Legend in Green Velvet, (Chapters 1-2)

Elizabeth Peters is one of those authors that I have been curious about for a long time, having noticed that she has accumulated a large following of readers (evidenced by the large selection of her books available at used book stores and libraries). Mysteries, as a genre, have not appealed to me all that much in the past; they always struck me as being too stereotyped.  Silly me.  I have discovered some extremely entertaining writers lately that write mysteries. As discomforting as it is to admit it, it was the artwork of one Philip Singer on the covers of many of her books that first caught my attention; the hippo on the cover of The Hippopotamus Pool in particular.  When my mother asked me if I wanted her used copy of this book, it was the fact that it is set in Edinburgh, Scotland – not Egypt, as many of Peters’ books are – that sealed the deal.   

Having read somewhere that the book does a nice job of evoking the ambience of Edinburgh and the surrounding countryside, I was particularly interested in that aspect of the story.  So far, in these first two chapters, I have not been disappointed, though the little history lessons sandwiched in border on being a little too much for my tastes.  (Anyone who has read Alexander McCall Smith, e.g. The Sunday Philosophy Club, may have noticed that he has a similar quirk with philosophical asides.) 

The unexpected surprise for me was how fast-paced the book is and how much action there is early on.  The author is very aware of pacing, and how to keep easily bored readers engaged.  This is a plus, and yet it feels at times like the book is edging toward the Young Adult crowd, with the substance thinning a little.  Contrast that with the Twilight books or the Hunger Games trilogy, which are ostensibly written for young adult readers, but have enough real depth for more “mature” readers like me.  Here, I’m occasionally reminded of Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. 

Which brings me to the only real problem I have with the book so far.  Once in a while, Peters seems to be talking down to her audience just a bit.  Chatty clichés and trite turns of phrase can kill an otherwise good read.  This is not near as noticeable here as in books by, for instance, James Patterson or Danielle Steele, but even a hint of it sets off my Triteness Alarm.  Example: “Only her feeling that she must uphold the reputation of the entire United States, from sea to shining sea, kept Susan from turning tail.”  Ouch.  But as I mentioned, this is a rare enough event in this book not to be a serious detraction. 

To be fair, this book has a copyright date of 1976.  A lot of things that make us roll our eyes now were not considered uncool then.  At least there are no leisure suits or mentions of discos here.  Yet.  The characterization is good, though our heroine can be a little hard to relate to at times, singing and reciting poetry in public – on a bus of tourists, for example – while no one around her seems to mind.  She has enough spunk and intelligence to make up for this, again calling to mind the Nancy Drew mysteries.  And yes, I do find myself eager to find out what happens next.  That’s the litmus test of a good mystery, after all, right?

 

Next segment: Chapters 3-4