Curse of the Pharaohs [Format Kindle]

Having postponed being completely enamored with Elizabeth Peters for as long as humanly possible, I've just recently started to read her Amelia Peabody series.

This being the second book in the series I found it a bit more traditional in the mystery genre than the first that I have read.

The cast of characters comes straight out of Agatha Christie with its masquerading nobility, craven widows, the begrudgingly accepted American, the poor young lovers, and the rejected social climber. Yet, despite the fact that this book is more of a traditional cozy than her last, Amelia's enjoyable and matter of fact narraration and the unusual setting of the excavation of a Pharoah's tomb breath life into the tired genre.

Likewise, Peters draws heavily from her previous book. Amelia's efforts to take Mary Berengeria under her wing and manage her romantic affairs were too reminiscent of her relationship to Eveleyn in _The Crocodile and the Sandbank_. (Although the ending was a nice surprise.) Also, the element of the curse of the Pharoah seems standard Egyptian ghost story fare much like the living mummy that appeared in the first book. Hopefully, in her later editions Peters gains enough confidence to stray from these constants in anything to do with Egypt.

Despite these flaws, I can't help but give this book five stars. Peters is amazing at what she does. In every paragraph she writes you can tell she is having fun -- and in her fun we find enjoyment as well. She loves her protagonist and due to the first person narrative, Peters often toys with her giving her readers the impression that Amelia might not know as much as she lets on.

You've got to love a mystery where neither of the sleuths actually solve the crime as a result of their own deduction.

What could prompt gentlewoman Amelia (Peabody) Emerson to leave behind her young son and comfortable Victorian lifestyle to perform manual labor halfway around the world? - A love for Egyptology and a promising archeological site, of course. As the narrator and protagonist of Elizabeth Peters' The Curse of the Pharaohs, Peabody urges her husband, renowned archeologist Radcliffe Emerson, to accept Lady Baskerville's offer to head an excavation project outside Luxor. After leaving her son, affectionately nicknamed Ramses, with her in-laws, Peabody and Emerson are off to the land of the Pharaohs. .... .... Not being a fan of detective novels, I am surprised by my enjoyment of The Curse of the Pharaohs. I have never read a work by Elizabeth Peters before, but I am eager to acquire more of her novels. Peters' use of sandy Luxor and the mystery of the Ancient World breathes life into cliché whodunnits. Peters' characters are both suspicious and endearing. Particularly touching is the relationship between Peabody and Emerson. The reader envies their personal and professional partnership. The colorful descriptions and personal insights revealed by the narrator give each character a three-dimensional quality, no small feat in a narration. As a student of Egyptology, I can appreciate the knowledgeable references to Ancient Egypt throughout the novel. I think that both those experienced in and those new to Egyptian history will find the work fascinating. The mystery inherent in Egyptian tombs and pyramids serves as the perfect backdrop for a crime-solver. I fully enjoyed this novel and sincerely recommend it to all!

The first book in the series seemed to be more of an introduction to the characters ~~ this book is more meatier and fun. This one has another mystery for Amelia to solve. This time, she and Emerson, her husband, traveled back to Egypt at the request of an old friend, Lady Baskerville. Her husband was found dead at a tomb of an old Pharaoh ~~ yet to be identified. Then his assistant was missing. The attacks keep coming and even the natives refused to work for her since they believed that the Tomb was cursed.

Once they arrived, Emerson and Amelia were busy fending off the attacks as well as solving the mystery of the tomb and the identity of the murderer. It's a faster-paced novel than her first one ~~ and more characters were introduced. Peters keep you guessing on who the identity of the murderer is till the end of the book.

This is another fun novel ~~ I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves to read mysteries. It's pure clean fun and speculation. It's also a perfect series to read over the summer as well (or anytime!).

4-28-05