have always been a fan of Barbara Michaels (though for this book she writes under the name Elizabeth Peters, and Barabara Michaels is a pen name as well) but I think this is my favorite of all her books. I love the style, and I LOVE the characters, especially D.J. and Tom. I have read this book again and again since the first, and it never looses its humor or its quirky charm. Everyone should read it.

I have always been a fan of Barbara Michaels (though for this book she writes under the name Elizabeth Peters, and Barabara Michaels is a pen name as well) but I think this is my favorite of all her books. I love the style, and I LOVE the characters, especially D.J. and Tom. I have read this book again and again since the first, and it never looses its humor or its quirky charm. Everyone should read it, it's great.

Purchased this when desperate for new Vicki Bliss mystery and couldn't wait any longer. This is a somewhat older book.

In some respects, perfect summer reading. Light romance, a little mystery, some good funny lines--all what you'd expect from Peters. I also like that the heroine is depicted as not your typical romance heroine, she's both intelligent and plump.

Where it doesn't get my higher rating, is with the predictability of the plot (seems like a cross between recycled Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie), not enough zingy action, and a bit dated.

But still, not a bad read.

This was one of the first Elizabeth Peters books I read. I read it years ago, and have reread it many times since. I recently went to Arizona for the first time - I have been dreaming of going there since I read this book back in the 80's. I fell in love with the Desert just as DJ does in this book. I highly recommend this novel - it's descriptive ability to place you in the spot where it takes place, I can now confirm, is fabulous! The humor is great, the charactors interesting!

Having been an avid Barbara Mertz (a.k.a. Elizabeth Peters, a.k.a. Barbara Michaels) fan for over a decade, I must say that this is her funniest story. D.J. is a wonderfully satirical character, with a typically quirky personality and not inconsiderable intelligence. The southwest, where I was born and raised, is a terrific setting for a mystery. If you are a laughing skeptic of the stories of "mystical" psychics and alien "abductions" that plague sensational journals, you will appreciate the abundant humor in this book.

I really loved this book and read it entirely in one sitting. DJ is such an interesting character (and not thin, thank god!) it would be nice to see her in a possible sequel. The only criticism I would make is that the ending is a little vague. I had to read it a couple of times before I realised exactly what it was everyone was running around trying to find. Also the development of the relationship between DJ and Tom was a bit unreal. At first they hate each other, then out of the blue he declares his love for her, and in the last few pages DJ is talking marriage! I'm surprised Tom wasn't heading for the hills. It would have been nicer if there had been a bit more buildup between the two, but other than that, I'd rate "Summer of the Dragon" as one of Ms. Peters' best.

I really don't know how I managed to skip this book, but somehow I didn't get my hands on this until a few weeks ago when I saw it at a used bookstore. Of course, being an avid Peters fan, I immediately picked it up and devoured it in just one sitting. This is a delightful tale of an anthropology student who takes a summer job with an eccentric millionaire and, in the process, unravels the mystery of his disappearance. Oh, and she also meets the man of her dreams. Like the rest of Peters' novels, this book has intrigue, romance, and plenty of history for the history fans. I'll be purchasing this in a new paperback to add to my Peters collection.