Street of the Five Moons

Rating:
Summary: Great Characterization & Description of Europe
Review: It's been awhile since I've read a book that I've taken such delight in. Vicky Bliss is a methodical detective much like Mary Russell from the Laurie R. King series. In "Street of the Five Moons", Vicky meets her match in "John Smythe", secretary to a nobleman and art collector, who strongly resembles Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey. His playful evasiveness is a delightful foil for Vicky's determination. Peters describes Germany and Italy like she's a longtime resident and makes clever allusions to more than a few literary classics.
"Street of the Five Moons", like many series' second books, seems stronger than the first installment and has more compelling characters. Vicky's asides to the reader are also a fun device. I look forward to finishing this series and strongly recommend "Street of the Five Moons".

Rating:
Summary: So what if I read it out of order, it hooked me :)
Review: My mother introduced me to Elizabeth Peter's writing and suggested I check out a book from the library just to test her out, and I was certantly glad that I put my toes in the water...because I'm hooked! This was my first Vicky book (though out of order...thankfully it's not horribly essential to read in order) and I loved it, and read it twice in a row. I've gone on to read the entire series...but in the order: 2, 4, 3, 5, 1 and have found each book equally wonderful. Her characters are so complete, and I find myself falling for the crafty yet humorous Sir John Smythe :)

Rating:
Summary: --Sir John enters into Vicky's life--
Review: Our protagonist, gorgeous and brainy, Vicky Bliss is again on the move when she and her boss from the National Museum of Munich discover that someone is making excellent copies of the most famous jewels in the world. In this case it's a replica of the Charlemagne talisman. Vicky's who has a PhD in Art History and Medieval European History is also an amateur sleuth. With the only clue that she has, she goes to Rome to locate the street of the Five Moons where she hopes to find a connection to the thieves. Well, of course she gets into trouble and is rescued by a "dangerously exciting young Englishman." Sir John Smythe is truly charming and the chemistry between he and Vicky is terrific. This is a lovely romantic mystery and the second book in the Vicky Bliss mystery series.

Another great story by Elizabeth Peters who is also Barbara Michaels!

Rating:
Summary: Funny, Clever, and Witty. Vicky Bliss never disappoints!
Review: The second of five Vicky Bliss mysteries, Street of Five Moons is one of Elizabeth Peter's best. Well, in my opinion the whole Vicky Bliss series is excellent. But in this novel, not only do we revisit the beautiful and brainy Vicky, but we meet the handsome and suave Sir John Smythe. The quick wit and banter of Vicky and Sir John is extremely entertaining. I literally laugh out loud when reading these novels. As for the plot, after discovering a forgery of a piece antique jewelery on a corpse, along with a scrap of paper with five cresent moons drawn on it, Vicky decides to go to Italy to investigate. An amateur sleuth, Vicky searches numerous areas until at last she gets caught. Will Vicky survive? What will transpire between Vicky and Sir John? You have to read this excellent book to find out.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of Fun
Review: This is the second book in the Vicky Bliss series by Elizabeth Peters and a lot of fun to read. It is not so intense as the first one as it does not have so many arcane references in it. I started this series after having completed all the Amelia Peabody books written (thus far) and I am not at all disappointed in it even when comparing it to that wonderful series.
In this episode, Vicky goes to Rome to track down the maker of fraudulant antique jewelry. She thinks that the fake jewelry is being made to replace pieces in various museums so the museums will not notice that the real pieces have been stolen, but quickly determines that there is more to the story than that. She meets a smooth con artist, Sir John Smythe, along the way and they become something of an item, although both fight the temptation to act upon their attraction. Peters does a good job of keeping the romance light and it is secondary to the main mystery.
Looking forward to the third entry in the series.