Round-up: The ENTIRE Vicky Bliss series.

Elizabeth Peters Week continues!

If you've been meaning to get in on the action, NOW IS THE TIME. As I've received so many lovely contributions (Did I mention that I'm totally still taking them?), I'll be running some of the longer ones over the course of the week, and linking everything up together at the end.

Originally, I'd planned on posting about the fourth (and last, *sob*) Jacqueline Kirby book today, but my real-life schedule interfered. Hopefully, tomorrow! In the meantime, here's a round-up of all of my posts about Vicky Bliss, Elizabeth Peters' art historian extraordinaire (who, of course, is also an amateur sleuth and has an on-again/off-again romance going with a DASHING ART THIEF).

Borrower of the Night: Vicky Bliss, #1:

Vicky, I love you. I love you and Elizabeth Peters. I love you, Elizabeth Peters, and Schmidt, who doesn't have a big enough part in this book. I love you, Elizabeth Peters, Schmidt-who-doesn't-have-a-big-enough-part-in-this-book, and Sir John Smythe, WHO ISN'T IN THIS BOOK. How could that have slipped my mind?  That's probably exactly why I've re-read the other books in the series 40 hundred times, but only read this one, like, 20 hundred times.

Street of the Five Moons: Vicky Bliss, #2:

More reasons to love Vicky: although her physical assets frustrate her in the academic world, she has no problem putting them to good use while investigating crimes -- she giggles and sighs and inhales deeply and men just fall over themselves to give her information. She learned how to pick locks in tenth grade from a boy called Piggy Wilson. She is clearly a huge reader -- not only does she compare John to Wimsey in the above passage, but she's always making and recognizing literary references.

Silhouette in Scarlet: Vicky Bliss, #3:

Make sense? It doesn't matter. We've got Vicky, John, Schmidt, buried treasure and a villain who gives Vicky advice about her love life. Also, Elizabeth Peters is totally aware of the cliches of the genre and mocks them while still using them quite effectively. Who needs sense? Oh, swoon. These books make me almost deliriously happy.

Trojan Gold: Vicky Bliss, #4:

Oh my God, I'd forgotten how much I LOVE THIS BOOK!!

Okay. So, Vicky is minding her own business (as usual), when a bloodstained package arrives for her in the mail. The stain is so large that the return address is obscured. So that's mysterious.

Night Train to Memphis: Vicky Bliss, #5:

And the second half is VERY awesome -- if you haven't realized that Schmidt is the coolest guy ever before reaching this point, it'll happen here. (And if it doesn't, I don't know if we can be friends anymore.  Seriously.) If Schmidt isn't a draw (WHAT??), there're some great moments between John and an old school chum... and yes, OF COURSE between John and Vicky. AND there are a few moments that suggest John's family may be related to the Peabody-Emerson clan.

The Laughter of Dead Kings: Vicky Bliss, #6:

SCHMIDT!!!! SCHMIDT!!!! HE IS THE AWESOMEST PIECE OF AWESOME EVER AND I'M SO GLAD THAT ELIZABETH PETERS CLEARLY LOVES HIM JUST AS MUCH AS WE ALL DO!!!! AND HIS NEW OBSESSION ALMOST KILLED ME!!!!

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Author page.

Comments

[Gail Gauthier]

Oddly enough, I've only read the last book in this series, which includes a link to another Peters' series I'm more familiar with. I'm being careful here, because I don't want to spoil anything, though, quite honestly, I'd heard about the link before reading the book, I just didn't know I was reading THE book it occurred in.

I didn't dislike this book, by any means. But I did feel that if I'd read the whole series and knew all the characters, it would have been a serial treat, if you know what I mean.

[Leila]

I know exactly what you mean. I actually felt that the John/Vicky storyline in that last one wasn't quite as satisfying as in adventures past, so I could see how it would be even more so if you didn't have the build-up or anything. Schmidt, though, was AMAZING.

The earlier books really are worth it, though -- huge, huge fun!

[CC]

I forgot how much I loved your coverage of this series the first time around.

[Kate Karyus Quinn]

I have LOVED the Vicky Bliss novels since I first discovered them in the library over 10 (or maybe longer) years ago, and yet for some reason I had NO IDEA there was a sixth book. NIGHT TRAIN TO MEMPHIS is the last one I can recall reading. OMG, thank you so much, I am so excited to read #6... and then probably go back and read all of them again.

[James Greenfield]

I have read and enjoyed them all. I think #5, Night Train to Memphis, is the best. And Schmidt is one of my favorite characters. And, of course, Peters puts some of herself into #6, The Laughter of Dead Kings.