Summer of the Dragon

By Elizabeth Peters

A good salary and an all-expenses-paid summer spent a sprawling Arizona ranch is too good a deal for fledgling anthropologist D.J. Abbott to turn down. What does it matter that her rich new employer/benefactor, Hank Hunnicutt, is a certified oddball who is presently funding all manner of off-beat projects, from alien conspiracy studies to a hunt for dragon bones? There's even talk of treasure buried in the nearby mountains, but D.J. isn't going to allow loose speculation -- or the considerable charms of handsome professional treasure hunter Jesse Franklin -- to sidetrack her. Until Hunnicutt suffers a mysterious accident and then vanishes, leaving the weirdos gathered at his spread to eye each other with frightened suspicion. But on a high desert search for the missing millionaire, D.J. is learning things that may not be healthy for her to know. For the game someone is playing here goes far beyond the rational universe -- and it could leave D.J. legitimately dead.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061832932

Elizabeth Peters

Elizabeth Peters earned her Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago’s famed Oriental Institute. During her fifty-year career, she wrote more than seventy novels and three nonfiction books on Egypt. She received numerous writing awards and, in 2012, was given the first Amelia Peabody Award, created in her honor. She died in 2013, leaving a partially completed manuscript of The Painted Queen.

Reviews for Summer of the Dragon

[soraki_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Grad student D.J. heads to Arizona for the summer working for an eccentric millionaire. Hank's mansion is filled with pseudo-scientists and fortune hunters after Hank's money. Mysterious accidents have befallen Hank over the past few weeks. Soon after her arrival, Hank goes missing. D.J. and Tom, Hank's secretary, are the only ones concerned that foul play has happened. Everyone else, including the sheriff, thinks that Hank took off on his own. Is Hank alive or dead? If alive, can D.J. and Tom find him in time?

[jean_sexton-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fun is the word to describe this book. From the moment that anthropology student DJ showed up, running late for getting a summer internship, I loved it. DJ enjoys her food, has a sense of humor, and doesn't tolerate pseudo-scientists well. The love interest was plausible, the mystery was fast-moving, and educational tidbits were dropped in painlessly. In short, it is top-notch Elizabeth Peters.

[murderbydeath · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Part of my Used Book Binge while I was on vacation. I've been curious about Elizabeth Peters' stand-alones since I finished her Vicky Bliss series. I enjoyed the Jacqueline Kirby series too, although I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of Amelia Peabody, although they are very well-written mysteries. So. Summer of the Dragon. Great fun. Nothing deep or taxing or likely to get nominated for an award. DJ is mouthy, with a self-deprecating sense of humour and a love for eating. Tom is an ass and the romantic interest. There's no character development; it's a bit like an episode in an old TV detective show like Hart-to-Hart or similar. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it even more because I think I only paid a quarter - maybe .50 for it. It's a book I'll hang on to and read again when I want an adventure with humour and zero angst.

[lquilter_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty standard Elizabeth Peters stand-alone. Nice details include the thorough dressing-downs that the heroine / protagonist gives the various pseudo-scientists and conspiracy theorists. Also, I appreciated the frequent references to her curviness, appreciation of eating, etc.

[trinitym82 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First person narrative of anthropology student's summer spent in the Arizona desert at the ranch and in the company of a rather eccentric millionaire who has discovered a priceless cache of turquoise and the oldest Native American settlement yet discovered and needs scholarly collaboration before he can report his findings to the academic community as he has been shown a fool for his wild flights of fancy before. There is a bit of a romance between the millionaire's secretary who is a self-confessed fortune hound though we find that he is a much better man than he makes himself out to be and our intrepid heroine. She loves food and is hell on wheels.

[aharey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

D. J. Abbott is given the opportunity to go to a multi-millionaire's ranch to help him with his latest discovery. The problem is that Hank associates with every crank in the business. When things start happening, people begin to get suspicious.This is a fun, lighthearted mystery- no one is murdered, the crimes seem trivial until the end. So much fun to read!