Peabody's first adventure (Crocodile on the Sandbank - Elizabeth Peters)

Member Name: jojoegypt2008

Product:	Crocodile on the Sandbank - Elizabeth Peters
Date:	22/05/09 (40 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brilliant writing, first of a series, Egyptologically sound, addictive

Disadvantages: There aren't more?

Since I had to suggest this book to Dooyoo in order to write a review, I'm going to go out on a limb here, and guess that not that many people are familar with Elizabeth Peters' work. Which suits me just fine, as I LOVE her books, and can happily put off essay marking for half an hour to ramble about them.


Elizabeth Peters - the authoress
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Elizabeth Peters is the pen-name of the Egyptologist Barbara Mertz. Whilst Mertz isn't the best published or most academically lauded of scholars, she is trained, and this shows in her Amelia Peabody series, of which this is the first book. As one who is two months (aaaaarrrggghhhh!!) away from the end of a PhD in Egyptology, I can assure you that there are a lot of details in the series which are spot on, and a number of 'in-jokes' which you'll easily pick up on.

The Amelia Peabody series isn't her only project; she also writes the Vicky Bliss series, featuring the erstwhile Dr Bliss, an historian, in her journeys around the world in search of lost art treasures. I've read the first of these, and whilst they don't occupy the place in my heart that Amelia does, they look to be awesome as well.

In addition, she has written a lot of books under the name Barbara Michaels, explaining why she is sometimes referred to as MPM (Mertz, Peters, Michaels). I haven't got to these yet, but I will, no doubt.

Amelia Peabody
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As mentioned above, this book is the first in the 18-strong series featuring the redoubtable Amelia, spanning the years 1884-1922.
Reputedly based on the character of Amelia Edwards, the first lady Egyptologist, and founder of the Egypt Exploration Fund, Amelia epitomizes the late Victorian spirit of emancipation and progress, whilst occasionally being endearingly modest.

In this book, we are first introduced to Evelyn Barton-Forbes, whom Amelia rescues and who will play a significant, if not always consistent part in the rest of the series.

We also meet Radcliffe and Walter Emerson, who are brothers, and Egyptologists, and who play essential roles in the rest of the series.

From these, and the Vicky Bliss book I've read, it's clear that Peters rejoices in voicing strong, attractive, independent female characters, who have eccentric but firm opinions, a vigorous and no-nonsense approach, and hearts the size of pyramids. As a female academic, I absolutely revel in this; particularly in the fact that Amelia never gives up her career, or feels she has to compete with men - she just assumes she is better than most of them anyway.

The Plot
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Amelia Peabody, a spinster lady of independent means, and forthright habits, decides to use the money left to her by her father to see the world. She begins in Rome, where she rescues the genteelly impoverished and unfortunate Evelyn Barton-Forbes, and together they make for Egypt, deciding there that the rest of the world is probably overrated, and they won't go any further! This is partly due to the Emerson brothers....

From their first meeting in the Cairo Museum, to the romantic site of el-Amarna in Middle Egypt, Amelia's journey becomes entangled with Emerson's, and together they face the first of many enemies, bent on theft and destruction.

Now, I won't give too much away, but if you read the blurbs of other books in the series, it's pretty obvious that the two main characters are meant for one another.

Whilst this sounds like your typical 'historical setting, detective/mystery novel with romance thrown in' (damn I love books like that!), what keeps the series alive is the ever-changing relationships between Amelia and her compatriots. Peters is an expert at drawing a scene deftly, without going into too much detail, or overloading the prose.

Each novel has basically the same premise - an Egyptologically-themed mystery/murder (or, as Abdullah would say "Every year, another body" - read it, you'll see what I'm talking about); Peters is clearly alive to the danger of this becoming dull and repetitive, and is mistress of sub-plots and over-arching plots that span several books. She also has a knack for drawing some of the most attractive characters in fiction - I'm half in love with three of the male characters, and I'd put Amelia in any fantasy dinner party line-up you care to mention.

Other stuff
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I heartily recommend the Peabody books to everyone I meet. If you have read the Lindsey Davis 'Falco' series, or George MacDonald Fraser 'Flashman' series, you will certainly like them. I own every one, and can't wait for the next (if there's going to be a next - Peters has always said she would end with the 1922 Tutankhamun discovery, which was featured in the last book....)

The books are currently being reissued with new covers (obviously, I don't like these as much, because I'm British, and we have to hate change...), and are available from Amazon.
This one starts at £5.49 new, or £0.01 used.
ISBN: 1845293886/978-1845293888

Did I mention I love these books? (-;

Summary: Did I mention these are my favourite books?