The Copenhagen Connection (1982)

 


Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

Elizabeth Jones' long awaited holiday in Denmark starts off with a promising bang--not only does she meet her literary idol, historian and novelist Margaret Rosenberg, but the Nobel prize winner even takes her on as secretary when an unfortunate accident deprives her of the one she has. But things take a puzzling turn when Margaret disappears. Her pompous son Christian insists she might be in danger, and so he and Elizabeth team up to scour the Danish streets and landmarks. When mysterious messages start arriving and bullets start flying, it looks like he might be right. But why would anyone be demanding Margaret's bathrobe???

Copenhagen is one of the funniest books MPM ever wrote. Rife with absurdities and pratfalls and a highly-tuned self-awareness of its own outlandishness, it sells an unbelievable plot with ease. And with more than ease--heart. MPM examines a favorite theme of hers, the tragedy of old age and the condescension with which the elderly are viewed by the next generation. And then she adds depth to it by giving us a mother-son relationship fraught with that problem, and then the growth of the son from pompous and overbearing into someone who respects his mother and lets his own adventurousness fly. She also gives us a lovely little romance too.

And then of course, there's the deliciously delightful plot surrounding Margaret I of Denmark's burial and the power of a medieval queen regnant whose story is not often told. Copenhagen falls in with one of my favorite themes--an American tourist who gets tangled up with stopping a criminal gang's attempt to steal a long-lost national treasure. Camelot Caper and Legend in Green Velvet are both stellar examples of this, and I really do think it's one of the best things MPM does. In that sense, Copenhagen is a worthy heir to her earlier traditions. 

Interestingly, this is the last non-series book MPM will write as Elizabeth Peters. From here on, she'll write Vicky Bliss or Jake Kirby or, increasingly, Amelia Peabody, novels. And while I wholeheartedly believe those to be some of the best things she ever writes, I pause here a moment to salute the charm and style of these earlier free-standing, free-wheeling novels, where innocent tourists find themselves shanghaied into adventures beyond their wildest dreams. More, I salute my young self, who fervently believed that if she could just get across the water, she might find herself rescuing a long-dead queen's treasure too.

Rating: *****

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Dead Sea Cipher (1970)

Image
Listening: Let It Be When Dinah van der Lyn agrees to take a trip through Palestine and Israel in the place of her wheelchair-bound, Biblical scholar father, she thinks it's just a nice prelude to her first operatic role in Germany. But then a scream rends the night at her hotel, and she seems to be the only to have heard it. And when a smooth-talking spy and a fierce archaeologist start dogging her footsteps, it becomes obvious she's become part of something much bigger than a mere tourist trip through the Holy Land. International espionage sweeps her forward on an irresistible tide of romance and adventure to the wadis of the Dead Sea.
Read more

Walker in the Shadows (1979)

Image
                                                            Listening: I Was Made for Lovin' You Recently widowed Pat Robbins and her teenage son Mark are intrigued by the neighbors who move in to the house next door--a twin to their own beloved mid-nineteenth century American Gothic. Their relationship starts roughly when Mark's interest in lovely young Kathy is repulsed by her stern father. But when something ghostly takes a malevolent interest in Kathy, the families draw together to try and unravel whatever grudge the two old houses have been brooding over for centuries...
Read more

The Wizard's Daughter (1980)

Image
  Daydream Believer Left penniless by her father's death, Marianna Ransom must make her own way in life. Beautiful and kind, but hopelessly naive, her attempts at independence lead to disaster. At her lowest ebb, the Dowager Duchess of Devenbrook steps in. Wealthy, beautiful and kind, the Dowager claims Marianne is actually the long-lost daughter of the famed, murdered spiritualist David Holmes, whom she loved as a son. But the privileges suddenly showered on Marianne come at a cost--she is expected to present the spirit of her purported father to the grieving woman. As if that were not bad enough, ghostly visitations do seem to grace her attempts. As the anniversary of the man's death approaches, something dangerous seems to stalk the halls of Marianne's new home...and it seems to be stalking the woman she has come to love as a mother...
Read more