The Copenhagen Connection

by Elizabeth Peters

[MurderByDeath]

I'm not at all sure what to say about this book.  It's ... not great.  Definitely not one of Peters' best by a long shot, but it's oddly readable.     The MC, Elizabeth, is on the plane, on her way to Denmark for a long awaited vacation, when she spots her literary idol on the plane too.  In an effort to meet her, Elizabeth contrives to make an idiot of herself (sorry, I don't understand fandom), but she does get to meet her.  Upon dis-embarking the flight, the author's secretary suffers an 'accident' that breaks her arm, and Elizabeth is there to offer her temporary services.  Did I mention the author's son is traveling with her?  The tall, good-looking, yet taciturn son?   This whole setup is the most improbable part of the story.  From here it devolves into the author going missing - did she leave on her own or was she kidnapped? - being spotted in various disguises around Copenhagen, threatening notes, ransom demands, kidnapping and, of course, romance.  With the tall, taciturn, jackass of a son.  What Elizabeth sees in him I haven't a clue, because even when he's saving her (just the once, and not really), he's a pompous braggart.  This one definitely falls into the 'ludicrous' category of romantic adventure.   Still, Peters' has a way about her writing, so that even when it's bad, it's not DNF bad.  In this particular example I can't guess what that way is, because really, the characters weren't that great, and got knows the plot was ... dumb.  Yet I kept reading it, and I wasn't yelling at it, or even complaining.  Smirking ... there was an above average amount of smirking.  Think of it as an entertaining read in the way old 'B' movies are entertaining. No value, but not the worst way you could waste a few hours.