Jacqueline Kirby, an American librarian, is being given a guided tour of London by her old friend, Thomas, who has had designs on her for years.  Thomas wants her to attend a meeting of the local Ricardian Society to be held at the country home of the fabulously wealthy Sir Richard Weldon.  Apparently a long-lost letter has turned up which may shed more light on King Richard III, or offer proof that he did not kill the little princes in the tower, which is what the Ricardian Society is all about.

The event, which all sounds like lots of fun and "Jolly Hockeysticks", is planned over a long weekend, and of course everybody is to dress in character as one of King Richard's entourage with Sir Richard playing the King himself.  Many of these people met their deaths in rather strange ways, like being upended in a barrel of Malmsey; so when mysterious "accidents" befall many of the guests, it just doesn't seem so funny anymore.  Deja vu! 

The attacks come in the same sequence and in the same manner.  So Jacqueline springs into action with her "viper's tongue", hefty handbag, and stirs up a hornet's nest of intrigue, passion, greed and murder -- all the while fending off the advances of various men and not getting killed in the process!

I haven't read any Elizabeth Peters books in a long time, so picking up THE MURDERS OF RICHARD III was like being reintroduced to a rather delightful old friend;  one I'd missed more than I'd realized.  Especially the Jacqueline Kirby heroine.  Arrogant, opinionated, glowering over her horn-rimmed glasses and cleverly witty with a tongue she uses like a slashing blade, Jacqueline is ready and willing to put all would-be pontificators in their places at a moment's notice.  And she does!  Over and over again in the most deliciously satisfying way.  But like all of Elizabeth Peters heroines and there are many of them, beautiful, brainy, self-confident, liberated, know-it-all-better-than-you-do, they are all eminently likable and fascinating characters.

Though this book was written thirty years ago, it's almost as fresh today as it was then -- okay, maybe a few more less-than-liberated male chauvinist pigs than we're used to today, but that only shows how far we've come and makes me want to read some more of Ms. Peters more recent novels to check on the evolution of her male species. 

The plot is convoluted and intricate, but anyone with even a small knowledge of British history will have no problem sorting it all out.  Richard III always was a figure of great dispute and still is.  My only problem with the unmasking of the evil-doer is that before Jacqueline started pompously expounding and explaining everything, I'd got it all straight, but the longer she summed it up, the less I cared.  The book should have ended sooner.  Sometimes it's better not to explain too much.  No matter!  It's still as refreshing a mystery today as it ever was and I'd certainly recommend it to any mystery fan.