About this title: Amelia Peabody and her family travel to Egypt for their annual dig. Her niece's Egyptian husband is accused of selling ancient artefacts that are actually exquisite fakes, and then the body of an American is found at the botton of the family's excavation shaft. It becomes clear that the land of the pharoahs harbours many secrets.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: 1ST,
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Date Published: 06/1999
ISBN-13:9780380976584ISBN:0380976587
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. Very Good, In very good dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 384 p. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Avon Books, Inc
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780380798575ISBN:0380798573
Description: Grade: D. Catalog: Mystery General Synopsis: Lower portion of cover torn off. Reading copy only. 450 pages. Amelia and family have arrived in Egypt for the 1911 archeological season-after the m... read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: William Morrow
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780380976584ISBN:0380976587
Description: A wonderful copy with some minor edgewear to the cover. Dust Jacket has some edgewear present. -, Hard Cover, Very Good / Very Good. read more
Edition: first edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: William Morrow
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780380976584ISBN:0380976587
Description: A wonderful copy with some minor edgewear to the cover. Dust Jacket may have chips and close tears. A former library book with the usual identifiers in a protective glossy dust jacket covering. -first edition, Hard Cover, Very Good / Good. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: William Morrow
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780380976584ISBN:0380976587
Description: A wonderful copy with some minor edgewear to the cover. Dust Jacket has some edgewear present. -, Hard Cover, Very Good / Very Good. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: William Morrow
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780380976584ISBN:0380976587
Description: A wonderful copy with some minor edgewear to the cover. Dust Jacket may have chips and close tears. -, Hard Cover, Very Good / Good. read more
Description: Very good. Book has appearance of light use with no easily noticeable wear. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Fair. Dust Cover Missing. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Fair. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Very Good. Former Library book. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Avon
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780380798575ISBN:0380798573
Description: Acceptable. Standard used condition. May have light reading or storage wear All orders processed within 2 business days. Ships from Foxboro MA. read more
"The reason I enjoyed this book so much was entirely because of the characters. Although these people could never possibly exist in reality, it is inspiring to read about such passionate, tireless humans who are superior in every way. Peters has created demi-gods, with flawless human forms, absolutely in control of their thoughts, words, actions, even facial expressions, loved by everyone, the epitome of honorable behavior, and nearly omniscient. It honestly makes me want to be perfect too, despite the sleep I will inevitably lose in this pursuit. (The characters only sleep 2-3 hours a night.)
I am a complete sucker for unrequited love, and the intertwining threads of love in this book interested me above all other plot lines. Muted displays of affection, access to the characters' inner monologue and torment, and forever wondering if the inner turmoil and secrecy will be spoken out loud, I just can't help myself. In the end I was disappointed, though, as it proved to be a ploy to sell the author's next book. The sad part is I'll probably read the entire series.
As far as the major plotlines that were supposed to keep me interested...big disappointment. Our heroine never did figure out the two big mysteries. Her clever husband and deducing son had to spell it out for her. I also was disappointed at the author's lack of ingenuity. There was a villain unsuspected by the characters yet glaring in the face of the reader. The chapter headings initially betrayed motive, and the story increasingly made room for one supreme villain. Instead the evil was outsourced to the character's number one suspect, and our master of evil only ended up responsible for crimes minor by comparison.
Odd observations: Maybe it's just me, but this book seemed fraught with innuendo. It was so innocently inserted that I'm not sure I noticed half of it, and only once am I actually sure it implied sex. The characters also espoused beliefs outrageous for that time period. It's possible to conceive that small groups of people may have shared one or two of those beliefs, but the additive effect further removed these characters from the realm of reality. Remember the story takes place in 1911. Here are just a few of the beliefs shared by Amelia Peabody's household: the abhorrence of firearms and by extension hunting for sport, recognition of servants and those of lesser class, race, and sex as equals or even members of the family, championing women's rights and supporting and enabling the women of the family to act independently of male control and encouraging female educational goals nigh unheard of at that time, the need to leave some archeological sites unmarred for excavation by those of the future with superior techniques and technology, you get the idea...
Lastly, the heroine is married to a bully of a husband. He orders the family around, he orders his peers around, he's large in stature and as broad as a bull, and can roar like a lion. He tramples on the feet of his colleagues and gets all bent out of shape when they refuse to acquiesce to his demands. Yet our female champions this behavior; she joys when other men cower in fear because of her husband. Amelia delights when her boorish mate triumphs and you can almost feel her condescension towards those who refused to submit to his outrageous hulk of a personality. Yet, she alone refuses to submit to his rule. He controls everyone else except those within his own home. Their is a contentious relationship, and everyone around them just drifts off once it seems a fight is likely.
Although each individual is presented as perfect, single flaws or indiscretions are why I love them, and because they are so perfect, we're able to equate their singular mistakes with their pain. All in all, the complex nature of the characters and their unique lifestyles are why I liked this book and why I'll read more."
"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.
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."
"Amelia and Emerson are still major characters in the book, but it was also really fun to see the next generation come into their own. Most of the plot revolves around Ramses and Nefret & cousin Percy (boo, hiss!). I love the use of "Manuscript H" and other letters to add to Amelia's perspective."
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