Reviews

Die for Love by Elizabeth Peters

heidenkind's review

The conclusion to the mystery was kinda dumb, but otherwise an entertaining and humorous book.

cimorene1558's review

5.0

One of the funniest mysteries ever written, especially if you know anything at all (and I don't know much) about romance writing.

muhrrynn's review against another edition

3.0

I enjoy Jacqueline as a character. She is smart, sassy, and not young like typical heroines. She knows what she wants, and she generally gets it.

lilacs_book_bower's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Well, the mystery is good, and I love stories set at conventions, but Jacqueline is smug and I never super love her as a character.  The main issue is this book was rampant with fatphobia (and there is one use of the word transvestite).  One of the suspects is an overweight troubled teen, and the negative descriptions of her weight is constant.  It had been a long time since I had read this one, and I hadn't remembered how constant it was.  I also think that EP probably only did surface level research into the romance field because some of the things she said didn't make sense.  Like 10 published books dominate more than half of the bookshelves?  That just doesn't add up.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Body shaming, Dementia, Fatphobia, Child death, and Murder

hollie313's review

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

sjgochenour's review

4.0

This one gets into high satire. It is very funny and very mean, and the solution is satisfyingly complicated and interesting. I sort of wonder what professional romance authors would think of it these days.

I would say the laziest bit of character work that Peters is consistently guilty of is that fat people are always bad/stupid/evil/crazy, which shows up repeatedly here.

kathrynamonett's review

3.0

3.5, really. I have been a long time fan of Elizabeth Peters, but never really read her Kirby stuff, but this was available for free on Audible today and I gave it a listen. I was pleasantly surprised. Started off stronger than the second half, but still a nice whodunnit, with more 80s feminism and inclusion than you get in her other works. I'll give the other Kirbies a try.

I do have to wonder though about Peters' description of the convention. I have a hard time believing they would actually be that outlandish and that.... pink. While she (and Kirby) clearly like making fun of the genre and its writers and readers, she (both Peters and Kirby) can't resist it.


But what is with the fat-phobia?!

quietjenn's review

4.0

3 1/2. Entertaining mystery and the knowledge that Peters had firsthand knowledge of the romance-writing-and-publishing world in which it takes place added and extra layer of amusement.

wordnerdy's review

4.0

http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2013/05/2013-book-148.html

cmbohn's review

1.0

I found it disappointing. I didn't really like any of the characters. Jacqueline is less appealing here than in the previous books in the series. None of the other characters are very well-drawn either. The part about the romance convention are very funny, but all the references to romance books are dated. Romances don't follow this old-fashioned plot any more. The identity of the killer wasn't much of a surprise either, and frankly, neither were any of the so-called "plot twists."

I really like her other series better, the ones featuring Amelia Peabody or even better, the Vicky Bliss books.