false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170652212m/66510.jpg 66510 17 "'Really,' I thought in mounting exasperation, 'there never was a household in which so many people felt free to offer their unsolicited opinions!'" This, of course, is the eminent Egyptologist and dedicated crime solver Amelia Peabody, setting the stage and the tone (an updated Oscar Wildean irony) for Elizabeth Peters's 11th book. And it's true that there are no shrinking violets in this particular household, from the redoubtable Amelia and her hot-tempered archaeologist husband Emerson (his native diggers call him the Father of Curses), to their dashing, unpredictable son Ramses (born Walter). Also, let's not forget their lovely ward, Nefret (rescued from a desert tribe several books back), and their butler, Gargery, "who wields a cudgel as handily as he carves a roast." <p> As she has so many times before, Peters presents us with this quaint--even campy--little group of people, plops them down in an exotic Egyptian setting, and then surprises us by involving them in a story of great strength and emotion. <p> It's 1911, and David Todros, a young Egyptian who has just married into the Peabody family, is suspected of dealing in forged antiquities, possibly to help support a rising nationalist movement. Amelia, Emerson, Ramses, and Nefret all take various actions to help David, and there are serious, dangerous consequences for everyone involved. Despite the melodramatic setting and the theatrical language, Peters's story is--as always--modern, believable, and exciting.<p> Other books in the Peabody series available in paperback are <I>The Ape Who Guards the Balance</I>, <I>The Crocodile on the Sandbank</I>, <I>The Curse of the Pharaohs</I>, and <I>The Hippopotamus Pool</I>. <I>--Dick Adler</I> 182201 1999 The Falcon at the Portal (Amelia Peabody, #11) total:1394|5:11|4:27|3:9|2:1|1:0| 1394 5693 1705 44 0 1 false false Tue Oct 09 20:54:50 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 09 20:58:53 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 1999 Mon Feb 26 19:11:43 -0800 2007 Tue May 08 04:56:56 -0700 2007 3 He Shall Thunder in the Sky) is arguably Peters's masterpiece, I think this volume in the Amelia Peabody diaries is magnificent. Peters expertly brings the reality of WWI into the Emerson clan, forcing all sorts of revelat...more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 21 22:23:42 -0700 2008 Mon May 05 16:37:12 -0700 2008 Nefret. Deary me.

I enjoyed this book very much - much more so than the last few I've read in the series. The emotional drama was really stepped up a notch, and the tormented will they/won't they thing with Ramses and Nefret is killing me (and also creeping me out every time another...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Mar 06 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 19:38:53 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 19:38:53 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 02 10:51:48 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 02 10:52:51 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false true Mon Mar 02 10:45:42 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 02 11:03:24 -0800 2009
When I loan this series to others (as I often do), I always hand them this book and the next together because, "You will want to...more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Jun 10 00:29:52 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 10 00:36:20 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Jun 06 15:25:48 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 06 15:27:40 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Tue Dec 16 21:02:19 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 16 21:05:04 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Aug 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 02 13:25:20 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 18 10:56:23 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Feb 16 17:33:02 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 17:33:02 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Dec 27 08:44:07 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 01 14:35:43 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 26 13:24:03 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 01 11:31:11 -0800 2008 2 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Mar 02 12:21:53 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 02 12:24:47 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Tue Feb 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 30 15:58:52 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 11 08:11:48 -0800 2009 1 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Dec 02 18:24:25 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 02 18:28:20 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Sat Feb 28 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 28 16:28:59 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 28 16:29:50 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Tue Feb 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 27 10:58:54 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 10 09:04:00 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Wed Aug 05 21:41:57 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 05 21:43:14 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jun 12 08:36:54 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 12 08:41:18 -0700 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=66510