Spell the Month in Books - April

Reviews From the Stacks

Welcome to the April edition of Spell the Month in Books which is hosted at Reviews From the Stacks. The link party opens on the first Saturday of the month, but I won't be posting until after that as I already have other things scheduled every Saturday and for the first two Sundays of the month.

The idea is that you use the title of books to spell the month name. There is also a theme each month, with the theme for April being animals on the cover. 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - I couldn't go past this children's classic which includes talking hares, grinning cats and so much more!

The Restaurant in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen - Whilst I might be cheating with this one, this is the first book in a series set in a small Australian coastal town called  in Pelican Crossing, and the word pelican appears in the title of every one of them

Rescue my Heart by Jill Shalvis - It's been many years since I read Jill Shalvis, but I do recall enjoying her trilogy called Animal Magnetism, which is set in and around an animal shelter 

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros - Does a dragon count as an animal?

Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters - This is the fourth book in the excellent Amelia Peabody series set in Victorian Egypt. 

There's no set theme for May. Maybe I will have to come up with my own! Or maybe I will just keep it simple next month. We'll see when we get closer to the time!

I am sharing this post with Sunday Salon hosted by Readerbuzz.

Top Ten Tuesday: From draft to published

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Spring Cleaning Freebie (for example, books you’re planning to get rid of for whatever reason, book’s you’d like to clean off your TBR by either reading them or deciding you’re not interested, books that feel fresh and clean to you after winter is over, etc.).

My choice is to clean out a draft blog post from a few weeks ago. The theme on February 23 was books which made you laugh and I had created a list of potential choices but I was too busy with work to put any words in place or pictures or anything else and so it was still sitting in draft unpublished.

Pratchett, Pratchett, Pratchett  - doesn't really matter which book really..

Jasper Fforde - I was a big fan of the Thursday Next books.

Beach Read by Emily Henry - My romance reading has completely changed over the years. Once upon a time I read mainly historicals, with some paranormal and the occasional contemporary romance. Now I read a lot of contemporary romance, with some historical and no paranormal at all. This was a fun, read in one sitting contemporary

Jenny Colgan is great at the funny story with a lot of depth. I have really enjoyed a couple of her series!

Marian Keyes -another author that makes me laugh, especially her early books. The later ones not so much!

The Amelia Peabody mysteries by Elizabeth Peters  - an eccentric archeologist family gallivanting around Egypt, stumbling onto mystery after mystery! So much fun.

The Prenup by Lauren Layne - a recent fun contemporary read

Chocolate Cake for Breakfast by Danielle Hawkins - So many contemporary women's fictions novels have the balance  between romance, issues and humour just right! This author gives us a great Kiwi spin on the genre!

The early books in the Stephanie Plum series were makes you cry you are laughing so hard. The later ones make me roll my eyes in exasperation, but I had to include her because of those early books.

I mentioned contemporary romance novels earlier in this post, so it's only right that I includes a historical novelist as well. Tessa Dare makes me laugh every time I read one of her books!

Six Degrees of Separation: How to Do Nothing to What I Like About Me

Welcome to this month's edition of Six Degrees of Separation, which is a monthly meme hosted by Kate from Books Are My Favourite and Best.  The idea is to start with a specific book and make a series of links from one book to the next using whatever link you can find and see where you end up after six links.  I am also linking this post up with The Sunday Salon, hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

This month's starting book is How to do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny ODell. I don't read a lot of non fiction so this is a book that I wasn't familiar with, and I am unlikely to read.

Having done this for a few months now, I am coming to realise that often the first idea is the best, if you have an idea in the first place! I probably should at least look at the cover before I decide on a theme though because I could have done something around flowers too. Anyway, the first thing that I thought of when I saw the title was to focus on the word how, and that then led to other interrogative words like how, who, what, where, why, when.

So here are my connections:

How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O'Neal - I first read Barbara O'Neal around 9 years ago when this book beat out two other books that I loved to win a RITA award in the Novel with Strong Romantic Elements category. I have since read a lot of this author's books and I always enjoy them. (review here)

The Ape Who Guards the Balance by Elizabeth Peters -  This is the tenth book in the Amelia Peabody mystery series, which is predominantly set in Egypt in the late 1880s through the 1920s. It is such a fun series, featuring Egyptian archaeology, a dastardly archenemy, humour,crimes and so much more. I might need to go back and pick up where I left off. Or maybe, restart at a point in the series and then go forward. (review here)

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - This is one of those books that sticks around the bestsellers list for a long time. It was also a selection for Reese Witherspoon's book club and then with a movie adaptation in the works, it will probably stay around for a while longer yet. I listened to it on audio earlier this year.

Why Shoot a Butler? by Georgette Heyer -Georgette Heyer was much better known for her regency romances but she also wrote a number of mysteries. I read this one many years ago!

When It All Went to Custard by Danielle Hawkins - From a book that I read many years ago to an author I have only discovered this year, Danielle Hawkins is a New Zealand author who writes rural romance. I have read a couple of her books so far and I have thoroughly enjoyed them

What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume - This was Australian YA author Jenna Guillaume's debut novel. I am due to read her second novel in the next few weeks.

Next month's starting point is Rodham by Curtis Sittenfield. As of now, I don't even have a first idea. Good thing I have a month to come up with something.

Where has your six degrees taken you this month?

He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters

Egypt and her hoary secrets are no match for New York Times-bestselling Grandmaster Elizabeth Peters and her indomitable archaeologist sleuth Amelia Peabody. The sand-and-windblown ambience of this strange and colorful world, the ancient enchantments and delicious menace are more vibrantly realized than ever in this thrilling new adventure that places the intrepid Amelia and her equally remarkable family in the dangerous path of an onrushing World War.

The pursuit of knowledge must never be deterred by Man's folly. So the close of 1914 finds Amelia Peabody and her husband Radcliffe Emerson back in Egypt for another season of archaeological excavation - despite the increasing danger of an attack on the Suez Canal and on Egypt itself. Trouble is brewing in Cairo and the defiantly pacifist stance of Amelia and Emerson's headstrong son Ramses is earning the young man the derision, and much worse, of the British expatriate community. Meanwhile, the charismatic nationalist el Wardani is said to be fomenting insurrection in the ancient city. And since there is no way to stand outside the political hurricane that is suddenly threatening their lives, Amelia plunges directly into it.

When el Wardani escapes a police dragnet, thanks to the direct intervention of Amelia and Emerson, the family's stake in a perilous game is raised considerably. But it's Ramses' strange secret role in it that could truly bring ruin down upon all their heads. However, there is more than intrigue and espionage, plots and counter plots, at work here. For an artifact uncovered at a Giza dig - an exquisite sculpture found where it ought not to be - confirms Amelia's most unsettling suspicion: that the chaos confirming Cairo has masked the nefarious reemergence of Amelia's villainous arch nemesis, Sethos, the Master Criminal.

It's been too long since I read an Amelia Peabody mystery, especially given the events of the last couple of books. Now that I have rectified that oversight I have a small problem - well, two actually. The first is that I can't write this review without spoilers, so reader beware. The second problem is that this book really felt like an ending of a series, and yet I know that there are at least 6 books that have been published since this book. I may be speculating completely inaccurately here, but I wonder if the reason for this was in effect just in case, because when this book was published in 2000, the author Elizabeth Peters, was already 73 years old, and maybe each of the books will feel complete. Given that the author is still writing, I may be completely off base. Anyway..

Elizabeth Peters has said that the four books that started with Seeing a Large Cat and then continued with The Ape Who Guards the Balance, The Falcon at the Portal and culminates in the events of this book formed an internal quartet within the overall series, and they are four of the best books in the series that I have read so far. Throughout these four books there has been unrequited love, impulsive actions, nationalistic fervour, heroism, spying, danger, subterfuge.

Without doubt, the stand out character of this book is Ramses. I often say that Amelia is a very lucky woman to have Emerson as her husband, but if it is possible, Ramses is even more of a catch. Tall, dark, handsome, principled, heroic, loyal and dashing! What's not to like.

The plot of this book is actually quite complex, and is definitely not a place for a new reader to start this series. WWI is raging, but that doesn't stop the Emerson's from setting up camp to dig in Egypt. Amelia and Emerson should be overjoyed! They finally have managed to get permission to dig at the more glamourous fields than they usually get, mainly because so many of their archaeologist friends are either on the wrong side of the war, or otherwise occupied.

When they comes across an extraordinary find that doesn't fit where it is in terms of its location and age, Amelia begins to suspect that her old nemesis, Sethos, has taken advantage of the chaos in Egypt to return to Cairo. The question is what he is up to? He is not the only one who is up to something, because there is a movement growing to try and gain independence from Britain for Egypt, through any means they can. As the Emerson's find themselves drawn into a complex web of events, it becomes a matter of life and death for more than one member of the family.

There is finally resolution in terms of the issues between Nefret and Ramses, and the scenes where Amelia finally is confided in and told what has happened between the two of them are some of the best in the series. In this book we see a lot more of the mother in Amelia. For so long in the series, this particular aspect has seemed to be missing, or at least very well hidden, but with her family very much in danger, we do see an Amelia who is prepared to show how much she loves her family.

Given that this does feel like an ending it will be interesting to see where the series goes next, especially given that it would appear that the author will have to create a whole new set of opponents instead of relying on the already well established arch nemesis Sethos, and also the nasty cousin Percy.

Whereever Peters chooses to take us next in this series, I am totally along for the ride!

Other Blogger's Thoughts:

Rosario's Reading Journal


Cross posted at Historical Tapestry

Falcon at the Portal by Elizabeth Peters

As the 1911 archaeological season begins, Amelia and famille have arrived in Egypt for their annual excavation. While the reappearance Ramses' dreadful cousin Percy is to be lamented, the marriage of his best friend David to Amelia's niece Lia is a source of joy for everyone. But the bride has barely walked down the aisle before trouble begins stalking the family. First, David is accused of selling ancient Egyptian artifacts that are actually high-priced, almost undetectable fakes. Then, though this year's site appears ordinary enough - dull, really - some deadly surprises await the professional touch of Professor Radcliffe Emerson, the Father of Curses, holder of innumerable honorary degrees, scourge of the underworld, and the greatest Egyptologist of this or any other age.

But even as Amelia and company endeavor to clear David's name and expose the real culprit, worse crimes are surfacing. The first is the body of an American at the bottom of the Emerson's excavation shaft. Then, as accusations of drug dealing and moral misconduct start flying, the appearance of small child of mysterious antecedents sparks a crisis that threatens to tear the Emerson family apart. Meanwhile, as Amelia brings her brilliant powers of deduction to bear on all of this, someone is shooting bullets at her and coming awfully close.

As the tension mounts Amelia and family have arrived in Egypt for the 1911 archaeological season—after the marriage of young Ramses' best friend David to Amelia's niece Lia. But trouble finds them immediately when David is accused of selling ancient artifacts. While Amelia and company try to clear his name and expose the real culprit, the body of an American is found at the bottom of their excavation shaft. As accusations of drug dealing and moral misconduct fly, a child of mysterious antecedents sparks a crisis that threatens to tear the family apart. Amelia brings her brilliant powers of deduction to bear, but someone is shooting bullets at her—and coming awfully close!Amelia and family have arrived in Egypt for the 1911 archaeological season—after the marriage of young Ramses' best friend David to Amelia's niece Lia. But trouble finds them immediately when David is accused of selling ancient artifacts. While Amelia and company try to clear his name and expose the real culprit, the body of an American is found at the bottom of their excavation shaft. As accusations of drug dealing and moral misconduct fly, a child of mysterious antecedents sparks a crisis that threatens to tear the family apart. Amelia brings her brilliant powers of deduction to bear, but someone is shooting bullets at her and coming awfully close!

As the tension mounts and accidents increase at the site, it becomes clear that the Land of the Pharaohs harbors more secrets than any tomb can hide, If Amelia doesn't expose a dangerous gallery of kills quickly, she may find herself the next candidate for burial.

Aaahh....there is nothing like an Amelia Peabody book to get the reading juices flowing. This book had it all - there was subterfuge, romance, multiple suspects, loss, spying, renegade family members. You name it, it will probably be part of it.

The book starts in England where Ramses' best friend David has just married his cousin Lia. There is a cloud hanging over the happy event though, as David has been named as being suspected of either selling stolen or fake artifacts. As David goes off blissfully unawares on his honeymoon, the rest of the Peabody clan are desperately trying to clear David's name.

On arrival in Egypt, they are soon reunited with old friends from previous books, but there is also more drama surrounding David as he is linked to both nationalistic causes and drug running. Is it possible that David has gone completely off the rails, despite the fact that Amelia and Emerson practically raised him.

The dig that the Emerson's have been allocated appears to be very boring indeed, although Amelia is delighted that she has a pyramid to explore! She is not quite so delighted when first she and then other members of her family find themselves being shot at. As the heat of an Egyptian desert dig builds, so does the pressure as bodies are discovered, and theories of what is going on are both developed and then discarded.

The mystery aspect of this book was good, although at times very busy with so many different aspects to keep in control and then to tie up at the end but Peters manages admirably.

For all of that, for me, this book is really about Ramses and a couple of the relationships in his life.

*************SPOILER*************

There were times in this book where my heart was literally in my mouth, just hoping and praying that Nefret would finally realise that Ramses is totally in love with her. There were hints, and then there finally a moment, that turned into a night, and the promise of future happiness. In true romance fashion though, the path to true love never runs smoothly and the romantic relationship between Nefret and Ramses is basically destroyed before it even got going due to a BIG misunderstanding. Nefret then reacts rather impulsively, leaving a heartbroken Ramses in her wake.

I also loved seeing both Ramses and Emerson interact with the little girl, Sennia, who is introduced into the series at this point. Reading the descriptions of Ramses and Emerson interacting with the girl, and then the cat Horus' attachment to her had me smiling as I read them - an outward sign of my inward delight of the character development that we are still seeing in these books despite the fact that this is the 11th book in the series.

I loved this part of the storyline...absolutely loved it, and very nearly went rushing off to the library to get the next book in the series. If I had it, I would have started it straight away, because I was so invested in what will happen, in what HAS to happen soon!

The strange thing about this whole part of this post, is that when I wrote my reviews of the Harper Connelly series, one of my main focuses was on the fact that I found it kind of off-putting that Harper got it together with Tolliver, who was her step brother. Despite the fact that it is a very similar familial connection (Nefret is Ramses adopted sister), there was none of that uncomfortableness in reading this storyline - only cheering and then subsequent despair as everything comes apart.


Maybe I should go to the library tomorrow night to get the next book in the series. The fact that I have a load of books due back before I that one would shouldn't matter should it. I HAVE to know what happens....and soon!

Two Amelia Peabody reviews

"Stay away from tomb Twenty-A!" says an ominous message delivered by an unseen hand. The year is 1903, the place is Cairo, and with the new century, everything is changing for Amelia Peabody - except her affinity for danger. Headed for an archaeological dig in the awesome Valley of the Kings, she hopes the desert will yield up its secrets. Instead it will produce a macabre puzzle of murder, passion, and cruel deceit.

Besides the warning about the tomb - which only makes it more intriguing to Amelia and her sexy if irascible husband, Emerson - Amelia finds Egypt spinning with demands that join like the threads of her destiny. A request for help comes from an old friend whose husband has fallen for a spiritualist...a plea arrives from an expatriate Civil War colonel with a pretty daughter threatened by an unknown enemy...and a special headache is bestowed by her son Ramses, grown from a precocious child to a teenager, who strikes out with his cousin David and Amelia's beautiful ward Nefret toward an adventure that could turn a mother's hair white...

Even though her famous premonitions are telling her that trouble lies ahead, Amelia dreams of a large cat, an Egyptian sign of good luck. And when tomb Twenty-A finally reveals its secret, Amelia will need all the luck she can garner, and her detective skills, to keep those dearest to her from death...or an equally undesirable fate.

There are a couple of things that are guaranteed when you pick up a Amelia Peabody novel - the first is that there is loads of fun in store. The second is murder and mystery under the Egyptian sun, and the third is lots of admiration for the ever irascible but oh so sexy Professor Radcliffe Emerson, affectionately known to the Egyptian people as 'Father of Curses'. Amelia always has to deal with the females they come into contact with who fall half in love with her husband. She always has to deal with the matter very graciously and tactfully - not necessarily this very forthright and plain-spoken character's forte it has to be said!

In this book though, Emerson has a little competition, coming from quarters close to home. His son Ramses is growing up rapidly, as is his best friend David, and I have to say that I am happy to read about any of the three of them. Ramses in particular is growing into a very dashing, principled and fine young man - a welcome development from his precociousness of a few of the earlier books. I am definitely looking forward to watching him as he grows up over the next couple of books.

One of the other good things about this book is that instead of only seeing events from Amelia's point of view as we have done previously, there has now been the introduction of other points of view, mainly in the form of Manuscript H. The authorship of the manuscript is somewhat veiled, but it tells the events in the book from the point of view of the younger Peabody's, and also allows us to look at Amelia through another person's eyes - an interesting experience to say the least.

From what I can tell, this is the first book where Ramses feelings for Nefret are revealed, but I know that it is going to be a long time before this particular thread of the storyline is resolved...one way or another.

For me at least the mystery took a backseat in this book - not because it was boring or bad or anything like that, but more because the developments between our main characters was much more interesting and the other events in the book really just seemed to provide the framework for the more important, longer term developments in the novel.

Another very enjoyable Amelia Peabody mystery!

The prospects for the 1907 archaeological season in Egypt seem fairly dull to Amelia Peabody. Despite her adored husband's brilliant reputation in his field, his dashing-yet-less-than-diplomatic behavior has Professor Radcliffe Emerson ignominiously demoted to examining only the most boring tombs in the Valley of the Kings -- mere leftovers, really. All the Peabody Emersons profess stiff upper lips and intend to make the best of a bad situation, but this year the legendary land of the pharoahs will yield more than priceless artifacts for the Emerson expedition. For the desert guards even deeper mysteries that are wrapped in greed -- and sealed by murder.

In a seedy section of Cairo, the youngest members of the expedition purchase a mint-condition papyrus of the famed Book of the Dead, the collection of magical spells and prayers designed to ward off the perils of the underworld and lead the deceased into everlasting life. But for as long as there have been graves, there have also been grave robbers -- as well as those who believe tomb violators risk the wrath of gods like Thoth, the little baboon who protects the scales used to weigh such precious commodities as hearts and souls.

Besides facing the ire of ancient deities, their adventure into antiquity also puts Amelia and company in the sights of Sethos, the charismatically compelling but elusive Master Criminal whose bold villainies have defied the authorities in sever countries. In truth, Amelia needn't have worried: this season is about to turn from dull to deadly. Soon, she will need all her remarkable skills of detection and deduction to untangle a web woven of criminals and cults, stolen treasures and fallen women -- all the while under the unblinking eye of a ruthless, remorseless killer.

Poor Emerson! After yet more bad words between M. Prospero and him, the Peabody's are relegated to the poor archaeological sites, where they expect to find nothing of interest. Of course, being the true professional that he is, he is still determined to do the best he can. It is, however, incredibly difficult to concentrate solely on the task at hand, when once again his family get mixed up in trying to solve crimes and mysteries.

The books starts off on an interesting note, with Amelia sort of becoming involved in the suffragette movement, It quickly becomes clear however that a rally was merely a cover for a dastardly plan to steal ancient artifacts from a wealthy collector's home, and the whole Peabody becomes involved in trying to work out who the mastermind could possibly be - I mean it couldn't possibly be the Master Criminal...could it?

There is an element of preachiness in this episode of the series - with a large amount of focus being spent on women's issues. Nefret becomes involved with a clinic to try and help poor women who require medical assistance, and with teaching Egyptian women to read.

Once again we get to see more than we have in previous books through the use of Manuscript H, which I mentioned above. One of the things that having this alternate point of view does, is enable the reader to know of events that the main characters do not, mainly because Amelia and Emerson are trying to shield the 'children', and the 'children' try to keep what they have been doing from coming to the attention of the parents so that they do not worry themselves unnecessarily.

The mystery was again fun, and I love the buildup in the relationships in this book, especially the twist in the end of this book, which has characters reviewing their own beliefs in terms of equality of the races and to having to live what they have been saying for a very long time. When Amelia is forced to stop and think about her reactions to unexpected news, then it can only be a good thing for the series, as so often she tends to go racing of without worrying too much about the consequences.

The Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters

What could be more intriguing to Amelia Peabody and her irresistible, irascible husband, Emerson ("the Father of Curses"), than meeting a masked stranger who offers to show them an Egyptian queen's lost tomb? The mysterious disappearance of that midnight visitor before he can disclose the secret!

Thus begins Amelia's newest adventure along the Nile. Helped, or hampered, by two teenagers, their son, Ramses, and their beautiful ward, Nefret, the Emersons set sail for Thebes to find the hidden tomb of Queen Tetisheri. With them is a timid (or is she?) governess named Miss Marmaduke. Soon to join the expedition are Amelia's sister- and brother-in-law, Evelyn and Walter, whose marriage is going through a rocky patch.

As usual, archaeology is only one of Amelia's concerns, as the Emersons encounter murderers, kidnappers, grave robbers and ancient Egyptian curses. The tomb, of course, will hold a stunning surprise. And the Hippopotamus Pool? It's an ancient Egyptian story of war and wits that Amelia is translating... and that alerts her to a hippo of a different stripe: a nefarious, overweight art dealer who may become her next archenemy. Or perhaps not - for another nemesis is lurking under the Saharan sun, a master of disguises, a caliph of crime, a veritable vizier of villainy. Will Amelia meet her match?

This is just going to be a really quick mini review, because I am really behind and therefore finished this ages ago. I also have a couple of reviews that I have to write for deadlines and so need to get on with those ones!

It's been too long since I read the last Amelia Peabody mystery - luckily all the elements were there that make up Amelia's world - her passion for her husband Emerson, and for archeology, her irascible son Ramses, along with their adopted daughter Nefret, the cats, dastardly evil etc.

It was interesting to see the changes that were made with some of the secondary characters in this book, particularly with Emerson's brother Walter and his wife Evelyn. I wonder if the changes that were made will allow them to be something more than the family who are left behind in future books.

Ramses is still precocious but in a much more intelligent and less annoying way. He does seem to be mooning around after Nefret. It will be interesting to see where that leads in future.

Another really fun trip through Egypt, with the inevitable mystery to be investigated! I am really looking forward to reading the next one!

Rating: 4/5

The Snake The Crocodile & the Dog

Amelia Peabody is unashamedly proud of her newest translation, a fragment of the ancient fairytale 'The Doomed Prince'. Later she will wonder why no sense of foreboding strikes her as she retells the story of the king's favourite son who is warned that he will die from the snake, the crocodile and the dog. Little does Amelia realise, as she and her beloved husband Emerson sail blissfully towards the pyramids of ancient Egypt, that those very bests will be part of a deadly plot...

Leaving their delightful, but catastrophically precocious, son Ramses back in England, Amelia hopes that this romantic expedition will rejuvenate her thirteen-year-old marriage. She and her dear Emerson are returning to the remote desert site where they first fell in love. but their return will threaten not only their marriage, but their very lives, with perils as chilling as a mummy's curse.

An old enemy is determined to learn Amelia and Emerson's most closely guarded secret: the location of a legendary long-lost oasis and a race of people bedecked in gold. So cunning is his scheme that Amelia could overlook - until it is too late - the truth about the mysterious cat called Anubis, the identity of the spy among their retinue, and the nature of the stunning blow with the power to rob her of all she holds dear.

The Snake, The Crocodile And The Dog is the latest bestselling novel from Elizabeth Peters to feature the intrepid Victorian adventurer Amelia Peabody and her archaeologist husband Emerson.

This is the seventh book in the Amelia Peabody series, following on from The Last Camel Died at Noon and there are quite a few references to the events of that book in this one, which would mean that it probably doesn't work all that well as a standalone book. Having said that, there is almost a return to Amelia and Emerson's early days of courtship which would make it seem as though it could be a standalone! Then again, I don't really understand how people knowingly pick up books and start reading half way through a series!

Amelia and Emerson are on the way to Egypt for the season, and must to Amelia's delight their precocious son Ramses has stayed behind in England, meaning that for the first time in years there will be time for Amelia and Emerson to relight the spark that their early days of marriage had. Not that they were falling out of love or anything like that - more that the passion had dimmed. In my eyes, Amelia is a very lucky woman to have Emerson.

Before things get a chance to hot up though, Emerson is kidnapped, and whilst Amelia and their men rescue him, not before he has amnesia and can't remember his wife. As they try to work out who is trying to attack them, Amelia is forced to contemplate what will happen if he can never remember her or Ramses, and to wonder whether she can make Emerson fall in love with her all over again!

Once again, there is lots of fun, adventure and danger waiting in Egypt for Amelia and Emerson, although this time they don't have to worry about how much trouble Ramses is going to get into. Whilst Ramses is not directly part of the action, he still forms part of the story through his very amusing and entertaining letters from home (and there is a great twist at the very end of the book that involves him as well).

There are the usual archaeological discoveries, dastardly enemies, and there are plenty of suspects as to who the bad guys may be! Once again, this was a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to reading more of the series.

Rating 4/5

The Last Camel Died at Noon by Elizabeth Peters

The acclaimed author of Naked Once More and Deeds of the Disturber presents a marvellous new novel, starring her most popular heroine, Amelia Peabody, the 19th century Egyptologist.

Amelia and her dashing husband Emerson set off for a promising archaeological site in the Sudan, only to be unwillingly drawn into the search for an African explorer and his young bride, gone missing for twelve years.

Barely surviving the rigours of the desert, the deaths of their camels, and the abandonment of their guides, they suddenly find themselves prisoners in the midst of a lost city and civilization. Amelia and Emerson must make the most of this explosive situation, accumulating archaeological coups while doing their best to rescue the innocent...and themselves.

Dear reader (or so Amelia would begin if she were the one writing this review!). It's probably not an overstatement to say that this is rapidly becoming one of my favourite series, and this sixth entry in the series is definitely very entertaining. The books are chock full of adventure and humour, and in this one we even have a different location...a lost civilization in the Sudan.

Amelia and Emerson are approached by strangers, they are told the remarkable story that the well known explorer Willoughby Forth, who was thought to be have killed 12 years ago, is actually alive in the Sudan. When they are asked to help find him and his young wife, they are not going to get involved...but Amelia and Emerson being who they are, they soon find themselves embroiled in the mystery!

Along the way, Amelia nearly dies, Ramses disappears, a new King is crowned in a secret civilization, a mystery is solved and a key character is introduced to the series. I think that this may well be one of my favourites so far. We are taken into a secret city hidden in the mountains of Sudan, and the descriptions of the secret world and it's traditions are so vivid that you really do feel as though you are there with them.

The other thing that was really well done in this book was the identity of the bad guys - there were two brothers and the question of which of them was the friend and which was the foe was kept going until about three quarters of the way through the book and maintained in a quite convincing way! There were as many twists and turns in this novel as there were in the tunnels that led to the secret chambers described in the book!

Amelia continues to get all steamed up at the mere thought of her loving husband and their sense of fun and togetherness is very endearing - of course, the less said about that kind of thing the better (they are after all living in the Victorian age!).

A very entertaining 4.5/5


Other Blogger's Thoughts:

Puss Reboots

Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters

The fifth entry in the Amelia Peabody mysteries following on from Lion in the Valley, this time our mystery is set in London, instead of Egypt. I think I am correct in saying that this is the only one of the entire series of something like 18 books that is set predominantly in England (but I could be wrong!)

Can fear kill? There are those who believe so--but Amelia Peabody is skeptical. A respected Egyptologist and amateur sleuth, Amelia has foiled felonious schemes from Victoria's England to the Middle East. And she doubts that it was a Nineteenth-Dynasty mummy's curse that caused the death of a night watchman in the British Museum. The corpse was found sprawled in the mummy's shadow, a look of terror frozen on the guard's face. What--or who--killed the unfortunate man is a mystery that seems too intriguingly delicious for Amelia to pass up, especially now that she, her dashing archaeologist husband, Emerson, and their precocious son, Ramses, are back on Britain's shores. But a contemporary curse can be as lethal as one centuries old--and the foggy London thoroughfares can be as treacherous as the narrow, twisting alleyways of Cairo after dark--when a perpetrator of evil deeds sets his murderous sights on his relentless pursuer...Amelia Peabody!

What a hoot this book was! The Emersons are on their way home after another successful season in Egypt. Before they even leave Egypt though, Professor Radcliffe Emerson (although you should never actually call him Radcliffe) sees the story of a mysterious death at the British Museum in the newspapers, and he warns his wife that they will not become involved, because he MUST finish his manuscript to send the Oxford University Press. Of course, Emerson knows all too well that he might not have any say in the matter.

Instead of the bazaars of Egypt this time we are treated to the streets around St James' Park, the hallowed hallways of The British Museum, and mansions of Mayfair, as well as some of the less salubrious parts of London! Soon, there is not only the death of the night watchman, but also of one of the curators from the Museum, whose body was found at the bottom of Cleopatra's Needle on the Embankment, threats to Emerson and others, and a very mysterious priest who keeps on appearing just in time to titillate the public enough to keep the story on the front pages. Of course, it doesn't help that both Kevin O'Connell and M M Mintern are constantly trying to recruit Amelia to their respective newspapers as their resident expert. But then Miss Mintern disappears, and it turns out that she is not really who she appears to be. Is her disappearance connected to the case. Is she safe? And when Emerson takes Peabody to an opium den who is the mysterious woman that he knows. Of course, Amelia knows that she should be worried, shouldn't be jealous, but she doesn't know if she can help herself.

Emerson was relieved that this time it appeared that there was no involvement of the aristocracy in the case - In fact for the longest time he refused to acknowledge that there was a case to be investigated. He was also relieved that there was no love struck young people for Amelia to meddle in the relationships. Could it be true??

This was such a fun read, with many laugh out loud moments, including when Emerson appears to be seducing Amelia, but then locks her in her bedroom much to her indignation, so that he can at least get a head start on her. Ramses also features in this book, and in fact starts to become a master of disguises himself. Interestingly, there are two other children in this book - Amelia's niece Violet and her nephew Percy who come to stay with Amelia for the summer. Even this eventuality may not be as simple as it seems.

This is the first of these books that I have listened to on audiobook, and I have to say that I loved the experience. The narrator, Barbara Rosenblat, does such a fantastic job with the vocals, getting just the right amount of plumminess in her upper crust English accents, plus brogue in her Irish, and adding an extra layer of enjoyment that I wasn't expecting to hear!

Amelia is a very lucky woman, as she constantly tells us, to have the love of her fantastic husband Emerson, and the author gives us enough information to know that they are very satisfied in every sense of the word, without feeling the need to show us any details. I am very much looking forward to reading (or maybe even listening to) the next Amelia Peabody adventure!

What the devil....I think I will give this a rating of 4.5/5

Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters

The fourth book in the Amelia Peabody series following on from The Mummy Case, the Emersons have returned to Egypt for another fruitful season of archeology, or at least it would be if only Amelia could stop being drawn into mysteries, and from becoming involved in fixing other people's love lives!

The 1895-96 season promises to be an exceptional one for Amelia Peabody, her dashing Egyptologist husband Emerson, and their wild and precocious eight-year-old son Ramses. The much-coveted burial chamber of the Black Pyramid in Dahshoor is theirs for the digging. But there is a great evil in the wind that roils the hot sands sweeping through the bustling streets and marketplace of Cairo. The brazen moonlight abduction of Ramses -- and an expedition subsequently cursed by misfortune and death -- have alerted Amelia to the likely presence of her arch nemesis the Master Criminal, notorious looter of the living and the dead. But it is far more than ill-gotten riches that motivates the evil genius this time around. For now the most valuable and elusive prized of all is nearly in his grasp: the meddling lady archaeologist who has sworn to deliver him to justice . . . Amelia Peabody!

Within hours of arriving in Egypt, Amelia and Emerson are immersed in yet more trouble. They have gone for a romantic trip to the pyramids at night, along with many other tourists much to Emerson's disgust, but when Ramses is almost abducted, Amelia almost immediately suspects that the evil genius Master Criminal is back. Ramses is saved by an Englishman who appears to be wearing native clothes and making his way through life by begging and then spending his money on opium.

When a fellow guest at their hotel is murdered, with the finger of blame being laid at a woman who appears to have lost her judgement in relation to men, Amelia is sure that he is behind it. Emerson is frustrated by the fact that Amelia seems to see the evidence of the Master Criminal everywhere, and being determined that this season they will concentrate on archeology, they catch the next train out of Cairo. They had hired the young man who saved Ramses from abduction as his companion for the season, but when the aforementioned young woman makes her way to Amelia, it appears that the young man and the young woman have more of a connection than would seem immediately obvious.

There are a series of oddball events that occur, with visits from eccentric American tourists, titled gentlemen, yet another murder, this time someone close to Donald Fraser (Ramses saviour), eventually the identity of the killers becomes clear, but the motive is not so clear.

It turns out the nefarious Master Criminal is also a master of disguise, and manages to get quite close to Amelia more than once, but why is he so intent on doing so.

Instead of the usual competition between Amelia and Emerson to guess the identity of the murderer, this time Ramses joins in and gives his opinion, as if you could stop him, and it is left until near the end for the truth to come out, and the truth as to which of the Emerson's correctly guessed the true identity of the Master Criminal.

Ramses and the cat Bastet are their usual opinionated selves...yes, even the cat manages to communicate her opinions!! It will be interesting to see Ramses through puberty and into adulthood as I continue to read this series, for he is growing up. His parents even needed to give him the birds and the bees talk during this book...uncomfortable for every concerned.

A highly entertaining read. I'm off to the library to request the next one in the series!!

Rating 4.5/5

The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters

Amelia and Emerson are back in Egypt, and this time their son Ramses along with their servant John accompany them.. However the season has not started well for them. The new Director of Antiquities has gleefully assigned them a site that is less than glamorous (no pyramids!) for our experienced archaeologists, and they are not happy! To make matters worse, Amelia is convinced that one of their old acquaintances has been murdered, and she is convinced that there is a Master Criminal behind the murder. Soon there are disappearing and appearing mummy cases, besotted servants, and numerous other events all keeping both Amelia and Emerson on their toes, both in the investigation and archaeologically!

The third installment in the Amelia Peabody series, The Mummy Case sees the real introduction of Ramses as a character in his own right. Whilst he appeared briefly in the last book, he is a major character here. He is a very precocious little boy of about 6 years of age...always getting dirty, finding his way into and out of trouble and able to talk himself out of any situation. At first I wondered if this was going to get in the way of me enjoying the story, but in the end I got used to it. To be honest, if Ramses was not like this, then he would have no place in the story between the two forceful personalities of his parents!

I have to admit to getting slightly lost in the some parts of the resolution of the mystery but overall this was another satisfying read from Elizabeth Peters. Her books are not only unique, but they are highly entertaining as well!

You can read my previous entry about the second Amelia Peabody mystery here.

Rating 4/5

The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters

The second book in the Amelia Peabody series after Crocodile on the Sandbank, the opening finds Amelia and Emerson in England, both feeling confined and unfulfilled (Amelia in her role as house wife and mother, and Emerson in his as a university lecturer) and hoping for excitement. They watch with interest a story developing in Egypt about the death of Lord Baskerville, who was involved in the excavation of a tomb prior to his untimely death. The newspapers are reporting it as a natural death, however Amelia knows that it must be murder. Before too long, the widow of Lord Baskerville is at the door, asking Emerson to continue with the work that her husband had begun.

Amelia and Emerson head off to Egypt (sans their son Ramses) and before too long they find murder and mayhem, along with numerous interesting archeological finds! In a mystery with more twists and turns than..well.. a very twisty, turny thing, there is danger and intrigue galore.

This is only the second book in the series I have read (there are currently 17 in the series), but I do enjoy them immensely! Amelia is such a forceful but still endearing character who knows far better than anyone else about just about everything! The only thing that really bothered me about this book was their willingness to leave their son behind, with nary a backwards glance. I know that in the future books in the series this doesn't happen, which will be a relief to me personally.

In this installment we also get to meet Bastet the cat, and I look forward to hearing more about its adventures in the next books!

Next time I am at the library I will definitely be looking out for The Mummy Case.

Rating: 4/5