Legend in Green Velvet, (Conclusion)

This segment begins with perhaps the most tension-filled scene in the book; Susan and James have been captured by the “bad guys” and are taken to a secluded place for questioning.  The secluded place just happens to be the torture room in an old historical building which is open to the public for viewing during business hours.  The torture devices are authentic, however, and at least one of the bad guys is just itching to use them.  Nice ambience here, and, as Susan admits to herself, a good representation of the darker side of Scottish medieval history. 

The story’s pace, characterization and rather chaotic action sequences begin to take on a decidedly “Disneyesque” aspect toward the end of the book.  Looking back, I realized that much of the book could very well have lent itself to being recast as a 1960’s or ‘70’s Walt Disney movie.  (The script would have to have had some expletives deleted, and to have been polished up a little, but many of the lines might have come directly from the scriptwriters of That Darn Cat or Mary Poppins.) 

The ending, especially, has a somewhat campy scripted feel to it, complete with a sort of nudge-nudge wink-wink interchange between characters who would rather not have everything disclosed at the moment.  It does manage not to be trite enough to make me roll my eyes; heck, even I enjoy a good family-feel wrap-up to an engaging story such as this.  It is actually a pleasant change from the darker semi-tragic feel of many of the works I have been reading lately!

Refreshingly absent for the ending of a book like this is the long-winded explanation usually delivered by one or more of the characters that ties up all the loose ends of the plot, revealing why things happened a certain way earlier in the story.  A couple of brief asides by a couple of characters, and all is clear.  There is a moment when the heroes are chagrined to be told that all the risks they took, and hardships they endured were unnecessary.  (“Oh, no,” Susan said slowly.  “Don’t tell me all this was un-” She can’t even bring herself to say the word.)  But then some doubt is cast on just how unnecessary it was as Mr. I-Have-All-The-Answers is stunned by further revelations.

 

Will I read more Elizabeth Peters?  Absolutely!  Have I been converted to a Mystery Reader?  Probably not, though I’m thinking of reading Ian Rankin next.  Mostly because he sets his detective novels in Edinburgh as well!  Legend in Green Velvet has mostly delivered us a novel in which the setting of Edinburgh and the surrounding countryside is engagingly explored.  Her novels set in Egypt sound intriguing as well; after all, she has a Ph.D.  in Egyptology from the University of Chicago’s famed Oriental Institute.  Egyptology?!  Maybe I should pursue a Ph.D. in Edinburghology!



Our book for October will be "Witches on the Road Tonight," by Sheri Holman!  The first comments can be posted October 5th, and cover up to page 64 (Wallis / New York City / Midnight).  Enjoy!