Status
Available
Call number
Publication
New York : Harper/collins, c2002.
Description
A new year, 1917, is dawning, and the Great War that ravages the world shows no sign of abating. Answering the siren call of Egypt once more, Amelia Peabody and her family arrive at their home in Luxor to learn of a new royal tomb ransacked by thieves. Soon an even more disturbing outrage concerns the intrepid clan of archaeologists: the freshly and savagely slain corpse of a thief defiling the ancient burial site. Yet this is nothing compared with the lethal fate that threatens Ramses. Besieged by the British and defended by formidable Turkish and German forces, the fortified seaport of Gaza guards the gateway to the Holy Land. Answering a call he cannot refuse from British military intelligence, Ramses must journey to this ancient, fabled city to undertake a mission as personal as it is perilous. Death will surely be his lot if he is caught or exposed. Meanwhile, Ramses's wife, Nefret, guards a secret of her own.... Once again the incomparable and bestselling carries us to a breathtaking realm of ancient wonders and crumbling splendor -- from the hectic bustle of the Cairo markets to remote, sand-swept corners of the Egyptian desert where the gods of antiquity sleep. Returning visitors to the world of Amelia Peabody will be enthralled by the latest mesmerizing adventure from the award-winning grandmaster, and newcomers will succumb to her wiles as they are caught up in the tantalizing spell of the remarkable Elizabeth Peters and The Golden One.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member paradoxosalpha
More than any other volume of the fourteen I've read so far, this Amelia Peabody book was a serial installment rather than a freestanding novel. There was not enough exposition to orient new readers to significant character interactions, and the superimposed plots, while all braiding nicely with
I did enjoy it, though. A lot happened, including the introduction of some entertaining new characters, and the final 20 pages or so were full of portents for the volumes to come.
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the those established earlier in the series, did not cohere with each other in a way that would give the book a sense of unity. The usual archaeological intrigues, the family drama, and the World War I espionage all fit together nicely--only if you had been reading earlier books. It was also quite long, perhaps the longest of them so far.I did enjoy it, though. A lot happened, including the introduction of some entertaining new characters, and the final 20 pages or so were full of portents for the volumes to come.
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LibraryThing member wizardsheart
This is another series that I have been too far away from. Amelia Peabody and her family are trying to continue their archaeology admist, tomb robbers, WWI, and nefarious plots of all types. And enjoyable series with extremly likable characters. Although I miss the young Ramses and find the adult a
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bit less interesting...still this is a series that is well worth the read. Especially if you have interest in Egypt, because it takes place at the turn of the 20th century and it gives lots of info on Egypt and archaeology at that time. Show Less
LibraryThing member krisiti
A while ago, I realised that I read this series, and most mystery serieses these days, as novels of setting and character, not as puzzles. Which was good, because this book was wonderful as a chance to spend more time with Amelia Peabody, family and friends. But as mystery, it left something to be
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desired. A few extremely incompetent and not at all mysterious tomb robbers, a couple of murders at the beginning that were immediately explained and that no-one really cared about anyways, and a completely unrelated spying diversion, also quite lacking in mystery. And the tomb-robber plot and the spy plot didn't really fit well together. I had the feeling that they were originally intended to be two books, and she awkwardly glued them together after realizing neither could support a book on its own. Really, rather carelessly done. Show Less
LibraryThing member nolak
Arriving in their home in Luxor in 1917, the Emerson family finds that a newly discovered royal tomb has been ransacked by thieves. A young girl, the sister of a helper on the dig, turns out to be much better at archaeology than her brother, who ends up being in league with bad guys when a dead
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body is found. The excitement does not end here as Ramses answers a call from British intelligence to help in Gaza, the gateway to the Holy Land. The family tags along in disguise and they pick up yet another young woman who is enamoured of Ramses as well as connect with Uncle Sethos, who is truly a good guy this time. Show Less
LibraryThing member riverwillow
I'm addicted to this series of books, Amelia Peabody and her clan are a fantastic creation. The family once again gets entangled in murderous mayhem. Ramses gets sucked back into the Great Game, this time in Gaza and the family comes too. Along the way Ramses inadvertently manages to ensnare the
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heart of yet another susceptible young woman - Peters description of their parting is superb. Oh yes and there is a new addition to the family as Horus, surely the most superbly bad tempered cat in literature, brings home a kitten. Superb. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookwoman247
The Great War and the Great Game continue. This time the entire Emerson clan follows Ramses on his assignment to Gaza.
Meanwhile, they have hired a very competent, eager young, Egyptian girl, and her lazy, incompetent brother, who may be involved in the discovery and pilfering of a very important
All in all, it's just anoher season in Egypt for the Emersons, which is always a delight for readers!
Meanwhile, they have hired a very competent, eager young, Egyptian girl, and her lazy, incompetent brother, who may be involved in the discovery and pilfering of a very important
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tomb. They are also having to deal with an obnoxious American famnily who seems bent on openly dealing in stolen antiquities.All in all, it's just anoher season in Egypt for the Emersons, which is always a delight for readers!
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LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
I loved the more complicated plot line - the intrigue of the war and the archaeological mystery. Ms. Peters did a good job of creating ambiguity in one of the newer recurring characters and she delivered satisfying resolutions to a number of on-going personal sub plots. A good entry in the series.
LibraryThing member sleahey
Another adventure of Amelia Peabody and her family, with the quirky characters and historical setting of the early 20th century. There has been murder and theft at an ancient burial site, and with competition among the archaeologists there is pressure to figure out the villains.
LibraryThing member antiquary
Overall, I like the Amelia Peabody series, but I generally prefer the ones set earlier in time. However, as the late novels go, this is all right. It is 1917, Amelia's son Ramses is on a secret mission to Gaza (then near the front lines of the fighting between the Angloo-Egyptian forces and the
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Turks). Show Less
LibraryThing member EmpressReece
Deir el Medina & The God's Wives...
Let me just say that Elizabeth Peters aka Barbara Michaels/Mertz is one of my all time favorite authors! I absolutely love all of her books but this series is my most favorite because of its ancient Egypt and archaeology theme. Plus I fell in love with Amelia
In this particular book they have just arrived at their home in Luxor, Egypt for an extended stay because the war is on and traveling back to England by ship is too dangerous because of the military submarines. They are working at the site of Deir el Medina; speculation about the possible location a royal tomb is running rampant and British Intelligence is seeking out Ramses for another mission. As always there is never a dull moment and the story is highly entertaining. If you haven't read any of Peters' books yet you should give them a try one day. Just a word of caution though, I would stay away from the audio of this particular series. I don't care for the narrator at all. In my opinion, she doesn't do the series or characters the justice they deserve.
Let me just say that Elizabeth Peters aka Barbara Michaels/Mertz is one of my all time favorite authors! I absolutely love all of her books but this series is my most favorite because of its ancient Egypt and archaeology theme. Plus I fell in love with Amelia
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Peabody and her family from book one. It literally has some of everything that I enjoy- exotic locales, mystery, espionage, war, suspense, adventure and travel, archaeology, Egyptology etc.etc. It just resonates with me on so many levels. I'm going to be so sad when I reach the end of the series! I actually stopped reading it a year or so ago because I was getting close to the end and I wasn't ready for that at all, but for one of our Summer Book Bingo squares we had to read a book by an author that has passed away so I figured this was my cue to suck it up and just savor the few remaining books. I'm very glad I did. I've missed their family dynamics and their scheming... In this particular book they have just arrived at their home in Luxor, Egypt for an extended stay because the war is on and traveling back to England by ship is too dangerous because of the military submarines. They are working at the site of Deir el Medina; speculation about the possible location a royal tomb is running rampant and British Intelligence is seeking out Ramses for another mission. As always there is never a dull moment and the story is highly entertaining. If you haven't read any of Peters' books yet you should give them a try one day. Just a word of caution though, I would stay away from the audio of this particular series. I don't care for the narrator at all. In my opinion, she doesn't do the series or characters the justice they deserve.
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LibraryThing member themulhern
As usual, I enjoyed the book, but couldn't keep track of the plot. Overall, the series gets a bit darker as time goes by, although you could hardly call it noir.
LibraryThing member a-shelf-apart
More like 3.5 stars.
Another balancing act of wartime spying and archeological murder mystery. I liked the reappearance of Sethos and the mentions of Molly in the final chapters. Ramses is a babe as always.
Another balancing act of wartime spying and archeological murder mystery. I liked the reappearance of Sethos and the mentions of Molly in the final chapters. Ramses is a babe as always.
LibraryThing member etxgardener
It’s 1917 and World War I shows no sign of ending any time soon. The Emerson family now including Ramses and his wife, Nefret, arrive in Luxor only to learn that a royal tomb has been ransacked by thieves. But this isn’t their biggest problem. The English secret serviced is one again trying to
How the family navigates out of danger this season makes for a great read.
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get Ramses to undertake a dangerous mission on their behalf.How the family navigates out of danger this season makes for a great read.
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LibraryThing member kmartin802
This 14th book in the Amelia Peabody series takes place during 1917. The Emersons have decided to stay in Egypt for the duration of the war rather than taking the risk of German submarines while traveling back and forth to England. They plan to keep working on their archaeological digs. However,
Then there are the American tourists who buttonhole the Emersons asking for introduction to tomb raiders so that they can buy illegal artifacts or who plan to set up their own excavations without permission.
There are also substantial rumors of a new tomb to be found too. Jamil gives a hint while he is dying that leaves both Emerson and Cyrus puzzled yet determined to find this missing tomb. However, just as they are settling in to searching, British Intelligence makes Ramses an offer that he can't refuse: go to Gaza to see if a man the whole Emerson family knows is there and is also a traitor to the British.
Naturally, the Emersons aren't willing to let Ramses go alone. They also plan to make their way in disguise - giving Emerson a chance to wear a fake beard - in order to be there if Ramses is in need of rescue. Amelia and Nefret refuse to be left behind despite needing to be disguised as well.
This story had an interesting arrangement. It begins in Egypt and deals with archaeological detail, then the middle takes place in Gaza and becomes a political intrigue, and then it finishes back in Egypt resolving the issue of the missing tomb.
This was another excellent addition to the Amelia Peabody series.
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tomb robbers including an old enemy are making things difficult. Since so many archaeologists are not in Egypt because of the demands of the war, tomb robbers seem to have free range. Then there are the American tourists who buttonhole the Emersons asking for introduction to tomb raiders so that they can buy illegal artifacts or who plan to set up their own excavations without permission.
There are also substantial rumors of a new tomb to be found too. Jamil gives a hint while he is dying that leaves both Emerson and Cyrus puzzled yet determined to find this missing tomb. However, just as they are settling in to searching, British Intelligence makes Ramses an offer that he can't refuse: go to Gaza to see if a man the whole Emerson family knows is there and is also a traitor to the British.
Naturally, the Emersons aren't willing to let Ramses go alone. They also plan to make their way in disguise - giving Emerson a chance to wear a fake beard - in order to be there if Ramses is in need of rescue. Amelia and Nefret refuse to be left behind despite needing to be disguised as well.
This story had an interesting arrangement. It begins in Egypt and deals with archaeological detail, then the middle takes place in Gaza and becomes a political intrigue, and then it finishes back in Egypt resolving the issue of the missing tomb.
This was another excellent addition to the Amelia Peabody series.
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Awards
Agatha Award (Nominee — Novel — 2002)
Language
Original publication date
2002-04-02
ISBN
0380817152 / 9780380817153