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pussreboots's review against another edition
4.0
Night Train to Memphis, the fifth Vicky Bliss mystery by Elizabeth Peters was actually the first one I read. When we were moving to Daly City from South Pasadena we got the audio version and listened to it up and down the I5. Having so enjoyed listening to the mystery, I went back and found copies of the previous four which I read through over the next couple of years.
Night Train the Memphis finds Vicky Bliss outside her comfort zone and plopped into the middle of Amelia Peabody Emerson's hunting grounds: Egypt. Yes, the two series exist in the same universe, just separated by a number of decades. Interestingly, Barbara Michaels (another pen name for the author) also exists and is publishing books; Vicky mentions being a fan.
Vicky is sent on a cruise as a lecturer to help the Munich police figure out who among the guests are planning to rob the Cairo Museum. What she isn't expecting is to find her old lover (and well known art thief). Worse of all, he's newly married!
The book has its moments of humor especially when Vicky is trying to feign interest in a subject she's supposed to an expert in when she's bored to tears. Lie the other Vicky Bliss novels, it's much shorter than the newer Amelia Peabody mysteries. Peters books are best when they are short and tightly edited.
On re-visiting the story with better knowledge of John (her thieving lover) I found his actions and motivation especially in the marriage out of character for him. His now obviously odd behavior distracted me from my earlier complete enjoyment of the mystery.
Nonetheless, I am still eager to read the recently released sixth novel Laughter of Dead Kings.
The entire list of books in the series is:
1. Borrower of the Night (1973)
2. Street of Five Moons (1978)
3. Silhouette in Scarlet (1983)
4. Trojan Gold (1987)
5. Night Train to Memphis (1994)
6. Laughter of Dead Kings (2008) (I really want to read this one!)
Night Train the Memphis finds Vicky Bliss outside her comfort zone and plopped into the middle of Amelia Peabody Emerson's hunting grounds: Egypt. Yes, the two series exist in the same universe, just separated by a number of decades. Interestingly, Barbara Michaels (another pen name for the author) also exists and is publishing books; Vicky mentions being a fan.
Vicky is sent on a cruise as a lecturer to help the Munich police figure out who among the guests are planning to rob the Cairo Museum. What she isn't expecting is to find her old lover (and well known art thief). Worse of all, he's newly married!
The book has its moments of humor especially when Vicky is trying to feign interest in a subject she's supposed to an expert in when she's bored to tears. Lie the other Vicky Bliss novels, it's much shorter than the newer Amelia Peabody mysteries. Peters books are best when they are short and tightly edited.
On re-visiting the story with better knowledge of John (her thieving lover) I found his actions and motivation especially in the marriage out of character for him. His now obviously odd behavior distracted me from my earlier complete enjoyment of the mystery.
Nonetheless, I am still eager to read the recently released sixth novel Laughter of Dead Kings.
The entire list of books in the series is:
1. Borrower of the Night (1973)
2. Street of Five Moons (1978)
3. Silhouette in Scarlet (1983)
4. Trojan Gold (1987)
5. Night Train to Memphis (1994)
6. Laughter of Dead Kings (2008) (I really want to read this one!)
summermsmith's review against another edition
4.0
I am reading this series out of order, which I really hate to do but I'm listening to them on CD and my library does not have a complete set. I really liked this book. Schmidt is particularly lovable in this one.
steveshooman's review against another edition
2.0
I love the Peabody series but just didn't care for the character of Vicky or the overwhelming "romance" nature of this book. I like Peabody' independent spirit, and Bliss just seems to simper around.
cspiwak's review against another edition
2.0
i found the constantpoking fun at the romance genre, which she really wasn't rising above, a bit distracting
missmarketpaperback's review against another edition
4.0
I love the silly Vicky Bliss series. This is a fun romp. There’s a lot of pervy-ness and sexism, but i think it’s fair to chalk that up to the time period. I loved the second half of the book. The first half dragged at times.
singinglight's review against another edition
4.0
This book was pure gold (erm…). I mean, the other ones I enjoyed. But this one! Schmidt! The pure awesomeness that is Schmidt blew me away. I laughed myself silly in parts. And did anyone else catch the Busman’s Honeymoon reference? [Dec. 2008]
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I haven’t read The Laughter of Dead Kings yet, but I’ve read the rest of the books in the Vicky Bliss series and this one is definitely, emphatically my favorite. Peters manages to take all the tropes she’s set up in the rest of the books and stand them on their heads. Plus, Schmidt is amazing. [Nov. 2009]
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I like rereading Vicky occasionally, and this one is definitely my favorite. Peters manages to turn several of her tropes from the previous books on their heads, in a very satisfying way. [Nov. 2011]
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I haven’t read The Laughter of Dead Kings yet, but I’ve read the rest of the books in the Vicky Bliss series and this one is definitely, emphatically my favorite. Peters manages to take all the tropes she’s set up in the rest of the books and stand them on their heads. Plus, Schmidt is amazing. [Nov. 2009]
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I like rereading Vicky occasionally, and this one is definitely my favorite. Peters manages to turn several of her tropes from the previous books on their heads, in a very satisfying way. [Nov. 2011]
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