Again with the kick

As I am on my Elizabeth Peters kick, I picked up The Seventh Sinner, which introduces her character Jacqueline Kirby. I'm not sure if it was meant to be the first book in the series, as most of the action is told through another character's eyes.

One aspect that I definitely noticed about the book is that it's very of its era--the 1970s. There were references to "the fuzz," hippies, beads, the rebellious youth, etc.

The setting is Rome: seven students at an art and archeology school are living up their time abroad. Jean, the main character, literally runs into librarian Jacqueline Kirby. Jean and her fellow students rather adopt Jacqueline--a mother in her mid-40s--because she's witty, intelligent and has great legs.

The group is rather forced into a murder mystery with Jacqueline surreptitiously taking the lead. An interesting story follows.

I think it's one of Peters' earlier works and it lacks the strength of some of her later writing. Still, it's a fun summer read that made me want to go abroad.

Rating: 7/10