September 1, 1991
Cozy Mystery
Length:
448 pages
Series:
Amelia Peabody Mysteries
Book description courtesy of Amazon books:
If Indiana Jones were female, a wife and mother who lived in Victorian times, he would be Amelia Peabody Emerson, an archaeologist whose extraordinary adventures are guaranteed entertainment. This time Amelia, her handsome, fearless husband, Radcliffe, and their precocious 11-year-old son, Ramses, are in the Sudan, searching for archaeologist Willoughby Forth, who disappeared 14 years earlier with his new wife. Rescued in the desert after every camel in their caravan dies, the Emersons are taken to a lost city where ancient Egyptian customs have been carried into modern times.
There, entangled in two half-brothers' battle for the throne, Amelia and family fight for the freedom of the slave class while ferreting out the fate of Forth and his bride, and arranging to escape with their lives.
Peters ( The Deeds of the Disturber ), who also writes as Barbara Michaels, laces her usual intricate plotting with Amelia's commonsense approach to hygiene and manners, and coyly delicate references to vigorously enjoyed connubial pleasures. Combining a fierce affection for her family with indefatigable independence, stalwart Amelia proves once again an immensely likable heroine.
My Thoughts:
Having finished the previous book in the series in which the family is in England, I was anxious to get back to their usual pyramid digs in exotic places. This time the Peabodys go to Sudan on an epic adventure. They are looking for a man and his wife who have disappeared into the desert 14 years ago and only have a map and their wits to guide them. Facing heat, lack of water and supplies and dying camels the odds are really against them. When they stumble upon an ancient society that has maintained Egyptian customs they are intrigued but soon realize they are also prisoners. The civilization does not want to be discovered and the Peabodys, along with their son Ramses are now coming to understand this is not just a fun history re-enactment but a kidnapping.
This was truly a wild ride! I honestly enjoyed the first half of the book more, the part where they are asked to search for the Willoughbys, the clues, and just the amazing authentic details that Peters includes as they prepare for the journey and make their way through the desert. I was so excited to know where the map would lead them and was really invested in what they would find. Add to that Amelia and Radcliffe and Ramses banter and it was very entertaining.
Where it started to break down a bit for me was surprisingly after they get to the city and are captured. It was still described beautifully and creatively and was a unique story and ending, but it got a little bogged down in some chapters. Too much detail about certain topics relating to the brothers and their fight, the ladies who wait on Amelia and just other things that might be quirky to me. I confess the middle chapters just didn't interest me all that much and I really wanted to get back to the mystery of how they would escape and what happened to the couple. A lot of the narrative about the culture wasn't high on my interest radar. I know that seems strange in a book that centers around Ancient Egypt but maybe it was because a little of that goes a long way for me. And some parts came across as a bit cheesy.
The book was a lot of fun and you really can't skip it I've found. I tried to gloss over one for time constraints once and when I picked up the next book was very lost and had to go back and read the previous book in its entirety. This was not my favorite but as always it was unique and entertaining and I have come to enjoy Ramses a lot more now that he is older. There are some things that happen at the end that you have to know for the next book for sure but no spoilers here. You will enjoy this book if you are a fan of the series!
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