Memphis Reads Archive

Fiction/Mystery

Alice Kendall reviews Elizabeth Peters' JACQUELINE KIRBY SERIES

Jacqueline (do NOT call her Jackie) Kirby is my kind of gal. The fact that she is a librarian probably has a lot to do with it. She is also an intelligent, no-nonsense free spirit.

From the moment I met her lying flat on her back in The Seventh Sinner until she achieves moderate success as an author in Naked Once More, I was constantly amused by her glasses, her antics and particularly her purse. Like something out of science fiction/fantasy, Kirby’s purse always seemed to produce exactly what she needed when she needed it. Of course, if you asked her, she’d tell you that it doesn’t take that much intelligence to be prepared. Oh, did I forget to mention that Jacqueline Kirby is not a cuddly, maternal character? She can be both prickly and sarcastic.

There are only four books in this series (The Seventh Sinner, The Murders of Richard III, Die for Love and Naked Once More), which is somewhat disappointing. On the other hand, it means the reader can get it all in a short amount of time. No waiting around for the next book, they’re all on the shelf. Elizabeth Peters has the ability to develop characters with whom readers can identify. They resonate like favorite aunts or cousins; people we envy while loving them completely.


Alice Kendall, Parkway Village Branch Library

Labels: Mystery, Reviews by Alice Kendall