T;LDR: A mystery about writers, publishing, and writing by an ex-librarian bestselling author, Naked Once More is more than just a mystery, it’s a masterclass in writing and the publishing industry.
I know I said this in my review of Summer of the Dragon, but Elizabeth Peters is the reason I love mystery. This book may be why I became a writer. It features one of her series’ characters, Jacqueline Kirby, who is now a writer. It talks in depth, and with some bite, about the publishing industry and the life of a writer. And I love all of that – it made me want to experience being a writer as well.
But I don’t like this book just for that. Sure, that’s a huge part, but I also love the character. Her smart mouth, vices (cookies, coke and cigarettes), garbage junk mind and confidence appeal to me. The mystery plot is well-done and intricate. The small town setting works well for the layers and complexity required to do this story justice. And I just love Peters’ writing style – intelligent and snarky protagonists will get me every time.
It is a good send off for Jacqueline Kirby, who doesn’t appear again in print. Unless of course you think she’s the redhead mentioned in Barbara Michael’s (a pseudonym for Peters), Other Worlds, published in 1999. I like to think so because I am sad her story ends here.
The Plot
Jacqueline Kirby, ex-librarian, and current bestselling romance novelist, is looking to get away from Manhattan and even the romance genre. Her first book was written as a joke after attending a romance book conference (Die for Love) and her second written firmly, “tongue in cheek.” When her agent tells her that he is retiring, the news isn’t half as important as the second part of their conversation, the idea that she could write the sequel to the blockbuster Naked in the Ice.
Seven years prior, the author of Naked in the Ice, Kathleen Darcy, disappeared and is presumed dead. Now her heirs are looking for someone to write the sequel and Jacqueline is on the short list. After getting approval of the family and agent, Jacqueline begins the process of writing the outline to the book, using Kathleen’s acquaintances, papers, letters and fans to understand who the author was.
As Jacqueline digs deeper into Kathleen’s past, she begins to think that perhaps something much darker was going on. But can Jacqueline solve the crime before someone stops her?
Major Complaints about the Plot
Because this book is an older title, pre-internet and Goodreads, it doesn’t have a lot of reviews on it that include commentary, so this is all I found.
One of the major complaints of this book is the how slow the plot is. It is not as quick to pick up as some of her other books. She sets the stage and spends quite a bit of time on publishing and the publishing world. In a way, though, she has to, in order for the reader to understand what is at stake in this book.
And maybe, she was tired of the industry as well. Some complaints found her commentary on the industry ‘long and bitter.’ I took it more as cynicism, rather than bitterness. She understood the world well and wanted to share the realities of it. There is no romance in publishing. Anyone who has had anything to do with it will tell you that right away. At the time she wrote this book, Peters had been a published author for over 20 years; she had the right to be exhausted by it.
I did not find it to be boring. Was it slower than her previous books? Yes, it wasn’t as snappy as a few of the others. Did I mind it? No, because I like books that set up complex layers with a strong foundation. And I love the writing, so I didn’t mind the pace at the front. This book also has a time gap of five months between Act 1 and Act 2, so the set up needs to be solid so that we know what shes walking into.
There was one other comment referencing that Peters didn’t like fat people. I know why this reference came up – her continual pinioning of Brunnhilde’s size and bulk. First, I imagined Brunnehilde as a broad-shouldered, tall and husky woman who likes food. I did not take the description of her to be anything other than that – a Viking of women. Second, many of her other characters are curvaceous, love food, and aren’t afraid to indulge in it. I’ve never felt like she had an issue with fat people and I’ve seen it in places I wouldn’t have expected to (I’m looking at you Eckhert Tolle). But, that’s not to say she doesn’t and that I just missed it in my overall love of her books.
Easter Eggs, Writers and Writing Mentions
This is a book about writers and for writers. It is, in a way, potentially, her love letter to her craft, a tongue in cheek exploration of being an author and the publishing industry. Potentially. We’ll never know for sure because the author has passed and no note was included in the book. But I like to think there’s a smidgeon of Elizabeth Peters, aka Barbara Michaels, aka Barbara Mertz in this book as revealed by the main character, Jacqueline Kirby.
There are also a ton of Easter Eggs in this book, so I wanted to focus on a few of my favorites. I love Easter Eggs, I love references that only the author and a few discerning readers may get. It’s the fun part of being a writer, slipping in nods and commentary to see if anyone notices. At least it was for me in my debut novel (see my homepage for more).
These Easter Eggs begin with the title, Naked Once More, which reflects a comment she makes in the book: “But there’s a cynical old saying in publishing that the word ‘naked’ in the book title will sell an additional fifty thousand copies.” It’s also in parallel to the title of the first book Jacqueline has been hired to write the sequel to, Naked in the Ice. And it does capture what happens to the murdered author in the book – she becomes naked to Jacqueline – who she is, what she was like, what she suffered, and what motivated her writing – as a means to discovering her killer from a plethora of suspects.
In at least one spot, Peters references one of her other books, written in a different series: “One of those coiled-up plastic snakes.” It’s present in the Vicki Bliss series book four, Trojan Gold, published just two years before, where a plastic coiled snake scares Vicki and also draws blood. There are more; I caught faint echoes of memories, but I’ve not read all of her books (44 fiction, 3 non-fiction, plus compilations) in a long time. And she references her own pseudonym, Barbara Michaels, when Jacqueline wonders if she should get one.
As already discussed, Peters makes quite a few references to the ‘wild and wacky’ publishing industry, it’s “sheer bloody-mindedness and vicious power struggles” worse than the Mafia and politics. She also exposes the fees most authors expect to get, the amount of money a successful agent will get and the need to get paid for any promotional appearance. The sad thing about her percentages – they haven’t changed at all since she wrote this book thirty years ago.
Jacqueline’s book writing experience, from random sentences of her story appearing in her head when something specific happens on the page to the bolt of inspiration she gets while eating at a diner, resonated with me. I especially liked the moments after she spent three days writing non-stop.
“On the morning of the third day her burst of energy vanished, leaving her in a state of utter depression know in its full agony only to writers. Her brain was a collection of dead gray cells, her body was a disgusting organism, and the entire world held not a single ray of joy, nor love, nor light, nor certitude; nor peach, nor help for pain. She had not the faintest idea what Ara was going to do next.”
Jacqueline’s rant about answering the question, “Where do you get your ideas?” also echoed a similar experience to mine. “You didn’t get ideas. You smelled them out, tracked them down, wrestled them into submission; you pursued them with forks and hope, and if you were lucky enough to catch one you impaled it, with the forks, before the sneaky little devil could get away.”
The layers of mystery, story, real life and fictional life in this book are many; too many to list out here. If nothing else, my list may give you impetus to find others, especially if you are already a fan of her books.
To Sum Up (Too Late!)
I loved this book as a teenager. I loved it even more as an adult who always wanted to be a writer, but hadn’t take a step to do so. And I loved it differently now that I’m a published author and someone who works in publishing, because I understood many of her references more than a casual reader would. But that is not (just) why I recommend this book and this writer.
I love this book for its intelligent protagonist with the smart mouth. I love this book for the mystery, the multitude of characters, and the way it all unfolds. I love this book for nostalgic reasons. I love this book for the writing, the words on the page, and the way she pays homage to some of her favorite books in it.
If you like mysteries, try an Elizabeth Peters novel. You can read her beloved Amelia Peabody series (Egyptology), her Vicki Bliss series (art history), her standalones, or any of her paranormal/mystery series (with romance) written as Barbara Michaels. Barbara Mertz may have passed, but she left a legacy of books that are still an amazing read and are relevant today.
About the Author
Elizabeth Peters is a pen name of Barbara Mertz. She also wrote as Barbara Michaels as well as her own name. Born and brought up in Illinois, she earned her Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago. Mertz was named Grand Master at the inaugural Anthony Awards in 1986 and Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America at the Edgar Awards in 1998. She lived in a historic farmhouse in Frederick, western Maryland until her death.
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