Title: The Curse of the Pharaohs (Amelia Peabody Mysteries) Purchase Item Manufacturer: Mysterious Press List Price: $7.99 Our Price: $3.25
Customer Reviews:
The Curse of the Pharaohs (Amelia Peabody Mysteries) by Mysterious Press More of the same
I have enjoyed other books, under other names, by this author, but I found this one a bit of a dud, and too repetitive of the first book in this series in tone and atmosphere. A little of Amelia goes a long way. And why is it that Ms. Peters, an intelligent woman who writes a great deal about Britain, can't seem to get British titles correct? (Happened in the first novel of the series too.) The character she is entertaining to tea on the very first page is incorrectly named The wife of Sir Harold Carrington is called Lady Carrington, without a given name--hers or his. "Lady Harold Carrington" might be the wife of the younger son of a duke. Needless to say, this is not an enormous point, but if your going to do the thing, do it correctly. Irritating.
The Curse of the Pharaohs (Amelia Peabody Mysteries) by Mysterious Press The Curse of the Pharaohs
Again, Elizabeth Peters takes the reader into Egypt in this exciting page turning mystery. No matter what book she writes on the Emerson family, one finds gripping suspense. Her books are fantastic. C. Pekkala
The Curse of the Pharaohs (Amelia Peabody Mysteries) by Mysterious Press Introducing the cat, Bastet
Amelia Peabody Emerson has everything a proper Victorian woman could want, a handsome and successful husband, the famed Egyptologist Radcliffe Emerson, a large inheritance, a country estate and a precocious young son, Ramses. Since Amelia is anything but 'proper' she is most definitely unhappy. She and her husband long to return to Egypt to pursue their work but cannot decide what to do about Ramses, Amelia is concerned that the Egyptian climate could harm Ramses (and that Ramses would harm Egypt) but Emerson refuses to be separated from his son again for an entire season. Just as it appears that the family will remain in England for yet another year a woman bursts into their home - literally. She is the widow of Lord Baskerville who had recently died under mysterious circumstances while excavating an Egyptian tomb. In short order Ramses is packed off to his aunt and uncle and Amelia and Emerson are enroute to the Valley of the Kings. Soon Emerson is happily carrying on the excavation although he frustrated by a continual stream of interruptions, missing assistants, false identities and threats of thefts from his site. Many of the characters from the first novel in the series (THE CROCODILE ON THE SANDBANK) return, (Abdullah and his extended family) and others are introduced who will remain for the rest of the series (the cat, Bastet). As always with this popular series the real story is the adventures of Amelia and company rather than any mystery. Amelia's observations are delightful making this an enjoyable diversion rather than a stimulating intellectual enterprise.
The Curse of the Pharaohs (Amelia Peabody Mysteries) by Mysterious Press Back to the Valley of Tombs
This book finds our heroine Amelia Peabody married to the archeologist she met in Crocodile on the Sandbank. They have made their home in England where they have put their first love (digging around in Egypt) on hold while they raise their son and Professor Emerson teaches archeology. But this life is not what they are suited for. When an opportunity presents itself to re-engage themselves in an expedition whose leader died (or perhaps murdered)they jump at the chance. As the Emersons set about to dispel the idea of the Curse of the Pharoahs (a trumped up idea) they meet with a plethora of strange characters, each a possible suspect in the death of Lord Baskerville who was the original archeologist. There is the tabloid writer, the brash American investor, the superstitious Egptian natives, two other archeologists who are assisting the Emerson team, a young woman and her mother (Madame Berengeria) who believes that she is the reincarnation of a high-ranking Egyptian queen and that Professor Emerson is her long-lost love. There is also the appearance of the white veiled figure who threatens the group during the nights and leaves danger in its wake. All in all a captivating story for mystery fans. The plot moves along rapidly and it would behoove the reader to pay attention to the details as set forth in order to find the true culprit. I would say this is a most satisfying story either as a summer read or one to curl up with by the fire.
The Curse of the Pharaohs (Amelia Peabody Mysteries) by Mysterious Press What a disappointment!
As a fan of historical mysteries, I was looking forward to starting this popular series. I was deeply disappointed. First of all, the character of Amelia Peabody is not appealing, and through her the author reveals that she has only a very superficial understanding of Victorian values and thinking. (Although if you don't mind an author sticking a character with modern sensibilities in period dress, maybe this is for you.) Furthermore, the mystery was simply not that interesting. I found myself reading only to finish the book, for I had little interest in finding out who committed the murders. The success of this series and the acclaim the author has received truly baffle me.

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