The Deeds of the Disturber (An Amelia Peabody Mystery, #5)

My rating:

add to my books

The Deeds of the Disturber (Amelia Peabody #5)

by Elizabeth Peters

3.99 · rating details · 3,244 ratings · 132 reviews

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

...more

Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages

Published January 1st 2000 by Avon Books (first published 1988)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Favorite Historical Mystery Series

13th out of 312 books — 148 voters

Best Historical Mystery

114th out of 526 books — 910 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 4,139)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jul 11, 2008

Jenifer rated it

"Never, I venture to say, has there been a more suitable ambience for eerie adventure than the reeking murky muddy streets of dear old London..."

I love Amelia Peabody. I especially love Barbara Rosenblat, the distinguished english voice of Amelia. She can (and does) inject innuendo, sarcasm, indignation or whatever she wants into any sentence.
The plots are good, but I read for the characters. Amelia, whose "brain works to swiftly to be organized", her darli...more

like 3 likes

· see review

Mar 06, 2010

Anne Hawn Smith rated it

Shelves: mystery, victorian, history, egypt

I haven't read any of Elizabeth Peters books for a long time and I really enjoyed this one. I've about decided to go back to the beginning of the series and read them again. As with all of her books, they interactions between the main characters is just as interesting as the mystery. In this book, Peabody's unpleasant brother, James, has foisted off his children on her. As the book proceeds, the boy and girl make Ramses life miserable and the reader is waiting desperately for Amelia to see t...more

like 1 like

· see review

Oct 12, 2010

Deanna rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I love an author that writes a long series of excellent and fun books, all with amazingly consistent characters that you grow to love and truly care about, while introducing a new theme in each book. Ms. Peters (who has a couple of aliases that she uses for her other types of writings) keeps up the development of this fictional family of Egyptologists, set amid the reality of Victorian England and the ongoing discoveries of Egyptian tombs that occurred at the turn of the last century. She bala...more

· see review

Jul 22, 2010

Kathy rated it

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery

Wakened by Amelia having a bad dream and crying out his name in her sleep, Emerson says why are you "grunting and squirming like a hungry piglet", but when Amelia turns to him, mindful of his physique, he adds, "mmmmm not that I object to a soft squirming little...." and Emelia continues "but the remainder of the conversation has no bearing on the narrative, and I may have said too much."

and they are "partners in detection and archeology"... b...moreWakened by Amelia having a bad dream and crying out his name in her sleep, Emerson says why are you "grunting and squirming like a hungry piglet", but when Amelia turns to him, mindful of his physique, he adds, "mmmmm not that I object to a soft squirming little...." and Emelia continues "but the remainder of the conversation has no bearing on the narrative, and I may have said too much."

and they are "partners in detection and archeology"... but he when he objects to her detecting (though never forbiding it), and he joins in (as partners) he gets the satisfaction of doing what he loves with the added benefit of blaming in on her ... something she has observed in other men.

And when he starts to bluster about her nagging him to finish his manuscript that he had promised to the university a year earlier, she clears her throat and nods at their son... and Emerson quickly backtracks and says to his son, your mother doesn't nag, and if she did, I'm too much of a gentleman to point it out... : )

Amelia, Emerson, & Ramses have returned home, but are spending most of the fall in England…

Amelia’s brother (one of six that her father disinherited, leaving all his wealth to her) requests that she care for his two children (Percy & Lillian) during his travels and while his wife has a doctor ordered rest out of London… Though on the surface, 9-year old Percy seems to be the perfect gentleman (for instance ‘taking responsibility & apologizing’ for accidently hitting Ramses hard in the stomach with the playground ball), he is not. Her brother in fact manufactured his story with because he had read that Ramses was weak & prone to get into trouble, so he was hoping his son would win Amelia over, and she would want him as a substitute son when Ramses inevitably passed… Ramses holds his tongue, succumbs to blackmail, punches Percy twice & takes his own punishment… but when Percy crosses the line about hurting an animal, Amelia & Emerson know the truth, and lovingly deal with Ramses – reassuring him of their steadfast love & understanding of his true nature, and they send Percy & Lillian home (Mom after all was walled up at home, eating candies & reading).

And there’s uproar at the antiquities museum over a mummy… 2 people have died in that room, with a note with a hieroglyphic warning of doom for anyone opening the mummy case… and an Egyptian priest shows up at the museum randomly…. Amelia & Emerson, of course, and their London butler & Ramses, are investigating… and tie it to a conspiracy that they end up foiling… (and this time with Ramses’ assistance – including nitroglycerin to make a hole in the wall).

And Amelia spends a lot of time feeling jealous – of an Egyptian mistress/opium den – who knew (fully knew) Emerson from his 1st trip to Egypt just out of school… it’s cute… but of course, Emerson effectively reassures her…
(less)

· see review

Feb 12, 2011

Nicole rated it

Shelves: reviewed

Deeds of the Disturber did not recommend itself to me as well as the previous novels in the series. The setting of this installment was London, not very exciting compared to the wonderfully described desert and Cairo scenes of Egypt in the past novels. Many of the secondary characters were just not likeable or very interesting. The continual overt battle of wills between Amelia and Emerson diluted the usual sparkling banter between them. The story had fits of starts and sections that seemed to ...more

· see review

Jun 25, 2010

Lady Knight rated it

Shelves: historical-fiction, victorian-edwardian, mystery, adult, 19th-c, favorites, england-uk, on-my-shelf-book, 2010-tbr-pile-read

Another great addition to an already fantastic series! Although a much different setting than the books to date, "Deeds of the Disturber" is still a great read and a unique dynamic emerges thanks to the change from warm, sunny Egypt to bitter and cold England. Ramses also becomes a much more interesting character and his precosious manner is prevalent.

The Emersons are back in England for the 'off-season' so that Emerson can finish his book "History of Ancient Egypt"...more

· see review

May 04, 2011

Jeff rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: anyone that likes archeological fiction

Shelves: archaeology, mystery

This was a fun book to read. Elizabeth Peters must be the Queen of Archaeological Mysteries.

She's an old-timey kind of writer... I think the bio of the author tells it all (paraphrasing from memory): a woman gets a PhD in Egyptology in 1934 from the University of Chicago and discovers there are NO JOBS available for her in the whole freakin' world... that's not the novel, that's the Elizabeth Peters' experience.

I'm glad she finally discovered her novelist voice because it's ...more

· see review

Mar 15, 2010

Ryan Patrick rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-2010, historical-fiction

On the one hand, I think this addition to the series demonstrated Peters's ability to weave together thematic strands into a compelling narrative. The theme of trust and fidelity ran through the book, carrying over a bit from the end of the previous novel but making it now the central theme of the story. That was good, and generally well done. Amelia had to confront the issue both with her husband and with her son, and one comes away feeling that it was a lesson well learned on both fronts. I wo...moreOn the one hand, I think this addition to the series demonstrated Peters's ability to weave together thematic strands into a compelling narrative. The theme of trust and fidelity ran through the book, carrying over a bit from the end of the previous novel but making it now the central theme of the story. That was good, and generally well done. Amelia had to confront the issue both with her husband and with her son, and one comes away feeling that it was a lesson well learned on both fronts. I would expect to not see this again in future novels in the series (I cross my fingers that I am correct), or it would become tedious.

On the other hand, Peters ran the risk of alienating some of her potential audience. Earlier contributions to the series had struck a fine balance in the age-old male vs. female battle, and particularly in dealing with the (from the modern perspective) generally oppressive conditions for women in Victorian society. I could easily and happily accept Amelia as a relatively 'liberated' woman of the period (given her particular financial and social situation), as she did not drift off onto a bandwagon for the extreme issues of women's rights and voting, for example, which would have detracted and distracted from the already rich background of the development of the science of archaeology in this period. I could accept a woman who thought that some women were treated rather poorly in her society and who had thankfully escaped some of the weight of that oppression herself in a fortuitous marriage, without feeling the need to campaign vigorously for an end to the system, as it were. It was just right.

But in this novel Peters stepped off that middle ground a bit, not so much with respect to the women's lib issue as in the generally playful combat between men and women. I've always been able to see and understand the humor of both sides in the debate - how women see men and how men see women, as long as it doesn't become nasty or mean. This book, however, addressed the 'Gentle Reader' as being clearly female. Why make this assumption? The position of neutrality--at least I hadn't noticed such an overt appeal to female readers in the earlier novels--would seem the preferable in terms of marketing, etc. Is this a romance novel or a mystery novel? If you make it a 'romance' novel, then you probably aren't going to get many male readers, but as a 'mystery' novel, anyone can read and enjoy. Even worse, though, were the rather constant jibes at the male sex from that perspective. Like I said, a little ribbing from Amelia about the faults or failings of men generally can be taken in good fun, but when you make it so regular and vociferous, it just becomes too preachy or dogmatic for my taste.

Anyway, I will hope that the next in the series returns to former ground, and gets back to Egypt and Archaeology and Murder (of course).

PS. Why is this book not for sale in the various reprint series like the others before and after it? Weird.(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Jul 28, 2010

Ann rated it

· review of another edition

Amelia Peabody Emerson, her brilliant archeologist husband, who goes by his last name, Emerson, and their precocious, pedantic son, Ramses, are in London, so that Emerson can finish a book he is about to publish.

When an ancient Sem priest seems to appear from nowhere, 2 murders occur at the British Museum, and several people connected with the the museum's Egyptology department, including Emerson, receive death threats, Amelia and Emerson, with the unsanctioned help of their son, Ram...more

· see review

Jan 12, 2011

Bookworm1858 rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: read-2011, mystery

The Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters
Atheneum, 1988
289 pages
Mystery-Fifth Amelia Peabody book
4/5 stars
Read for Cozy Challenge

Source: Library

Although I read the first four Amelia Peabody books out of order, I was determined that I would read the rest as they were written. When I was last at the library, I remembered to look up what the fifth book was called and luckily it was on the shelves.

This book is different from the previous b...more

· see review

Dec 05, 2009

BJ Rose rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: cozy-mystery, historical-suspense, series

This is actually a strong 3.5*, but I just couldn't give it 4*. For one thing, Amelia immediately and always believes her well-mannered nephew Percy over her own son Ramses. Yes, Ramses has done lots of things that drive his loving parents crazy, but mean and malicious behavior? Never!! But it was Amelia's whiny behavior about Emerson that did me in. She suspects that a woman from Emerson's distant past is still in love with him, so therefore she draws the conclusion that her loving soulmate is ...more

· see review

Mar 04, 2011

Virginia Jacobs rated it

The Deeds of the Disturber was pretty good. It's been better edited than some of the other books in the series, and Ramses has fully outgrown that stupid lisp. He still is an inconceivable child to me, but I guess you're allowed to do that when you write fiction. This book introduced a number of new characters, and two of them were Lords, so that became a little confusing. Also one of the Lords was dying of something, and I deduced it was syphilis, but in proper Victorian fashion, the book w...more

· see review

Sep 25, 2010

Angela rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: amelia-peabody, mystery

In a series that's famous for being primarily set in Egypt, The Deeds of the Disturber, Book 5 of the Amelia Peabodies, is quite distinctive in that it's set in England during the off-season, when the Emerson family is between digs. It also has the good fortune of being my very favorite book involving Ramses as a child. Sure, that boy's formidable even in Books 3 and 4, but here, put up against the odious Percy and Violet, the children of Amelia's brother James, Ramses gets his first real stretc...moreIn a series that's famous for being primarily set in Egypt, The Deeds of the Disturber, Book 5 of the Amelia Peabodies, is quite distinctive in that it's set in England during the off-season, when the Emerson family is between digs. It also has the good fortune of being my very favorite book involving Ramses as a child. Sure, that boy's formidable even in Books 3 and 4, but here, put up against the odious Percy and Violet, the children of Amelia's brother James, Ramses gets his first real stretch of character development.

You'd think that the Emersons being at home means they'd get a break from their detectival adventures, but you'd be wrong. There's a new exhibit with a mummy at the British Museum, and of course there are Mysterious Persons showing up in ancient Egyptian garb causing disturbances at the exhibit. Worse yet, people have started to die at the museum, and rumors are beginning to fly about a curse. Cue the Emersons, even though Emerson himself is frantically trying to finish a manuscript. And even though Amelia has to juggle managing not only her husband and son, but also her niece and nephew, who have been unceremoniously thrust upon her by her brother. The redoubtable Amelia is hopeful that exposure to other children, "normal" children, might be good for Ramses--but it should surprise no reader of the series that things go very, very badly. Fights break out, accusations are hurled, and as is so often the case with young Master Ramses, things wind up on fire.

The Young Lovers Du Jour are a refreshing change of pace--none other than Kevin O'Connell, the Emersons' simultaneously most liked and most hated reporter, and his rival, Miss Minton, who'll stop at nothing to scoop him on the story of the curse at the museum. And it's fun to see characters here that we don't normally get to see in an Amelia Peabody novel, such as the Emersons' England-based servants, all of whom take an inordinate amount of interest in the family affairs (Gargery, the butler, is Awesome). Emerson gets his obligatory Scenes of Being Heroically Wounded, not once but twice even, and there is even a mysterious woman from his past cropping up and giving Amelia cause for Grave Concern. Coming as we are off of Book 4, this is fun tension, given that the tables are now turned and Amelia has to have her own battles with doubt.

But really, read this for the excellent Ramses mileage! And keep an eye on that kid Percy, because we will be seeing him again! Five stars.(less)

· see review

Feb 16, 2009

April rated it

This book in the Amelia Peabody series begins as the family leaves Egypt from an escavation season and returns home to England. Amelia's estranged brother greets them as they arrive and convinces her to keep his children for awhile as his wife is ill and he is off for a business venture. The children do not get along well with Ramses and their interactions and scuffles along with Ramses experiments add to the tension of the story. A mummy, murders, Scotland Yard, opium den, newspaper reporter...more

like 1 like

· see review

Nov 11, 2011

Dayna Smith rated it

The fifth installment in the Amelia Peabody Mystery series. Amelia and Emerson are back in London. Amelia's brother has left them with her nephew and niece for a spell. As Emerson tries to finish his paper, Amelia begins to investigate a murder at the British Museum. Is the death of the nigthwatchman an ancient curse or something more modern? While Ramses runs wild, as only Ramses can, Amelia discovers a woman from Emerson's past. London can be as treacherous as Egypt after all. Another fantasti...more

· see review

Apr 28, 2010

Kaye rated it

Shelves: books-in-a-series-mysteries

This book takes place in London where Amelia and Emerson are summering. In addition to their son Ramses they are taking care of a niece and nephew. A murder has happened at the London museum somehow involving a mummy. I like the setting in London and for once a question of trust puts Amelia and Emerson not sharing the information they both are learning. I thought this book a little long and got a little weary of the continual going over what information was learned but still enjoyable. Alth...more

· see review

Jul 26, 2010

Mike (the Paladin) rated it

· review of another edition

This one is a bit of an "Oh come now" at times. From Amelia deciding to keep children "just to improve their behavior" (by exposure to her I suppose) and a trap and escape worthy of a James Bond movie.

Still, a three, it's well written and I've noted before, I didn't "really" enjoy any of these a great deal, but I was driving A LOT, and preferred audio books to radio all the time. I often listened to books that I might not have picked up and put time into...more

· see review

Apr 02, 2011

Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) rated it

Shelves: egypt, mystery, 2011_challenge_valley_of_the_kings, 2011_challenge_mystery_and_suspense

Not the best and very scattered, also, the Amelia jealousy, really?

Heading back to England after their run-in with the master criminal, Amelia Peabody Emerson and her husband are hoping to spend the summer finishing up Emerson's manuscript that was due at the publishers quite awhile ago. But even on the return journey it looks as if that might not be the case. There has been a mysterious death at the British Museum. A death that just happened to have occurred in front of a mummy. All...moreNot the best and very scattered, also, the Amelia jealousy, really?

Heading back to England after their run-in with the master criminal, Amelia Peabody Emerson and her husband are hoping to spend the summer finishing up Emerson's manuscript that was due at the publishers quite awhile ago. But even on the return journey it looks as if that might not be the case. There has been a mysterious death at the British Museum. A death that just happened to have occurred in front of a mummy. All of London has an Egyptological fervor which reaches critical mass when a mysterious priest starts to visit the mummy. It should perhaps be mentioned that he was wearing historically accurate garb, animal prints and all, that the lay person would not know to employ. Further adding to their troubles is their old "friend" the journalist O'Connell as well as Amelia's niece and nephew, whom she unwittingly agrees to care for. O'Connell has brought the Emersons into the case saying that they will consult upon their return to England. O'Connell, of course, failed to consult them before making this wild claim. But he does know them almost better than they know themselves, because there is no way they can stay away from this story. Soon they have another reporter on their tail, a Miss Minton. Between the goings on at the museum and trying to avoid reporters all day it's sure to get worse before it gets better. Soon another death occurs and the police arrest the wrong man, or so O'Connell swears.

"Officially" delving into the investigation, the two Egyptologists are soon sneaking off to opium dens, running into Emerson's ex-flames, dealing with aristocrats, because they just seem to come out of the woodwork, and star crossed lovers, which Emerson just wishes would go away. With Amelia's rising jealousy of Emerson's past life and the escalation of bizarre incidents at the museum, it's no wonder that soon there's a few kidnappings and imprisonments and recreations of Egyptian rituals. Because once the Emerson's are involved, there's investigations and counter investigations and secrets half told, but at the end of the day, the bad guy will be locked up, with or without the help of the police.

I love Amelia and Emerson, I really really do, which is why it hurts me to say that this wasn't my favorite story. At first I was concerned that I would dislike it due to it's not being set in Egypt. But surprisingly, London really worked well. The atmosphere, the fog, oh yes, the fog, perfect for mysterious people to appear and disappear into. I just feel that this relied on too many cliches and was just lackluster in the extreme. Perhaps the fact that it was the only book that was out of print, until recently, should have been a clue. I will only focus on the two things that made me mad... ok three, or maybe four, but one can be mentioned really quickly. With all Amelia's understanding of humans, how could she not see that her nephew was a little evil bully. It' was so obvious, also, they could have gone a more interesting way with the niece and her screaming of dead over and over again... like what if she had seen a murder? Oh, I would so like that, the little curly haired annoyance would need therapy for years.

Next, Emerson and Amelia's love life. I adore that they still love each other so much, but one can only take so much of their amorous affections before it becomes over the top and a little sickening. I get how wonderful Emerson is, everyone falls for him, heck, I've fallen for him, I do not now need hundreds of little asides to reassure me of this. Which then leads to... if they are so in love, how can Amelia doubt that love? Their relationship has always been so solid, so in sync. Yet here we have constant doubts. What the what I say? It's absurd, their love is a given, so why do this Elizabeth Peters? WHY!?! You're tearing yourself down. Just stop it. Also, random aside, not part of my four points, how is it they haven't had like 50 million children like Evelyn?

As my final point, in my, what were you thinking Elizabeth Peters? An Egyptian Hellfire-esque Club, really? The Hellfire Club gets used so much in these period pieces, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. This is definitely one of the not times. If you're going to do it, do it all out, like in The Young Sherlock Holmes. I still get nightmares from that! This, I could barely be bothered to read it. I was almost skimming near the end, something I never, never do! Also with the syphilitic lordling and his friend, who cares. I kept getting them mixed up because they both had so many differing titles that I didn't know who was who. Stick to one naming convention and leave it at that. Don't confuse and alienate the readers! Ok, soapbox put away. Niece and nephew, check, love life, check, jealousy, check, Hellfire club, check. Looks like I've covered what I disliked thoroughly. I did still enjoy it, don't get me wrong, the ranting is just some things that got under my skin. I'm just concerned about which way this series is headed. This book was the first that felt almost like a parody of itself, take a cursed mummy, throw in some lines about the wonders of Emerson, add a Ramses mishap (with fire this time) and set page count for the late 300s, print.
(less)

· see review

Apr 20, 2010

Anna Raffaella rated it

Shelves: resolutionary-reads, read-during-2010

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Book 11/2010.

You know what, it didn't even start out that bad!
Then that Amelia Peabody person showed up being all avant-garde and totally badass for her gender in her time and I was like... oh woman. I get the feminism, you know? I get the fact she thinks she's all that, because from what we've seen, she is! But not everything is a gender issue, for Christ's sake, she's paranoid!

Anyway.
I didn't particularl like anything except Ramses, so... let's just list wha...more

· see review

Jul 09, 2011

Librarianforhim rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: britain-fiction, funny-reads, husband-wife-relationship, light-reading, mystery, historical-fiction, read-in-2011, read-on-cd

The Emersons return to England in the hopes of some quiet time to complete their research notes and an article for a prestigious journal. Between taking in Amelia's niece and nephew and yet another criminal case to solve, quiet times are few and far between.

What kept me reading? The interplay between Amelian adn Emerson. Also, Peters included some tension for Ramses, which I think was good for him. He's really coming into his own as a character.

This was a satisfying read,...more

· see review

Aug 11, 2011

Lisa Rathbun added it

I thought I would enjoy the Victorian voice of Amelia Peabody, but I found it tedious and repetitive. Emerson comes off to me as annoying and childish with his uncontrollable rages, and Peabody seems SO cold toward her son. The story took a long time to develop and sometimes seems misfocused: long descriptions of conversations while some action scenes were summed up in two or three sentences. I had to force myself to finish it.

· see review

Apr 04, 2011

Maria rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, mystery, read-in-2011

How is it that I'm only just now discovering the joy that is Elizabeth Peters? I've seen her books in the library before, of course, but I never really looked at them until I picked up this paperback in a rummage sale months ago, thinking it sounded interesting. I finally got around to reading it, and I enjoyed it so much! It's very witty historical fiction, and it was delicious to discover the delightful Amelia Peabody for the first time.

· see review

Jan 13, 2012

JC rated it

Shelves: 2012, kindle, my-firsttime

I think I'm getting a bit bored with Amelia. For some reason I couldn't really get into this book as I have been able to for the previous ones. I'll give a couple more books a try to see if it was just this book or not. Amelia continues her odd relationship with Emerson and continual cursing of Ramses. Can't she fix these odd relationships? Not sure...

· see review

Feb 25, 2010

Jamie rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: historical-mystery, historical-fiction

I'm enjoying these, but I think I need to space them out a little more. It's starting to feel like I'm reading the same novel over and over again. The Emerson-Peabody family is subjected to kidnappings, beatings, bullets and threatening letters; ancient artifacts appear and disappear; there are young lovers in distress; there's a supposedly cursed mummy; and Ramses is still never allowed to finish a sentence.

The setting is at least different this time: Amelia and family are in London...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Aug 10, 2011

Bridget rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: amelia-peabody

This Amelia Peabody mystery is fifth in the series and takes place in 1896, pretty much immediately following the last book, Lion in the Valley. This story takes place entirely in England, and that is an interesting change of scenery. We are introduced to Amelia's nephew Percy, evil even as a child. Also, after the events with Amelia and the Master Criminal in Lion in the Valley, the tables are turned and Amelia is the one left feeling jealous...unfounded jealousy, of course. I found this ep...more

· see review

Nov 11, 2011

Amblingbooks.com marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: available-on-audio, mystery, suspense

"Between Amelia Peabody and Indiana Jones, it's Amelia-in wit and daring-by a landslide." - New York Times Book Review

Listen to The Deeds of the Disturber on your smartphone.

· see review

Mar 13, 2009

Kimberly rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, audiobooks, adult-fiction, mystery

These are all so consistently good. I did get irritated with Amelia this time when she refused to listen to Ramses though - it's clear Percy is a kiss-up no-good pest. (Of course I had prior knowledge of this since I saw him in a later book as an adult and he was not what you'd call a great person.)

· see review

Feb 03, 2012

Jen rated it

Either I better understand Elizabeth Peters' writing style, or her characters are becoming more fully developed as the series progresses. This was the first book where I LOVED Ramses, and I also enjoyed the return of characters from earlier books. A nice, fun read.

· see review

Jun 01, 2011

Carrie rated it

The characters in Elizabeth Peters books are just wonderful. Each character has a tenacious and colorful personality which adds true vigor & vitality to each & every story by this author. LOVE THEM. If you like Indiana Jones, you will LOVE these books.

· see review

Mar 29, 2010

Marita rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: egypt, mystery

I returned to this series and found this one amusing as ever. It was full of chaos from returning to England's class society to family rivalry and jealousies while getting entangled in a murder mystery as well. Elizabeth Peters is so fun to listen to!

· see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 137 138 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (22)

More editions...

Genres

Mystery

303 users

Historical Fiction

61 users

Cultural > Egypt

34 users

Mystery > Historical Mystery

21 users

Humor

10 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

9 users

Adult

7 users

Adventure

7 users

Anthropology > Archeology

5 users

Mystery > Crime

5 users

See top shelves...

Readers Also Enjoyed

Locked Rooms
by Laurie R. King
The Potter's Field
by The Potter's Field
Callander Square
by Anne Perry
The Virgin in the Ice
by Ellis Peters

About Elizabeth Peters

Elizabeth Peters is a pen name of Barbara Mertz. She also writes as Barbara Michaels as well as her own name.

Elizabeth Peters was born and brought up in Illinois and earned her Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago's famed Oriental Institute. Peters was named Grand Master at the inaugural Anthony Awards in 1986 and Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America at the Edg...more

More about Elizabeth Peters...

Books by Elizabeth Peters

Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody, #1)

The Curse of the Pharaohs (Amelia Peabody, #2)

The Last Camel Died at Noon (An Amelia Peabody Mystery, #6)

Lion in the Valley (An Amelia Peabody Mystery, #4)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

Trivia About The Deeds of the ...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from The Deeds of the Distu...

“...DAMNATION!'

No device of the printer's art, not even capital letters, can indicate the intensity of that shriek of rage. Emerson is known to his Egyptian workers by the admiring sobriquet of Father of Curses. The volume as well as the content of his remarks earned him the title; but this shout was extraordinary even by Emerson's standards, so much so that the cat Bastet, who had become more or less accustomed to him, started violently, and fell with a splash into the bathtub.

The scene that followed is best not described in detail. My efforts to rescue the thrashing feline were met with hysterical resistance; water surged over the edge of the tub and onto the floor; Emerson rushed to the rescue; Bastet emerged in one mighty leap, like a whale broaching, and fled -- cursing, spitting, and streaming water. She and Emerson met in the doorway of the bathroom.

The ensuing silence was broken by the quavering voice of the safragi, the servant on duty outside our room, inquiring if we required his assistance. Emerson, seated on the floor in a puddle of soapy water, took a long breath. Two of the buttons popped off his shirt and splashed into the water. In a voice of exquisite calm he reassured the servant, and then transferred his bulging stare to me.

I trust you are not injured, Peabody. Those scratches...'

The bleeding has almost stopped, Emerson. It was not Bastet's fault.'

It was mine, I suppose,' Emerson said mildly.

Now, my dear, I did not say that. Are you going to get up from the floor?'

No,' said Emerson.

He was still holding the newspaper. Slowly and deliberately he separated the soggy pages, searching for the item that had occasioned his outburst. In the silence I heard Bastet, who had retreated under the bed, carrying on a mumbling, profane monologue. (If you ask how I knew it was profane, I presume you have never owned a cat.)” — 15 people liked it

“In the silence I heard Bastet, who had retreated under the bed, carrying on a mumbling, profane monologue. (If you ask how I knew it was profane, I presume you have never owned a cat.)” — 10 people liked it

More quotes…

Groups That Shelved The Deeds of the ...

World Mysteries and Thril...

396 members

last activity Feb 09, 2012 07:31pm

shelf: read

Settings

56 members

last activity Dec 21, 2011 10:02am

shelf: read

title link	preview: The Deeds of the Disturber
avg rating	preview: The Deeds of the Disturber Goodreads rating: 3.99 (3244 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32139.The_Deeds_of_the_Disturber?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168345819m/32139.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32139.The_Deeds_of_the_Disturber?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters[/url]

The Deeds of the Disturber (Amelia Peabody #5)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Readers Also Enjoyed

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website