THE MURDERS OF RICHARD III

Author: Elizabeth Peters ISBN: 0060597194 8/2004 CONTEMP/SUSPENSE Publisher: AVON/HARPER COLLINS

In a remote English manor house, modern admirers of the much-maligned King Richard III -- one of Shakespeare's most extraordinary villains -- are gathered for a grand weekend of dress-up and make-believe murder. But the fun ends when the masquerade turns more sinister ... and deadly. Jacqueline Kirby, an American librarian on hand for the festivities, suddenly finds herself in the center of strange, dark doings .. and racing to untangle a murderous puzzle before history repeats itself in exceptionally macabre ways.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

To be honest, when I first started this book I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get into it at all. It wasn't so much the story, but rather the rhythm of the author's writing. Once I caught on, I found it very enjoyable.

The book is a bit of Sherlock Holmes women's lib style, a bit of CLUE, and even a bit of Mary Poppins. Jacqueline Kirby is an American Librarian visiting London and shown the sites by her friend, Thomas Clark. Thomas, who is actually the character through whom we see the story, invites her to a house party in the country hosted by a 'Ricardian Society' (people who are trying to clear Richard III's name of murder).

This yearly gathering is taken very seriously. The members are assigned the roles of key people in Richard III's time. They dress and play the parts to a 'T'. Somebody, however, looks to repeat history a little too realistically.

Not on the roster of events, murder attempts are made on various guests and eventually one is killed. The story becomes a classic CLUE situation. Everyone is suspect.

Jacqueline becomes our Sherlock Holmes-like character, with Thomas playing Watson. Jacqueline's keen mind, acerbic tongue and cold wit, not to mention her seemingly bottomless handbag (my reference to Mary Poppins), frustrate and fascinate Thomas to no end. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him and cheer him on at the same time. He admires Jacqueline so much, dreads looking the fool in front of her, and still wants their relationship to be more.

The other guests of the party are no less interesting. From the actual descendent of Richard III and host of the party, to the vicar, the actor, all the way down to the butler, they are the stereotypical cast you expect in a story like this.

This was an interesting, but very different read for me. I would recommend it if you are looking for a change of pace from the standard, but keep in mind may not have the ending you expect.

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