Lord of the Silent

by Elizabeth Peters

Paperback, 2001

Collection

Publication

Avon Books (2001), Edition: Reprint

Description

Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML: Undeterred by world war and enemy submarines, Amelia Peabody�??Grandmaster Elizabeth Peters's indomitable archaeologist-sleuth�??once again sets sail for Egypt, where ghosts of an ancient past and specters of a present-day evil hover silently over an inscrutable land. With son Ramses, his wife, Nefret, and a few unwelcome additions in tow, the elder Peabody-Emersons embark on a dangerous sea voyage to Alexandria, ultimately ending up in Cairo for their annual excavations. But in this autumn of 1915 the exotic, alluring city is not what it used to be. Cairo has been transformed into an armed camp teeming with enemy agents, and shockingly bold tomb robbers are brazenly desecrating the ancient sites. Amelia's foremost priority is to prevent the War Office from pressing Ramses into service again, on the same sort of job that almost cost him his life the previous year. But in these terrible days of global conflict and relentless skullduggery, no place in Egypt is safe. Even remote Luxor provides no guarantee of safety, especially after Amelia discovers a fresh corpse resting in an ancient tomb. The grim discovery presages further trouble for the Emersons, as the sinister conundrum pulls them all into a bubbling morass of corruption, intrigue, and international espionage deeper and more fiendish than any they have hitherto encountered. Death follows death, with abduction and an assault on Amelia herself intensifying the chaos of a world at war. Yet there is an even darker danger in store for the Emersons. Can it be that one of Amelia's oldest and most dangerous adversaries will intervene to alter the family's destiny? Tantalizing clues suggest that this may be so and point toward an archaeological discovery of unparalleled importance�??and the resurrection of a voice that has been silent for millennia. Read by Barbara Rosen… (more)

Media reviews

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the characters in LORD OF THE SILENT... Amelia is still a joy.... But it takes a lot more concentration to keep track of the swarms of adopted children, relatives, native associates, political enemies and family cats that have accrued to the series since 1975. By
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the time Peters fills us in on the progression of these domestic dynasties, there's hardly any time left to play in the tombs.
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1 more
As always in this series of uproarious Egyptological mysteries, plenty of strange doings are afoot in the desert, and readers will find all the delicious trappings of a vintage Peters extravaganza—lost tombs, kidnappings, deadly attacks, mummies and sinister villains.

User reviews

LibraryThing member nolak
The Emerson family is divided and reunited in this tale of adventure. Some are protective of others and all ends in a reuniting of their various talents and foibles. So what really happened to Sethos anyway?
LibraryThing member riverwillow
I love how each book in this series is better than the preceding one. Its 1915 and the extended Emerson family is in London, but hoping to be able to make the hazardous trip to Egypt. Eventually some of the family arrive in Egypt and the usual mixture of murder, mayhem and archaeology ensues. The
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Master Criminal is back, or is he? As a result of the events from 'He Shall Thunder in the Sky' Ramses's life comes under threat, so he and Nefret move to Luxor, ostensibly to ensure that the tombs they've previously excavated haven't been robbed, while Amelia and Emerson remain in Cairo, and as a result there are two parallel and complimentary narratives as each couple gets entangled in a series of adventures and misadventures. All of this, plus the reappearance of some old friends and adversaries makes for a superb read.
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LibraryThing member bookwoman247
The saga of the Egyptological Emerson family continues. Lord of the Silent begins with their return to Egypt as WWI threatens, yet again, to pull them into its midst.

Even as they retreat to their beloved Luxor they are not immune to the effects of the war.

When Amelia discovers a recently dead body
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in a tomb, which is then followed by the discovery of others, they are plunged right into the thick of things, as usual.

Meanwhile, Amelia is busy trying to keep her son Ramses from being compelled to accept another dangerous undercover assignment and she is also working to discover if their arch nemesis is at work once again.

Fun, fun, fun!
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LibraryThing member jessicariddoch
"an amelia Peabody Mystery"
despite never having heard of Amelia peabody I enjoyed this book. Egyptiology and the very uppercrust. although she was supposed to despare at her peers she was so much one of them. Meeting people from the train, numerous servants - as trusted as they may be definitivly
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not friends or part of the family. but told in a way that is just so much part of life (ofcourse servents do not have lives of their own, they are here to serve the family)
So much of this book referes back to previous episodes that their must be numberous of books but only having read this one I found it a little irritating, was I have to have read them the repitition would have been realy annoying.
despite these it was a book that held my attention - if not my heart.
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LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
Just when you think Ms. Peters characters are getting a little too familiar, she flings another interesting character and situation at you. The Master Criminal has been a shadowy presence throughout the series, but here he is in bright daylight and is just as amusing and interesting as the Emerson
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family has been. Plus there's lots of newlywed Ramses and Nefret to enjoy - oh and there's a mystery too (though that sometimes gets lost in the humor!)
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LibraryThing member antiquary
This follows He Shall Thunder in the Sky, so Ramesses and Nefret are finally enjoying (definitely enjoying) the pleasures of married life. The archvillan Sethos has been revealed as having a relatively speaking good side, Meanwhile Amelia Peabody and her husband carry on investigating another
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murder at an archaeological site as usual.
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LibraryThing member EmpressReece
Another really good story by Peters! She is also fantastic at character creation & development. Her characters always feel so real. They really bring life to the story. Looking forward to seeing what the Emersons get into next...
LibraryThing member themulhern
The Ramses/Nefret angst is not entertaining, but otherwise this book was as enjoyable as the others in the series.
LibraryThing member kmartin802
This is the thirteenth book in the Amelia Peabody series. It's nearly Christmas 1915 and the Emersons are in Egypt. Ramses, who has refused to do more work for British intelligence, is newly married. When one of the men from his earlier work attempts to murder him, he and Nefret are sent to Luxor
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to check out thefts of antiquities and, hopefully, get him out of danger while Amelia and Emerson try to find out who wants Ramses dead.

But Luxor is no safer for Ramses and Nefret. Rumors of the reappearance of the Master Criminal and further attempts on Ramses' life along with persistent rumors of a marvelous new find all keep Nefret and Ramses busy.

Despite their vows to each other, both sets of Emersons are keeping secrets from the other and each are convinced that this is keeping the other pair safe. For example, the younger Emersons are aware that the Master Criminal who supposedly died in Amelia's arms after a heroic action is actually still alive and rebuilding his criminal enterprise in Luxor.

It isn't until both sets of Emersons reunite in Luxor that the mysteries are solved.

I enjoyed this episode which seems weighted to the younger Emersons' viewpoint and provided a lot of action including the Master Criminal. I am becoming quite a fan of the Master Criminal. The plot was twisty as is the case when the subject matter includes spies and thieves and political activities.
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Awards

Audie Award (Finalist — 2002)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2001-05-01

Physical description

6.76 inches

ISBN

0380817144 / 9780380817146

Rating

(311 ratings; 4)
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