Summer of the Dragon

Grad student in anthropology, D. J. Abbott takes a job with Hank Hunnicutt, millionaire and eccentric, in order to get away from her family for the summer. Hank has a job for her but he's reluctant to tell her about it.

While D. J. is waiting, she gets a chance to get to know the various hangers-on who live at Hank's Arizona compound. She isn't at all reluctant to let them know that she finds their various theories about Atlantic and aliens way off base. There are a few relatively normal people among the guests including a brother-sister team of anthropologists digging at a local site and the treasure hunter filled with stories about the Lost Dutchman mine and the Seven Cities of Cibola. And Hank's secretary Tom De Karsky is relatively show more normal though he seems to have taken a dislike to D. J.

But a series of suspicious accidents and the kidnapping of Hank mean that D.J. can't just sit back and enjoy the eccentrics. At least she can't if she wants to survive.

The story is told in the first person by D. J. who is prone to going off on tangents. It has a lot of information about the various weird theories of the guests at Hank's ranch since D. J. decides she needs to study up before arriving at her summer job.

I thought it was a fun romantic suspense story. show less

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.

... 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.

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 show more I'll hang on to and read again when I want an adventure with humour and zero angst. show less

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 show more 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. show less

First person narrative of anthropology student's summer spent in the Arizona desert at the ranch and in the company of a rather eccentric millionaire who has discovered a priceless cache of turquoise and the oldest Native American settlement yet discovered and needs scholarly collaboration before he can report his findings to the academic community as he has been shown a fool for his wild flights of fancy before. There is a bit of a romance between the millionaire's secretary who is a self-confessed fortune hound though we find that he is a much better man than he makes himself out to be and our intrepid heroine. She loves food and is hell on wheels.

I really liked the protagonist of this one, and wished that there were more books about her...