Legend in Green Velvet

In Elizabeth Peters's Legend in Green Velvet, this standalone mystery she'd written 43 years ago, is compelling on every page. For Susan, she always loved Scotland and the rich cultural history behind it. As a young archeology student from America, she's been invited to join a dig at the Scottish highlands to look for hidden buried treasure. But things aren't what they seem when she runs into someone dressed at a legendary Scottish knight in costume. Hooked on a Scottish poem from Tammas, she runs into James Erskine as she looks for clues. When they went to look for the Scotch poet, they discover his dead body at his home and later they went on the lam as they were accused of his murderers. It's up to Jaime and Susan to hide out in disguise and to go to the dig when they discover some treachery and treason from her fellow classmates, it had thrown their lives into peril as they dig deeper between the sacred treasure of Scotland and what lied beneath it when the real culprits reared his head to finish them off for good.

Before she wrote the Amelia Peabody archeological mystery series, this 352-word standalone mystery was a bit interesting to read one of her earlier works. I did think it was bogged down by a lot of Scottish history which was said in dialogue and in prose. And we didn't know her last name was in the end, when it should've be introduced in the beginning when Jamie met Susan for example. I did care for Susan loves for Scotland and for looking for treasures in archeological digs for the Stone of Scone. I did think James was a bit dashing to see him dressed in a sporran and kilt. There's a little bit chemistry between the both of them. The themes are to follow your heart to look for treasure and to enrich yourselves in new cultural experiences, and to be careful to whom you trust in your life. I enjoyed being transported to Scotland and learn about its rich culture and his history in the majestic settings and scenic locations for this story on every page.

If you're looking for adventure with tons of action, non-stop drama, plenty of suspense, and a hint of mystery, give the Legend in Green Velvet a try today?