Die for Love

Acerbic, clever Jacqueline Kirby has had it with her college librarian job in dreary, desolate Coldwater, Neb., and she makes her way back to the Big Apple for a romance writers’ conference — more as a vacation than as a future vocation. While she’s there, Jacqueline witnesses the death of Dubretta Duberstein, a tabloid reporter-columnist who lets it be known that she is hot on the trail of serious — possibly criminal — shenanigans involving some of the romance writers and an unscrupulous harridan of a literary agent who calls her “Aunt Hattie.” When Dubretta dies soon after touting her scoop, ostensibly of a heart attack, Jacqueline has no doubt that Dubretta’s death is actually a clever case of murder.

Die for Love is show more the third book in the four-volume Jacqueline Kirby series. The murder is well plotted, and I was totally surprised by the resolution. Always amusing, the novel is at times laugh-out-loud funny. Author Elizabeth Peters has no problem manifesting Jacqueline’s bossiness, duplicity, and dogged certainty that she is always right, as well as Jacqueline’s kindness and intelligence. She’s a fun heroine in her own right, but Peters’ send up of the twee romance novel genre really ices the cake. What a rarity! A book that's simultaneous a guilty pleasure in the form of a mystery and exercise in literary snobbery. show less

This was an entertaining audiobook. I had read the print book many years ago. Librarian Jacqueline Kirby is great character. She drinks and smokes and is an independent woman who is intelligent and determined.

Looking for an inexpensive vacation from Nebraska, she decides to visit the annual Historical Romance Writers of the World convention in New York City. To get ready, she reads a couple of historical romances on the plane.

When she arrives, she finds quite a variety of characters. There is the greedy agent whose Southern accent comes and goes, a variety of authors who are under her control, a gossip columnist who wants to expose the greedy agent's dirty tricks, and a variety of fan clubs who are a bit fanatical.

When the gossip show more columnist dies at an evening wine party, Jacqueline is convinced that she was murdered though she can't quite recall how she got the wine glass the likely held the poison that killed her. The police, however, are certain that the gossip columnist's heart disease was the culprit.

As Jacqueline investigates, she learns lots of secrets about the people at the convention including that an old college classmate is now one of Aunt Hattie's authors and hiding it for fear of not being granted tenure as an English professor. Another old classmate is leading the protests against the convention since she's a devoted women's libber who thinks the books are harming women.

I loved the description of the various activities at the convention and the various characters who were attending it. So much pink! And so many hearts! I loved that Jacqueline decided to write her own historical romance while attending the convention.

This was a fun story with a great main character and lots of interesting side characters too. show less

Set in the midst of a conference for romance writers, this mystery features my favorite Peters character Jacqueline Kirby, a librarian from Coldwater College of undetermined age. Eager to escape the rain in Nebraska, Kirby sets off for NYC to attend the Historical Romance Writers of the World conference because she thinks she can write off the cost as business deduction on her tax return(!). Sandwiched in between the clues of the exciting mystery plot are magnificent tongue-in-cheek looks at bodice-rippers and the industry that produces them. The satirical tone and Kirby's dry wit will have you laughing your way through the novel. At then end, you too may be inspired to try your hands at writing a romance novel- after all, if Kirby can show more write and sell a novel while solving the murder, why can't you? show less

I admit, this one makes me giggle. I like romances and this plays with the genre's worst tropes. I love how Jacqueline's romance story changes as she goes through the convention's seminars. The mystery heads the way I expected, but it was fun getting there. All the clues are there; for once I guessed right.

If you like cozy mysteries, you might like this. If you like cozies and have flirted with the romance genres (and aren't too serious about them), I think you'll love it.

Jacqueline Kirby is a librarian in Cold Water, Nebraska. She is 40 something and looking for a change. She takes a trip to New York for a Historical Romance Writers convention and naturally uncovers a mysterious death. She also discovers that she could write historical romance and make money. The author makes the mystery a fun satire of romance writing.

This may be one of the funniest mysteries I have ever read. The antics of the people at the romance writers' convention, authors and fans alike, were hysterical. As was Jacqueline's convoluted rationale for her vacation.

Anyway. The mystery itself was pretty good, with a solution I wasn't expecting (granted, I'm almost always surprised). The equal attention to professionals and fans at the convention was nice, and several of the fans were fairly well fleshed out. Jacqueline's arguments with the writing advice were entertaining as well - this book may be more enjoyable if you've read some of the classic romances mentioned, so as to appreciate the debate more.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a light mystery, and show more possibly romance readers interested in mysteries. show less

As a mystery it was okay, with some interesting moments, and lots of quirky characters. But I was never sure that the satire on the romance industry was entirely intended through-out, much of the time it seemed that the regular bits of the mystery story and those characters were falling into many of the same tropes that were being winked at in the romance genre.