{"id":9520,"date":"2017-12-20T10:05:03","date_gmt":"2017-12-20T15:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=9520"},"modified":"2024-01-30T19:43:18","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T00:43:18","slug":"the-murders-of-richard-iii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/9520","title":{"rendered":"The Murders of Richard III"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Murders of Richard III<\/a><\/em> (1974) Elizabeth Peters<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The second Jacqueline Kirby book finds her in England. Her friend Thomas is a Ricardian–part of a group that wants to rehabilitate the image of Richard III.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been dated to about 1580. Like most of the other portraits of Richard, it was probably copied from a lost original. The only one that might be a contemporary portrait is in the Royal Collection. When it was X-rayed recently, the experts found that parts of it had been painted over. Originally the right shoulder was lower, even with the left, and the eyes were not so narrow and slitlike.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI mean his real character, not the one the Tudor historians invented. Everything that is known about Richard\u2019s actions supports the picture of a man of rare integrity, kindness, and courage. At the age of eighteen he commanded armies, and led them well. He administered the northern provinces for his brother the king, and won lasting loyalty for the house of York by his scrupulous fairness and concern for the rights of the ordinary citizen against rapacious nobles. He supported the arts. He was deeply religious.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thomas takes her to a proper English house party, where his group hopes to reveal a letter proving that Richard III did not kill his nephews, but while there, as series of morbid jokes, possibly reenacting the murders of which Richard III was accused, worries Jacqueline.<\/p>\n

First, I really like Jacqueline as a character. She’s middle aged, and she’s got a fabulous attitude.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo wonder I love England,\u201d she remarked some time later, after devouring most of a plate of cream-filled buns. \u201cPeople eat so often here. Morning tea, breakfast, elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea \u2014\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I can afford you,\u201d said Thomas. <\/p>\n

\u201cI know you can\u2019t.\u201d Jacqueline gave him a look that left him momentarily speechless.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWhere did you acquire your stock of expletives? I haven\u2019t heard anyone say \u2018cripes\u2019 since I was eight years old.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to reform my vocabulary. The students have a bad effect on me. The words sound foul enough coming from them, but from a lady of my years and dignity…\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Remember, this is set in the early 1970s.<\/p>\n

But it’s really fun and amusing.<\/p>\n

To walk in the rain with the lady you love is romantic when you are eighteen. When you are fifty it is merely conducive to sniffles and rheumatism.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The mystery is particularly interesting, since a book titled The Murders of Richard III<\/em> doesn’t actually have murders. And aside from the lack of modern technology, this book has aged well. Probably the setting in an old English castle where everyone dresses as characters from Richard’s time helps, but there is still something about the writing that has allowed the book to age well.<\/p>\n

Now I just have to wait for the next book in the series to go on sale.
\nRating: 8.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Publisher: William Morrow<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Murders of Richard III (1974) Elizabeth Peters The second Jacqueline Kirby book finds her in England. Her friend Thomas is a Ricardian–part of a group that wants to rehabilitate the image of Richard III. It\u2019s been dated to about 1580. Like most of the other portraits of Richard, it was probably copied from a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[191,8],"tags":[730,326,691,698,695],"class_list":["post-9520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-8-5-10","category-mystery","tag-1980s","tag-elizabeth-peters","tag-jacqueline-kirby","tag-librarian","tag-middle-aged-protagonist"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-2ty","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":22380,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/22380","url_meta":{"origin":9520,"position":0},"title":"The Murders of Richard III","author":"Michelle","date":"September 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The Murders of Richard III (1974) Elizabeth Peters (Jacqueline Kirby) \u201cNo. It\u2019s been dated to about 1580. Like most of the other portraits of Richard, it was probably copied from a lost original. The only one that might be a contemporary portrait is in the Royal Collection. When it was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Murders of Richard III","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Murders-Richard-III.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22475,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/22475","url_meta":{"origin":9520,"position":1},"title":"Naked Once More","author":"Michelle","date":"October 15, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Naked Once More (1989) Elizabeth Peters (Jacqueline Kirby) \"I had a ball, showing off and smirking at the cameras and thinking up cute, acerbic comments.\u201d \u201cMany of which you stole from Dorothy Parker.\u201d The people who yearned for the good old days might not have enjoyed the reality; good old\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Naked Once More","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Naked-Once-More.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9649,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/9649","url_meta":{"origin":9520,"position":2},"title":"Die for Love","author":"Michelle","date":"January 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Die for Love (1984) Elizabeth Peters The third Jacqueline Kirby book finds Jacqueline headed to New York for a romance conference (it was the only thing she could find to let her escape Nebraska for awhile). Why do I like Jacqueline? \u201cYou can have this when I\u2019m finished, if you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mystery"","block_context":{"text":"Mystery","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/mystery"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Die-for-Love.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22208,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/22208","url_meta":{"origin":9520,"position":3},"title":"The Seventh Sinner","author":"Michelle","date":"September 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The Seventh Sinner (1972) Elizabeth Peters (Jacqueline Kirby) This was written in 1972, and is a product of those times--but not horribly so. (T)he long white scar on his forearm was the result of a bayonet cut acquired during the Six Days\u2019 War, and Ted was already respected in academic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Seventh Sinner","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Seventh-Sinner.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22434,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/22434","url_meta":{"origin":9520,"position":4},"title":"Die for Love","author":"Michelle","date":"September 27, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Die for Love (1984) Elizabeth Peters (Jacqueline Kirby) First, I love the reminders of a world past. Jacqueline began to fear she would miss her plane. When she remonstrated, he said cheerfully, \u201cOh, there\u2019s plenty of time,\u201d and indeed they reached the gate several seconds before the loudspeaker announced the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Die for Love","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Die-for-Love.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12745,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/12745","url_meta":{"origin":9520,"position":5},"title":"Naked Once More","author":"Michelle","date":"April 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Naked Once More (1989) Elizabeth Peters (Jacqueline Kirby Mysteries) How old is this book? This old. Jacqueline proceeded on her way, pleased but wondering how the young officer had known who she was. She couldn\u2019t be the only handsome middle-aged lady with green eyes and auburn hair driving a car\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Naked Once More","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Naked-Once-More.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9520\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}