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amym84's review against another edition
2.0
Compared to Elizabeth Peters other two series / heroines, this one was so difficult to get into. I'm pretty sure one of the main factors was listening to the audio, the narrator wasn't consistent with the voices used and I found it easy to confuse which character was speaking at which time.
I also didn't really like any of the characters. None of them had really any redeeming qualities so it made it difficult to really care what happened to any of them.
I also found it odd that the story was told not from Jacqueline Kirby's point of view (since this apparently is here series) but in third person from one of the other main characters. I think this didn't lend itself to me warming up to Jacqueline because we only get an impression of her and it's difficult to discern any truths about her character from that.
Overall, just thought the way the book unfolded was a bit odd, which makes me want to pick up the next book just to see if that's how the rest of the series progresses or if this was just maybe a rough start.
I also didn't really like any of the characters. None of them had really any redeeming qualities so it made it difficult to really care what happened to any of them.
I also found it odd that the story was told not from Jacqueline Kirby's point of view (since this apparently is here series) but in third person from one of the other main characters. I think this didn't lend itself to me warming up to Jacqueline because we only get an impression of her and it's difficult to discern any truths about her character from that.
Overall, just thought the way the book unfolded was a bit odd, which makes me want to pick up the next book just to see if that's how the rest of the series progresses or if this was just maybe a rough start.
cimorene1558's review against another edition
3.0
I love this book in so many ways, it has so much of the flamboyant silliness that is absolutely key to Jacqueline Kirby as a character. But the very ending is awful. In a heart-rending way, not a terrible-book way. And as a result, it's very hard to forget, and also less my favourite than many Peters/Michaels books.
nabenn67's review against another edition
2.0
A little background:
1. I absolutely love the Amelia Peabody series written by Elizabeth Peters. I have read the entire series, plus the extra book on Egypt. Just LOVE the series.
2. Though middle-aged, I just became a librarian 3 years ago.
Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to know where I am coming from. I was so excited when I stumbled upon the Jacqueline Kirby series ( it's not new, because first book was published in 1972.). A book about a librarian sleuth written by an author I thoroughly enjoy?! I went to the public library that night to check out the first in the series, "The Seventh Sinner".
Okay. Though not original, I was fine with the portrayal of Jacqueline as the stereo-typical librarian; middle-aged (Hello!), hair in a tight bun, "glasses perched on her nose as she looks down on you" librarian. I wasn't bothered by the not unexpected reference to Marian the Librarian from "The Music Man". (Heck, I'm probably the only one in my library that thinks it's funny that our IT department named our network drive Marian.) Or by the continual allusions to her being sensible, though there is "more to her than meets the eye".
But did Elizabeth Peters really just introduce us to Jacqueline by using the Porn Movie Librarian Stereo-type?!?!? You know the one; she's plain, dowdy, and uptight but as soon as she takes off her glasses and lets down her hair, she's in stilettos and fish-net stockings, her skirt is now 3 inches above the knee, her shirt shrunk 2 sizes and she looks like Cindy Crawford in an 80's Pepsi commercial. Trust me; I'm a librarian who wears glasses. When I take them off there is absolutely NO WAY you would mistake me for Cindy Crawford.
But even that isn't the reason why I gave the book 2 stars. It was the Point-of-View. It's written from another character's POV and NOT Jacqueline's. All we get are snippets of how the other characters in the story perceive her -- and it is rarely flattering unless she has her hair loose or is in an "unexpectedly feminine" outfit. We have no chance of discovering more about how she thinks or operates; finding out what she is truly like in her multi-faceted personality; watch her develop and grow as a character. Why do I care about what Jean Suttman thinks when the series is about Jacqueline Kirby?
I just could not get past this POV issue in order to enjoy the story. I was asked to invest in caring about characters that I don't think continue on into the next book while being denied the chance to really care about what happens to Jacqueline. Because I know what Elizabeth Peters is capable of in her story writing is the only reason I might give the 2nd book a chance. But then again I might not; there is only so much Porn Movie Librarian stereo-type references that I can deal with.
1. I absolutely love the Amelia Peabody series written by Elizabeth Peters. I have read the entire series, plus the extra book on Egypt. Just LOVE the series.
2. Though middle-aged, I just became a librarian 3 years ago.
Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to know where I am coming from. I was so excited when I stumbled upon the Jacqueline Kirby series ( it's not new, because first book was published in 1972.). A book about a librarian sleuth written by an author I thoroughly enjoy?! I went to the public library that night to check out the first in the series, "The Seventh Sinner".
Okay. Though not original, I was fine with the portrayal of Jacqueline as the stereo-typical librarian; middle-aged (Hello!), hair in a tight bun, "glasses perched on her nose as she looks down on you" librarian. I wasn't bothered by the not unexpected reference to Marian the Librarian from "The Music Man". (Heck, I'm probably the only one in my library that thinks it's funny that our IT department named our network drive Marian.) Or by the continual allusions to her being sensible, though there is "more to her than meets the eye".
But did Elizabeth Peters really just introduce us to Jacqueline by using the Porn Movie Librarian Stereo-type?!?!? You know the one; she's plain, dowdy, and uptight but as soon as she takes off her glasses and lets down her hair, she's in stilettos and fish-net stockings, her skirt is now 3 inches above the knee, her shirt shrunk 2 sizes and she looks like Cindy Crawford in an 80's Pepsi commercial. Trust me; I'm a librarian who wears glasses. When I take them off there is absolutely NO WAY you would mistake me for Cindy Crawford.
But even that isn't the reason why I gave the book 2 stars. It was the Point-of-View. It's written from another character's POV and NOT Jacqueline's. All we get are snippets of how the other characters in the story perceive her -- and it is rarely flattering unless she has her hair loose or is in an "unexpectedly feminine" outfit. We have no chance of discovering more about how she thinks or operates; finding out what she is truly like in her multi-faceted personality; watch her develop and grow as a character. Why do I care about what Jean Suttman thinks when the series is about Jacqueline Kirby?
I just could not get past this POV issue in order to enjoy the story. I was asked to invest in caring about characters that I don't think continue on into the next book while being denied the chance to really care about what happens to Jacqueline. Because I know what Elizabeth Peters is capable of in her story writing is the only reason I might give the 2nd book a chance. But then again I might not; there is only so much Porn Movie Librarian stereo-type references that I can deal with.
kevincanada's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
tobyyy's review against another edition
3.0
Between a 3.5 and a 4. Review for the audiobook version.
I enjoyed The Seventh Sinner. I can see how the history within the story could make it unpalatable to some readers, but the way the book was read made these portions enjoyable to me. It also helps, I suppose, that I enjoy history - especially religious history.
There were not a lot of likable characters but I feel like the character of Jacqueline Kirby was made to be read aloud (or acted). I laughed out loud multiple times at some of her statements, and it was more clear when she was being angry versus when she was being dryly humorous in the audiobook version than it would be in the book format. She would have been someone I’d get along well with in real life, I think.
The mystery was interesting but to me the focal point was the relationships and the mystery/intrigue around each character.
Definitely enjoyed; definitely would recommend (though more to fans of the more verbose, less tightly-knit thriller type of books, and less to people who wanted to read/listen to an Elizabeth Peters book for the first time).
I enjoyed The Seventh Sinner. I can see how the history within the story could make it unpalatable to some readers, but the way the book was read made these portions enjoyable to me. It also helps, I suppose, that I enjoy history - especially religious history.
There were not a lot of likable characters but I feel like the character of Jacqueline Kirby was made to be read aloud (or acted). I laughed out loud multiple times at some of her statements, and it was more clear when she was being angry versus when she was being dryly humorous in the audiobook version than it would be in the book format. She would have been someone I’d get along well with in real life, I think.
The mystery was interesting but to me the focal point was the relationships and the mystery/intrigue around each character.
Definitely enjoyed; definitely would recommend (though more to fans of the more verbose, less tightly-knit thriller type of books, and less to people who wanted to read/listen to an Elizabeth Peters book for the first time).
mysterymanon's review against another edition
3.0
The Cluesletter | @mysterymanon (IG) | @mysterymanon (TT)
“Don’t you know every human being is at least a dozen different people?”
THE SEVENTH SINNER is book one in Elizabeth Peters’s Jacqueline Kirby series, in which our titular heroine is a librarian spending the summer in Rome. When an eccentric—and unpopular—student is found dead, police deem it suicide, but Jacqueline and other students team up to find the culprit.
Y’all know that Peters is my favorite author, but this was a miss for me. Some parts were enjoyable, and I did love the Rome setting and late Roman/early Christian art references. I also liked Jaqueline’s character, but this book is oddly written in that it’s from the POV of a student, Jean, while Jaqueline solves the case more or less offscreen.
(I also found it easily solvable, but I don’t count on Peters for Christie-level complexity, but rather for fun adventures and near-campy suspense.)
Will I read more Jacqueline Kirby? Of course! She was the best part.
“Don’t you know every human being is at least a dozen different people?”
THE SEVENTH SINNER is book one in Elizabeth Peters’s Jacqueline Kirby series, in which our titular heroine is a librarian spending the summer in Rome. When an eccentric—and unpopular—student is found dead, police deem it suicide, but Jacqueline and other students team up to find the culprit.
Y’all know that Peters is my favorite author, but this was a miss for me. Some parts were enjoyable, and I did love the Rome setting and late Roman/early Christian art references. I also liked Jaqueline’s character, but this book is oddly written in that it’s from the POV of a student, Jean, while Jaqueline solves the case more or less offscreen.
(I also found it easily solvable, but I don’t count on Peters for Christie-level complexity, but rather for fun adventures and near-campy suspense.)
Will I read more Jacqueline Kirby? Of course! She was the best part.
holl3640's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
tsenko2's review against another edition
3.0
Early book by an author who improved greatly in her later books. Jaqueline Kirby has potential as a main character but she is not nearly as enjoyable as Amelia Peabody.
kketelaar's review against another edition
2.0
I listened to this one, so my negative impression may be due to the poor narrator, but overall this was a rather boring story with one-dimensional characters. Disappointed since I enjoyed the Amelia Peabody stories.