Suspense

Fun is the word to describe this book. From the moment that anthropology student DJ showed up, running late for getting a summer internship, I loved it. DJ enjoys her food, has a sense of humor, and doesn't tolerate pseudo-scientists well.

The love interest was plausible, the mystery was fast-moving, and educational tidbits were dropped in painlessly. In short, it is top-notch Elizabeth Peters. ( )

D.J. signs up to do an internship for an eccentric millionaire down in Arizona. When she gets to the mansion where she’s to spend her summer working she finds a bunch of weirdo’s whose professions range from alien hunters to past life readers. These nuts are all there for one thing, Hank –the millionaire’s- money. After some strange events happen in the mansion Hank turns up missing and D.J., Tom, and one of the maids are the only people who are worried. So they start looking for him and recruit people to help. Mayhem occurs.

Hank was probably the most interesting character in the book and I would’ve liked to have seen more of him that just the little tid-bits we got. All the other characters were good, but they were also just average characters for Peters. The plot was okay, I got a little bored in some places, but the pacing usually picked back up fairly quick. I think I liked listening to all the weird people gathered at the mansion form battle plans and try to get people to believe their theories the most in this book. Overall this is a fun quick read. ( )

Part of my Used Book Binge while I was on vacation. I've been curious about Elizabeth Peters' stand-alones since I finished her Vicky Bliss series. I enjoyed the Jacqueline Kirby series too, although I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of Amelia Peabody, although they are very well-written mysteries.

So. Summer of the Dragon. Great fun. Nothing deep or taxing or likely to get nominated for an award. DJ is mouthy, with a self-deprecating sense of humour and a love for eating. Tom is an ass and the romantic interest. There's no character development; it's a bit like an episode in an old TV detective show like Hart-to-Hart or similar.

I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it even more because I think I only paid a quarter - maybe .50 for it. It's a book I'll hang on to and read again when I want an adventure with humour and zero angst. ( )

... 2020: This is really one of my favorite Elizabeth Peters stand-alone novels, and I re-read it periodically as a comfort read. Nice details include the thorough dressing-downs that the heroine / protagonist gives the various pseudo-scientists and conspiracy theorists. Also, I appreciated the frequent references to her curviness, appreciation of eating, etc. ( )