Elizabeth Peters
Crocodile on the Sandbank (1975)
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Genre: Mystery
Plot Summary:
Amelia Peabody is a scholarly feminist in the midst of Victorian England, who uses her inheritance to see the marvels of the ancient world. With her new friend Evelyn
Barton-Forbes, a sweet woman of "ruined" reputation, they join the Emerson brothers at an
Egyptian archaeological excavation that appears to be haunted by the curse of a mummy.
SPOILER: The discover that the mummy is the plot of a relative trying to gain access to Evelyn's recent inheritance, and both women succeed in securing their romantic interests among the Emerson brothers.
Geographical Setting: Egypt
Time Period: Late 19th century
Series: Peabody/Emerson Series, Book 1
Appeal Characteristics:
This particular Amelia Peabody book isn't a typical whodunit with a dead body - in fact, the body doesn't show up for a hundred pages, and when it does, it's been dead for nearly two thousand years. This book will appeal to readers who enjoy mysteries that rationally solve supernatural riddles. It features a strong intelligent woman called upon to solve the mystery as an amateur, who tells the story with witty and snarky narration and richly detailed plotting. Readers interested in the culture of 19th century Egypt, or the details of ancient Egyptian archaeology will also enjoy this book. Violence and sexual situations are minimal.
Read-alikes: Readers who enjoyed the strong, humorous female lead may enjoy one of Sharyn McCrumb's slight less adventurous Elizabeth MacPherson's mysteries, such as The PMS Outlaws. Readers wanting more adventure and wilderness may enjoy Catherine Lanigan's Romancing the Stone, about a romance novelist who goes to Columbia to save her sister from smugglers. For readers interested in ancient Egypt, Jessica Mann's Death Beyond the Nile is a contemporary thriller about Egyptian archaeology, with clever dialogue and lots of local color, while Lauren Haney's Face Turned Backward: A Mystery of Ancient Egypt demonstrates the same rich, well-built pacing of the Peabody series and copious details about the day-to-day life of ancient Egypt. Fans of the romantic aspects may enjoy Amanda Quick's regency romances, such as Mistress, with it's quirky, intelligent heroine, brooding hero, and spicier plot line.
Red Flags:While later books in the series improve, the mystery in Crocodile on the
Sandbank is predictable and easily solved by regular readers of the genre, although the local color and humor of the heroine more than makes up for the lack of puzzle.
The Falcon at the Portal (1999)
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Genre: Mystery (Cozy/Historical)
Plot Summary:
The eleventh book of Peters’ popular series begins with the Peabody/Emerson family getting ready for the 1911 archeological season in Egypt. The mystery begins before they leave England with the discovery of faked Egyptian artifacts which are allegedly being sold by a dear friend of the family. When they arrive in Egypt, the efforts of Amelia’s son Ramses to uncover the imposter leads to a murder at the excavation site and rumors that family members are dealing in the illegal drug trade. The investigation is further complicated by the appearance of a small child of unknown parentage. Along with a budding romance between Ramses and the Emerson’s foster daughter Nefret, Amelia, with the help her husband Radcliff and the rest of English and Arab characters that have become familiar to the readers of the Peters’ previous Egyptian mysteries, use wit and ingenuity to uncover the villain behind the crimes, while trying to calm and control the personal crisis that have befallen her family and friends. This is the first in this series that contains both the first person notes from Amelia’s journal and the “mysterious” manuscripts that supply the third person description of Ramses and Nefret’s adventures away from the eyes of their protective parents.
Geographical Setting: Egypt
Time Period: 1911
Series: Amelia Peabody Mystery, Book 11
Appeal Characteristics:
The character centered storyline of Peters’ Amelia Peabody series, with its quirky, well developed lead and secondary characters, stands out as perhaps the strongest appeal element of in these cozy, historical mysteries. Each book in this series contains enough action and suspense to keep the reader turning pages. Layered within the multiple plot lines are the romantic, yet humorous encounters of the multigenerational members of the eccentric Peabody/Emerson family and their entourage of secondary characters. Framed on the backdrop of late 19th/early 20th century archeological investigation of ancient Egypt, these mysteries contain detailed description of the archeological sites and the history of Egyptology, along with the political undercurrents of at work during this time period, creating a vivid background on which the various events are played.
Read-alikes: Readers interested in discovering the origins of the rich relationships of friends and family in this series should start with Peters’ first Amelia Peabody mystery, Crocodile on the Sandbank. If the romance between the Ramses and Nefret provides a greater appeal, the reader can begin the saga of Nefret’s inclusion in this family by reading the book introduces her character, The Last Camel Died at Noon. If the exotic local, “spunky” heroines with a sense of humor and a storyline in which the characters are more important than the mysteries, Sharyn McCrumb Award winning Elizabeth MacPherson series is worth perusing. Although Elizabeth, a forensic anthropologist, often finds herself involved with contemporary archeological digs where murder is sometimes as much a part of the past as the present, these stories share the lighter tone of the Peabody series, with murder’s taking place offstage and minimal violence. The reader should start with Sick of Shadows. If it is the historical background and the humor and wit found in husband and wife relationships, the reader might try Carola Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple mystery series. Set in the 1920’s, with lots of detail on the Jazz age in both England and America, the Dunn series features the Daisy, a journalist who finds herself involved with Scotland Yard detective Alec Fletcher. As with Peters’ and McCrumb’s, Dunn’s are character driven, with a strong appeal of atmosphere coupled with adventure. The first novel in this is series Death at Wentwater Court, with the relationship between Daisy and her detective growing stronger in the following book, The Winter Garden Mystery.Another richly detailed historical mystery series that contains an unusual man/woman relationship is Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell series. Acclaimed by critics and readers, The Beekeeper Apprentice, the first book in this series, introduces the reader to young Mary Russell, a English girl living in Sussex who literally stumbles into the man she will become involved with, the famous English detective Sherlock Holmes. Full of intrigue, balanced with wit and humor, these mysteries, like Peter’s Peabody series, are built around relationships, where characters are more important than the crimes.
Red Flags: None
Guardian of the Horizon (2004)
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Genre: Historical/Mystery (Suspense)
Plot Summary:
A boy claiming to be the brother of Tarek, the Emersons’ friend and king of the Holy Mountain finds them at their home in Kent, England and urges them to return to the Holy Mountain to save Tarek and his son, who are sick with a mysterious illness. The Emersons make their way to Egypt and to the Lost Oasis, where the kingdom of the Holy Mountain is hidden from (almost) the whole modern world. They find that Tarek has been removed from the throne and his replacement has brought them there to legitimize his rule, capitalizing on the Emersons’ status in the eyes of his people as demigods. Amelia, Emerson, Ramses, Nephret, and various native supporters are held prisoner, but they begin several interwoven plots to free themselves from various prisons, remove the usurper, retain the support of the people for Tarek, and return him to the throne. They are successful, but as this is the 11th Amelia Peabody mystery and technically a flashback, a significant subplot where Ramses is in love with Nephret but sexually unfaithful to her with another woman adds many complications to their attempts to put things right politically and personally.
Geographical Setting: Egypt, in a “lost oasis”
Time Period: Set in 1907/1908, but the culture of the lost oasis is more like ancient Egypt
Series: Amelia Peabody Mysteries, book 11
Appeal Characteristics: Clever plot turns with minimal puzzle-solving provide the structure for a swashbuckling adventure, a la Raiders of the Lost Ark. well-developed characters from other books are minimally described because they’re busy playing out the action, but attachment to the family of characters is strong. Told in the form of a victorian lady’s diary, the tone is conversational and familiar.
Red Flags: If you don’t like the idea of Ramses sleeping with anybody other than Nephret, be prepared. Some sexual content, but the only strong language is masked by Amelia’s clever way of quoting her husband and son.
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