Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Summer of the Dragon by Elizabeth Peters Narrator: Grace Conlin
Published by Blackstone Audiobooks on August 1, 1998
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Length: 7 hours, 39 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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Even though Hank Hunnicutt had a reputation as a kook, the opportunity to work on his ranch was everything a young graduate student could wantuntil Hank disappeared. Suddenly, guests were eyeing each other with suspicion.
Post-grad Anthropology student, DJ Abbott, was determined to have a summer internship far from her polar opposite parents back in Cleveland, OH, and in desperation applies for eccentric (read crackpot) billionaire, Hank Honeycutt’s need for an anthropologist for a summer project in the desert near his ranch house in northern Arizona. An easy job, she thinks until she gets there and the mysterious happenings start piling up.
Years ago, I discovered my first Elizabeth Peters’ book and I binge-read her extensive backlist in under a year. I loved the light, sarcastic wit her tough, intelligent heroines displayed and the pairing with equally tough and abrasive heroes who all take a secondary place. Put this with the entertaining, twisting plots and the fascinating historical elements and laid back academic world connections that come straight from Elizabeth Peters’ own experiences as an archeologist and I was hooked.
Summer of the Dragon is a standalone and chock full of all I mentioned above. DJ is an average-looking woman, but she carries around as much machismo as the first of the male characters she encounters. The sparks fly between this pair who suspect and antagonize each other in their turn. The book was written in 1979 so it’s dated, but I felt nostalgic instead of separated from the story.
Hank Honeycutt’s house party was a scream. He has gathered every non-traditional practitioner with their out there theories and some downright con artists around him. DJ’s flat refusal to politely drink the Kool-Aid makes her Miss Unpopular from the first pre-dinner cocktail hour. Speaking of dinner, this gal loves her food and makes no bones about it, but heaven help the blunt guy who brings it up.
There is a sense of something ominous building at the ranch and has something to do with why Hank brought DJ out there for the summer. Someone doesn’t want Hank to show her what he found out in the desert and will stop at nothing to keep it from happening. I loved the build to the big reveal about what was going on, but also Hank’s big find.
Summer of the Dragon was light-hearted, funny, but also exciting and interesting. Entertainment value is high and the romance is slow-burn as is the suspense. I recommend this ‘classic’ to those who like going old school with their romantic suspense and still need to try Elizabeth Peters’ works.
Narration:
Grace Conlin is a long-time familiar narrator of Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody series for me and I thought she did great catching the tone and pace of the book as well as the large cast of disparate characters led by DJ herself.
Listen to the clip: HERE
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing.Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators.Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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This sounds like fun. I haven’t read an Elizabeth Peters book in years!
Same here, Tammy! This one was a hoot and great fun revisiting her book.
I’ve read 3 of her series every book but not this stand alone.
I loved her series books, but was hit or miss with the standalones. This one was a fun hit for me. 🙂
I never heard of the author before. The story does sound fun, though.
Oh my, she has a dry humor comedic style that can be fun for the right mood. Hope you get the chance to try her books some time, Nadene. 🙂
This is a fun book! But then Elizabeth Peters writes good romantic suspense. I’ve read and enjoyed several of her books. 😀
Oh yay, another fan. I agree how much fun this was. 🙂
I haven’t read this author but this does sound like a fun one to read.
Oh yeah, this will remind you so much of growing up in the seventies and the funny way this heroine thinks and talks is well worth it alone. 🙂
Love the sound of the foreboding build up and hooray for a standalone!
Yes, good fun light romantic suspense and low-commit standalone at that. 🙂
I feel like dragons are getting super popular lately!
I think so, too. But, I wouldn’t recommend this one for the dragon lovers or they’ll be searching and squinting hard to see even the word appear in the story. LOL
Never heard of this author before, but hearing you’ve binged her books after trying her out makes me want to try her out. I like a strong, confident heroine!
The binge was years ago, but I really enjoyed her light and humorous style of romantic suspense. I’ve re-read some lately on audio and only found them so-so, but this one was still a gem to me. 🙂
I’ve only read one by this author and it was quite a while ago, I’ll have to keep them on my list though. Great review!
Yes, this was fun to revisit her books. I had a blast listening in.