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Liked It “It's so nice to find easy, quick reads that still have brains. Unlike most chick lit (read: Twilight series, romance novels in general, Sarah Dessen etc) this book had an excellent and unique style, an engaging plot and strong characters. Amelia is witty, a strong woman and her voice (while...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “This is the only book in the Amelia Peabody series that I didn't like. It didn't end well at all. Everything was left in a huge mess...like the 2nd movie in a trilogy!” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“The first problem with the book is that there are too many heroes, all of them members of the Peabody family. The second problem is that the plot hinges on the sale of ancient artifacts from Egyptian burial sites, some of which are forgeries. It is only in Chapter eight (of fourteen) that a murder is committed. Until then, there are a seemingly unending series of red-herring investigations of the artifact sales. The only reason for the Peabody’s investigations is the possible involvement of one of their own and they stumble on the truth rather than deduce it.
nothingpetty wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The book has a couple of sub-plots, e.g., a romance that ends (at least in this book of a series) badly. Some of the sub-plots seem more germane to the main story than others.
The patriarch of the Peabody family, Emerson seems to do very little work as the Egyptologist he is claimed to be. As an aficionado of ancient to medieval history, I found that disappointing.
The setting is in Egypt during the Edwardian Age. Here and there, we get a sampling of the English culture abroad, but not enough to be considered ‘history.’ There is one character, a relative of the Peabody’s, who writes “an astonishing blend of the two literary forms” swashbuckling romance and the memoirs of travelers and officials of the period. Quotes from these writings head each chapter. This relative is not a gentleman, despite his educated class position. He is thoroughly disdained by the rest of the Peabody family.
Overall, this book was a pleasant bedtime read; one doesn’t regret turning out the light at the end of a chapter, but considering that the author has been named as a Grandmaster of both the Anthony and Mystery Writers of America, I expected more. Perhaps I shall need to read previous entries in the Amelia Peabody series to appreciate her better. ”“It's so nice to find easy, quick reads that still have brains. Unlike most chick lit (read: Twilight series, romance novels in general, Sarah Dessen etc) this book had an excellent and unique style, an engaging plot and strong characters. Amelia is witty, a strong woman and her voice (while clearly biased) is hers alone. The switch between Ramses anecdotes and Nefret's letters is flawlessly done and reads like excellent continuations of plot instead of interruptions in the main narrative. My only complaint is that it was a bit hard to keep track of all the names being thrown around, but that could be because this (#11 in the series) was the first that I read. Altogether a fantastic read =]. ”
Sarah M wrote this review Monday, October 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“David is now family and is accused od selling artifacts.”
Stacy C wrote this review Sunday, September 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“As always, a great read!”
Charline A wrote this review Wednesday, August 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This is the only book in the Amelia Peabody series that I didn't like. It didn't end well at all. Everything was left in a huge mess...like the 2nd movie in a trilogy!”
Kate N wrote this review Thursday, July 24 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This one was frustrating and more like a soap opera than a mystery. In fact, I found the mystery distracting at times. (?!?!?) A necessary chapter in the Emerson Family saga, but I better see some happy ending for a certain couple soon or I will never pick up another one. Alright already!!!! Let's drop the angst and get to back to the mysteries.
Melissa P wrote this review Wednesday, July 23 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Of course--I still love Elizabeth Peters and the Emerson Family. Otherwise I wouldn't be so frustrated. sigh.”“It was a fun summer read, with mystery, romance, and a good Egyptology lesson.”
Pablo Z wrote this review Tuesday, March 11 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The Amelia Peabody Series: NOT set in ancient Egypt. The author holds a PH.D in Egyptianology, and her love of the subject shines through her entire huge series. If you don't want to start at the beginning read:1.The Last Camel Died at Noon, 2. Seeing a Large Cat 3.The Ape Who Guards the Balance 4. The Falcon at the Portal 5.He Shall Thunder in the Sky. They are set in the late 1890's-early 1900's. Exciting reads, authentic info about digging in tombs in that era, and the other charactors who inhabit the pages are authentic people of the time. There is a mystery in each book but more than that, each book builds upon the prior one to create a real sense of growth in this family of amateur Egyptologists, and we come to care about them. There is the usual sort of thing: fights, romances, confused identities, but this series is to me on a different level than the usual mystery series. ”
gilly 8 wrote this review Saturday, December 1 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I believe this was the first Amelia Peabody story that I read. I liked it so well that I read forward, then read backward (until David, Ramses and Nefret were teens). Then I start at the first story and read forward again until I reached Falcon at the Portal. And it remains stunning. Ramses Emerson is a romantic hero for the ages!”
darlenehf wrote this review Friday, November 2 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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