The Last Camel Died at Noon by Elizabeth Peters (audio)

Book Description:
The last camel is dead, and Egyptologist Amelia Peabody, her dashing husband, Emerson, and precocious son, Ramses, are in dire straits on the sun-scorched desert sands. Months before, back in cool, green England, Viscount Blacktower had approached them to find his son and his son's new bride, who have been missing in war-torn Sudan for over a decade. An enigmatic message scrawled on papyrus and a cryptic map had been delivered to Blacktower, awakening his hope that the couple was still alive. Neither Amelia nor Emerson believe the message is authentic, but the treasure map proves an irresistible temptation. Now, deep in Nubia's vast wasteland, they discover too late how much treachery is afoot (and on camelback)...and survival depends on Amelia's solving a mystery as old as ancient Egypt and as timeless as greed and revenge.

Quickie Review:
On audio, this (to me) wasn't quite as good as the previous installments in the Amelia Peabody mysteries.  Nothing against Barbara Rosenblat, who (as usual) does a fantastic job with narration.  She is beyond compare.  But in this, Book 6 of the series, the Emersons find themselves in the Sudan this time.  Excavating the usual sort of antiquities in the middle of nowhere, they find themselves stranded in the desert, their camels all dead, no water, no food and convinced death is near. Yet, they are rescued.  Where are they?  When they awake from their stupor of dehydration, they find themselves in the lap of luxury and well cared for.  But, they are essentially held prisoners in a lost kingdom, known as Holy Mountain.  Stuck in the middle of a power struggle between two brothers, one of whom Emerson nicknames "Nasty"!  It was more like they're stuck in the middle of a H. Rider Haggard novel, of which this is a homage (Amelia's favorite author*).

This has the usual amusing bits, but I got lost in the plot line and all the names started to sound alike after a while.  Still, it had it's humorous moments, I especially enjoyed Amelia's meeting of Blacktower.  Also, his grandson's name is a hoot - Reginald Forth-Wright!  I admit, these books are endearing to me, although this one was a slight departure from the norm, since they spent the majority of the time holed up in this secret kingdom.

*H. Rider Haggard wrote adventure books, King Solomon's Mines, Allan Quatermain and She, among others, which were quite popular at the end of the nineteenth century.

3.5/5

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The Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters (audio)

Book Description:
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!

Another hilarious installment in the adventures of the Emerson family: Amelia, Radcliffe and... Ramses.  Home in England made for a refreshing change from the previous books.  The threesome handle many things simultaneously: annoying relatives, murders at the British museum and a bit of matchmaking between a young newswoman, Miss Minton (who looks like a younger sister to Amelia) and the ever zealous newspaperman Mr. Kevin O'Connell.  Masked aristocrats, orgies and pagan rituals abound!  I loved every minute of it on audio with Barbara Rosenblat narrating in her usual style that only adds to the hilarity!

The murder mystery itself seems almost secondary to the rest of the mayhem that takes place. Still, the murders serve their purpose in giving Amelia something to do and an excuse to get away from her son's experiments and her unsettling niece and nephew who have been foisted upon her by her errant brother while he goes off to India.   Amelia loves to solve a mystery and the idea of Egyptian mummies, curses, a pagan ritual involving a sacrificial virgin and masquerading as a hired "extra" at said ritual - well, that's right up Amelia's alley!

I was really in stitches in some parts of the book.  A favorite, and what I consider a very funny scene: Amelia at the tavern with Mr. O'Connell, the reporter.  Amelia is a scream as she insists the bosomy bar maid that takes their order take Amelia's scarf - to keep warm, of course, since the young woman must obviously be in need of one!  Amelia presses it upon her as "a gift." I laughed at Amelia's sheer audacity and refusal to take no for an answer.

I am stilll finding Ramses greatly amusing.  His loquaciousness - and Amelia's reaction to it - is quietly hilarious.  Ramses is such a character, there's no one else like him, I'm sure, in literature.  He disguises himself easily, practices his own embalming experiments as well as other types of experiments involving gun powder (where does he get it from, I'd like to know!)  His cousins who have come to visit for the summer put a cramp in his style, but he manages to withstand them.  A tender moment (if you can call it one) between Amelia and Ramses was very nice (for they rarely happen) when we learn the truth of what the cousins are about!

I was sorry there was no sign of the "master criminal" in London, though I kept on expecting him to show up unexpectedly dressed as an Egyptian priest.  Other things made me wonder too - I half expected Miss Minton was some sort of missing half-sister to Amelia, since the fact they resembled one another and were so alike was mentioned several times throughout the book.  As it turns out, she is the granddaughter to a duchess - alas, with no money, but she captures the interest of a few gentlemen - some good, some bad.

Last but not least, Amelia and her handsome - and robust - Emerson are still at it.  In love, partners together in every sense of the word.  It is a pleasure to read about their exploits.  I'm happy to see that parenthood and being old marrieds hasn't dampened their spirit one bit - in and out of the bedchamber!  ;)

A wonderful addition to the Amelia Peabody series, I recommend it!

4/5

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Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters (audio)

Book Description:
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 Dahshur 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 marketplaces 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 motivate the evil genius this time around. For now the most valuable and elusive prize of all is nearly in his grasp: the meddling lady archaeologist who has sworn to deliver him to justice...Amelia Peabody!

Fourth in the Amelia Peabody Victorian mystery series, this time around, Amelia comes face to face in Cairo with the MC (Master Criminal) himself, who seems to have developed a tendre for her.  Hilarious, involving the usual shenanigans, the loquacious Ramses, the irascible and magnificent Emerson and a crop of characters which include a pair of young lovers Amelia takes under her wing.  It all continues to insure the success of this delightful series. On Audio, it's even better, made possible by the remarkable Barbara Rosenblat.

Amelia and her archaeologist husband, Emerson are at it again in Egypt.  No sooner do they get there but murder and intrigue stalks them.  This time around two younger characters join their camp, both carrying secrets of their own.  Nemo, a red headed drifter who is addicted to opium is employed to watch Ramses - not an easy task.  Nemo is obviously from the ruling class - a Scot most likely, but his background remains to be seen.  Amelia is eager to uncover the truth about him whilst reforming him of his dissolute ways.  She sums him up easily - there must have been a women that led to his self-destruction.  She is determined to get to the bottom of it.  Coincidentally, a pretty young woman, Enid joins them as well.  Enid is hiding out with the Emersons to avoid being arrested for murder in Cairo.  Who really murdered her supposed lover and what brought her to Cairo in the first place?  Do she and Nemo know one another from another time?  And where did he get this Nemo name from anyway?  His name is really Donald - or was it Ronald?  In any event, he's a Fraser.  Red hair with a last name of Fraser?  A Scot too?  I like him already!

Loads of uproarious moments throughout the novel.  One particularly funny moment was the predicament of explaining to Ramses the facts of life.  Amelia tactfully leaves this momentous occasion to Emerson who harrumphs and coughs his way through it as Ramses asks question after question.  It was really quite funny.  I find as Ramses is getting older, he's not quite as adorable as he used to be, but his moments in the novel are the highlights as are the private moments between Amelia and Emerson.

The crowning point in the novel is when Amelia is kidnapped by the Master Criminal and he explains his motives to her - much to her horror and complete surprise.  I must admit, it's hard to get Amelia flustered, but in this case, she came pretty close - and was indeed, quite flattered by the attentions of Sethos (as the Master Criminal calls himself) nearly overcome by the moment and caught up in his ... how shall we say... charms?  Fortunately, Emerson rescued her just in the nick of time.  Sethos escaped (a master of disguise and magical chicanery) after an impromptu duel over harem clad Amelia (though not without her underclothes!)  Emerson did take note of her outfit later and was able to put it to good use before the authorities came. ;)

I'm leaving tons out, but as usual, this was a superb and very, very funny installment in the adventures of Amelia Peabody!

4/5

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The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters (audio)

Book Description:
Radcliffe Emerson, the irascible husband of fellow archaeologist and Egyptologist Amelia Peabody, has earned the nickname "Father of Curses" - and at Mazghunah he demonstrates why. Denied permission to dig at the pyramids of Dahshoor, he and Amelia are resigned to excavating mounds of rubble in the middle of nowhere. And there is nothing in this barren area worthy of their interest - until an antiquities dealer is murdered in his own shop. A second sighting of a sinister stranger from the crime scene, a mysterious scrap of papyrus, and a missing mummy case have all whetted Amelia's curiosity. But when the Emersons start digging for answers in an ancient tomb, events take a darker and deadlier turn - and there may be no surviving the very modern terrors their efforts reveal.
 
Another clever and hilarious Amelia Peabody mystery on audio with the fabulous Barbara Rosenblat narrating.  She has a diverse repertoire of voices, from German baronesses to American western drawls, she brings all the many characters to life.  Her depictions of Emerson and their young son, Ramses had me in stitches!  She was also great as the voluble and lascivious German baroness who had her eye on the very manly - and married  - Emerson.  Amelia handily sends her on her way.   The American missionary zealots are probably my least favorite of her accents, I always find it a bit disconcerting to hear American accents amidst so many foreign dialects - they sound so flat and crass!  I'm embarrased, wondering do I sound like that?

Amelia and Emerson are once again in Egypt for the archaeological season. This time they've brought their exceptionally precocious - and long-winded - son, Ramses.  He is simply adorable as an archaeological child prodigy.   As a young lad, he is naturally a magnet to dirt and muck and whatever other kinds of messes that little boys get into, much to Amelia's chagrin.  I marvel at the urbane matter of fact nonchalance Amelia exudes when faced with the myriad scrapes and predicaments that befall Ramses, unlike Emerson, who is endearingly emotional when it comes to the boy.   I believe it wouldn't hurt if Amelia showed more affection and patience with Ramses, he is a little boy after all, no matter how grown up he sounds.

I could go on forever about Ramses, I truly loved him, he was just so cuuuuute! How do I love thee, Ramses? Let me count the ways! He is a collector.  He collects things - in this case, a baby lion cub to bring home to England for his Uncle Walter and Aunt Evelyn.  He also has the most adorable way of talking with a lisp that comes and goes (depending on when he finds it most useful for effect.)  Plus, I love the way he pronounces his "th's" instead with "d's" as if he has a Brooklyn accent!  He sounds so adult in much of what he says, his vocabulary is exceptional as is his logic and reasoning. Yet, whenever he talks, it's all in this high pitched little voice and quasi Brooklyn accent! It is most adorable! His explanation of how he came to be in the pyramid with his parents when they were trapped there is particularly amusing, especially his answer in regard to where he left the note to tell someone where he had gone:

"I tied it to de collar of the de cat Bastet."

Such a brave and noble little boy!  No wonder his parents are so proud of him (even if Amelia doesn't lavish the praise as much as she should.)  I am in awe how Peters had written his character!  He is both totally adorable and amazingly advanced!

Since the story is in the first person of Amelia, her commentary and private opinions are generally spot on and totally amusing (due to her sometimes jaundiced point of view.)  She is deliciously polite when she means to be cutting.  She tosses off insults and dispatches set downs with the grace and aplomb of a princess.   No matter where she is, Amelia remains a lady first and foremost, regardless of how taxing the circumstances.   Some of the most amusing moments are when Emerson and Amelia are alone - they are so civilized with one another (at least as far as we can tell).  Even when no one else is around to hear them!  I suspect this is not the case in bed, but that is territory we are not privy too, although there are amusing allusions... who knows?   One of my favorite little moments between them, (there are many) is when they are speaking of Ramses.  Amelia vents her frustration in regard to his antics:

"I have long since given up trying to anticipate what Ramses can and cannot do," I replied with considerable heat.  Your second point has some merit; but Ramses' motives are as obscure as his capabilities are remarkable.  I never know what the devil the child has in mind."

"Language, Peabody, language."

I took a grip on myself, "You are right.  Thank you for reminding me, Emerson."

"You are quite welcome, Peabody."

So civilized and so - British!

I do love them together.  A perfect combination!  I was nearly in fits over how funny they were together when trying to determine a way to escape from the pyramid they were trapped in (before Ramses comes to help them out).  The moans and groans and noises Emerson makes were hilarious as he must lift Amelia in the air to see if she can get out to safety.  Rosenblat is simply perfect as Emerson!  He is much funnier on audio that in print - trust me!

All in all, a very, very fun audiobook to listen to.  The ultimate conclusion of the mystery seemed a bit anticlimatic and fantastical - somewhat Da Vinci Code-like, but, it was simply delightful in any case because of Amelia, Emerson and Ramses' parts in the outcome.  I'm still a little foggy about what the actual mummy case actually had to do with everything, but it doesn't matter.  The important thing is, they solved the mystery and all ended well.  Frankly, the best part of these books isn't so much the mystery in them - it's the characterizations and the humor.  That's what make this series so amusing and addictive - I'm eager for more! 

4/5

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The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters (audio)

Book Description:

The joys of home and hearth are about to drive Victorian gentlewoman Amelia Peabody Emerson mad. While she and her husband, the renowned archeologist Radcliffe Emerson, dutifully go about raising their young son Ramses, she dreams only of the dust and detritus of ancient civilizations. Providentially, a damsel in distress, coupled with a promising archeological site, demands their immediate presence in Egypt. The damsel is Lady Baskerville, and the site is a tomb in Luxor recently discovered by Sir Henry Baskerville, who promptly died under bizarre circumstances. The tabloids immediately scream "The Curse of the Pharaohs!" Amelia and Radcliffe arrive to find the camp in disarray, the workers terrified, and a most eccentric group of guests. A ghost even appears. This is not at all what Amelia considers an atmosphere conducive to scientific discovery. Never one to deny others the benefit of her advice and example, the indomitable Victorian sets about bringing order to chaos and herself that much closer to danger. How Amelia triumphs over the forces of evil, and those who would stand between her and her beloved antiquities, makes for a delightfully spirited adventure.

Another highly amusing Victorian mystery involving Amelia Peabody and her gruff, archeologist husband, Emerson.  The description above really tells it all.  The two - now parents of an amazingly precocious child aptly named Ramses - head out to Luxor again and solve a murder mystery while excavating the latest royal Egyptian tomb. I listened to it on audio which was a hoot.  Barbara Rosenblat does a fantastic job with the narration, particularly of the crazy Madame Berengeria (more on her below).

I laughed out loud dozens of times during the course of this book, Amelia, as usual, is always right - even when she's not!  Her asides and the way she phrases things to make herself look good are hilarious.  Emerson, as always, is brusque and tempermental, yet when it comes to his beloved Peabody he is endearingly, how shall I put it?  I'll just put it the way Amelia does when referring to how Emerson shows his affections when they are alone in their bedchamber:  ***   (This asterisk description was hilarious btw with  Barbara Rosenblat narrating it - she did an absolutely stellar performance as both Amelia and Radcliffe - simply delightful!)  I was happy to note that despite being parents and a married couple for five years their love life has not been affected one bit.  There's nothing graphic in these novels, but it's apparent that things are "good" when it comes to the bedroom.  Even being in the room nextdoor to a flirtatious widow who has her eyes on Emerson doesn't seem to affect their nightly conjugal activities either!

There are too many hilarous things in this book to list, you'll just have to read it for yourself, but the one thing I must make note of is Rosenblat's voice of the mad Madame Berengeria - this nutty Egyptian woman that is always drunk as a skunk and convinced Emerson was her lover in a former life, he as her Egyptian King to her Egyptian Queen.  It was hysterical, but Emerson managed quite well, with Amelia's help of course, in avoiding any amorous encounters with the bizarre woman.   I still crack up, just remembering the way she talked - it was a scream!  Another character I loved was little Ramses and his cute little lisping voice - so endearing and adorable - and what a mind!  A chip off the old block and it looks like he'll be with them in future books while in Egypt too!

I really had fun with this audiobook and I have a feeling I am really going to love the rest of this series, it's like candy to read or listen to!  Some parts got a little bogged down here and there, it was hard to follow on audio with all the details of whozit and whatzit getting murdered or clunked on the head, but the gist of it is, the murderer was caught and Amelia and Emerson played no small part in the outcome!

Enjoy!  This is a fabulous, funny and very, very worthwhile series! 

4/5

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Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

Book Description:
In Victorian England, a woman wasn't supposed to be an archaeologist or a detective. Amelia Peabody was both. Thirty-one-year-old Victorian gentlewoman Amelia Peabody has inherited her father's strong will as well as his considerable fortune. On her way to Cairo to indulge her passion for Egyptology, she picks up Evelyn Barton-Forbes as a traveling companion. Evelyn has a tarnished past, but both she and Amelia believe that it won't come back to haunt her. That belief is shattered when Evelyn is attacked by a walking, homicidal mummy. Amelia enlists the aid of Radcliff Emerson, a prominent Egyptologist, to help unravel the plot against her friend and decipher the clues left by the mummy. Between grave digging and academic sparring, she manages to save his life. But with the threat of an ancient curse closing in, Amelia must resort to outrageous methods to prevent the mummy from making corpses of them all.
 
I loved, loved, loved this book!

The indomitable Amelia Peabody, Victorian spinster turned archeologist sleuth is an original - the original.  First in a long series of historical mystery novels starring Amelia, the series inception began with Crocodile on the Sandbank in 1975.   Since then, there are something like nineteen (!) books in the series, and Ms. Peters is still pumping them out! I can see why over the years, other authors have probably modeled their heroines after her, but they pale in comparison - no one is quite like Amelia!  She is irresistible! Having become a fan of this genre recently, I now recognize Amelia in several other historical mystery novels I've read lately. As much as I like these other female mystery solvers who also happen to be well-to-do Victorian ladies, none have been as deliciously fun to read as much as Amelia.  They don't even come close!

For one thing Amelia's dry wit and razor sharp tongue make the words leap off the pages.  She sparkles.  She's clever. She's rich.  She's blunt.  What a character, full of common sense and a strong dose of vinegar added for good measure.  She can match anyone. No one can up Ms. Peabody - well, maybe one person - a man whom she meets in Egypt on an archeological  dig ... but I get ahead of myself.  A self avowed spinster, she's proud of her status and is her own person.  Eager to travel and see the world, she befriends the destitute Evelyn Barton-Forbes, a young lady of aristocratic origin who has been cruelly duped into eloping with an Italian lothario who leaves her broke, ruined and unmarried.  Amelia, recognizing a kindred spirit in Evelyn, hires her on the spot to become her paid traveling companion.

The two travel from Rome to Egypt to sail along the Nile and see Egypt from the water (the only civilized way to see Egypt and the Pyramids).  Amelia is captivated by the country and it's antiquities and becomes an instant expert on all things Egyptian.  While in Cairo, they meet two brothers - one, a young, handsome and charmingly bashful gentleman who becomes instantly smitten with Evelyn and the other... well, let's just say Emerson isn't exactly like his brother. 

Emerson is a big bear of a man.  In Amelia's eyes he is just barely a gentlemen.  Dedicated to his archeological dig and abhorring the dirty dealings of antiquities dealers and their casual disregard for preservation, Emerson and Amelia come to loggerheads upon first meeting.  In her eyes, he is uncouth, lacking in the Victorian civilities she is accustomed to.  He criticizes everyone repeatedly and refers to her as "Peabody."  They are all thrown together while trying to solve the mystery of a mysterious mummy that is "haunting" Emerson's archeological site along the Nile.  Amelia, being the take charge kind of person that she is, commandeers the entire operation when Emerson falls ill and so begins our mystery.   Unbelieving in actual mummies, our archeological friends all try to capture the fake "mummy" and find out who is behind the deception that is scaring the superstitious workers off the site. 
 
As much as the mystery was fun to solve, it was also very funny!  The entire book is told as if Amelia is recounting the events at a later date and I loved it how she keeps referring to "her Critic" who seems to be looking over her shoulder as she writes.  Gee I wonder who it is? ;)  There are many funny little tidbits that cracked me up, particularly the asides she has in regard to Emerson or Lucas, a suitor of Evelyn's who is up to no good and most likely after her money. I had no idea this book would be such a riot!   I was giggling throughout - it was simply delightful!

I'm leaving tons out for I don't want to spoil the surprises, but trust me this is a priceless little gem.  I loved every word of it.  Amelia and Emerson's jabs at each other were hilarious, their little war, of course, turns into love and it was a joy to see how the whole mystery unfolds in the midst of Amelia's and Emerson's barbs towards each other and the mysterious shenanigans that take place in the desert while trying to nab the mummy!  I was riveted to the mummy mystery, I had an idea of who was all behind it, but was curious to see how it played out.  Plus, I had to keep reading to find out if the beautiful Evelyn, Amelia's companion, finds true love and if her reputation is regained.  I liked Evelyn a lot, I had a great deal of sympathy for her, she's been treated badly, yet she's strong as well.  She doesn't just roll over and play dead.   I hope we see more of her in future books!  Amelia's love story was great as well - a real hoot!  What a pair!!

Do yourself a big favor, read this book if you like historical mysteries with a strong and captivating heroine.  Long live Amelia! I'm eager to see just how the rest of this series plays out, much of which I'll listen to on audiobook in the future - a real treat!

5/5

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