Scan barcode
A review by plantbirdwoman
Street of the Five Moons by Elizabeth Peters
4.0
In this second entry of the Vicky Bliss series, Vicky meets "Sir" John Smythe and things get a lot more interesting. It was great fun reading this book that is half romance, half mystery in the tradition of Elizabeth Peters books. It was a page-turner and a very quick read.
As the book opens, Vicky is working at the museum in Munich for Karl Schmidt whom she met in the first novel. Her friend, Tony, has disappeared, presumably back to America, and the museum is presented with a mystery. A man has been found dead on the streets of Munich with a rare jewel, an artistic masterpiece, sewn into his clothing. As it happens, it is an artistic masterpiece that is one of the treasures of the museum. Except it really isn't. It is a perfect copy. The mystery is who made the copy? Where did it come from? How was someone able to copy the piece so very perfectly and for what purpose? Was someone planning to steal the museum's treasure and replace it with the copy?
These are the questions that appeal to the spy persona in Schmidt and he convinces Vicky to take on the task of tracing the copy and finding out who made it and what that person is up to. The trail takes her to Rome, to the Street of the Five Moons. There she meets John Smythe and the game is on.
After the first entry in this series really didn't grab me, I was hesitant about reading the second. I needn't have worried. Peters has hit her stride with Vicky Bliss in this book and I am now looking forward to the remaining entries in the series. In typical Peters fashion, the novel is light and a bit frothy, the main characters have a sardonic wit that is very appealing, and things move along at a very quick pace. Very diverting.
As the book opens, Vicky is working at the museum in Munich for Karl Schmidt whom she met in the first novel. Her friend, Tony, has disappeared, presumably back to America, and the museum is presented with a mystery. A man has been found dead on the streets of Munich with a rare jewel, an artistic masterpiece, sewn into his clothing. As it happens, it is an artistic masterpiece that is one of the treasures of the museum. Except it really isn't. It is a perfect copy. The mystery is who made the copy? Where did it come from? How was someone able to copy the piece so very perfectly and for what purpose? Was someone planning to steal the museum's treasure and replace it with the copy?
These are the questions that appeal to the spy persona in Schmidt and he convinces Vicky to take on the task of tracing the copy and finding out who made it and what that person is up to. The trail takes her to Rome, to the Street of the Five Moons. There she meets John Smythe and the game is on.
After the first entry in this series really didn't grab me, I was hesitant about reading the second. I needn't have worried. Peters has hit her stride with Vicky Bliss in this book and I am now looking forward to the remaining entries in the series. In typical Peters fashion, the novel is light and a bit frothy, the main characters have a sardonic wit that is very appealing, and things move along at a very quick pace. Very diverting.