Reviews

The Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters

agrippinaes's review against another edition

3.0

Rating: 3 stars
What I Liked: There were aspects of this I quite liked, particularly in the second half. The mystery, once it began to reach its conclusion, really picked up pace and I thought the revelations in the final few chapters were more interesting and unusual than I had anticipated, and I didn’t see any of it coming. It was quite compelling.
It also introduced some new characters, such as Miss Minton, who I quite liked for her similarity to Amelia, and Gargery the butler, who was so amusing and resourceful. I also liked the way that O’Connell developed in this one - it was nice to see him as more than just an annoying reporter.
What I Didn’t: I actively disliked the

Ayesha plotline, as it caused a lot of friction between Amelia and Emerson that I didn’t enjoy. As someone who primarily reads romance, I normally quite enjoy the angst of this, but I believe too much in the depth of the devotion between Amelia and Emerson to take this subplot seriously or to enjoy the angst it resulted in.
But mostly, I just found huge stretches of this, particularly in the first half, very dull and uninteresting. The pace was quite slow, I missed Egypt as a setting, the mystery didn’t grip me at first, and I just found it very hard to get into.
I also found myself increasingly irritated with the relationship between Amelia and Ramses.

Spoiler

What a journey I’ve come on with Ramses’ character. I did not like him in his first appearance as a major character in The Mummy Case, but appreciated him more in the second; but Amelia’s attitude towards him has always amused me. In this one, however, I found her attitude less amusing and more bordering on cruel in a way I didn’t like. She never seemed to listen to him or notice him and she’s always so quick to believe the worst of him. I didn’t really enjoy the subplot with Percy and Violet on a similar note, and felt like too much of the book was dedicated to it. I also didn’t like all the focus on Violet’s weight.

Overall: I found the first half of this book really slow and dull, with the mystery taking a while to get going, and a lot of time being dedicated to subplots that weren’t really my cup of tea. The second half sort of made up for it, as the pace improved and the mystery took a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. But this was not my favourite instalment of the series and if I ever do a reread I think I’ll be skipping this one.
Would I Recommend It?: Yes, if you’ve read the other books in the series and want a mystery with an established couple.
Would I Read Something By The Author Again?: Yes.
Content Notes:

Spoiler

Warnings: Murder (both on and off page), bullying, mentions of the Whitechapel / Jack the Ripper murders, drug use, xenophobia, attempted child abduction, death threats, blood, violence, gun violence, intimate partner violence (side character), attempted rape (side character), desecration of human remains

Specifically the destruction of an Ancient Egyptian mummy, and discussion of the consumption of mummy remains.

, colonialism / imperialism mentions, fat shaming, animal cruelty / animal abuse / animal death.

Other: OW drama

Emerson’s’s ex mistress is a side character in the book. She briefly and vaguely discusses their sex life in the past, and it appears like Emerson is meeting her in secret for some of the book. Amelia is very, very jealous over this and it causes some friction between them..

regencyfan93's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

I enjoyed spending time with Peabody, Emerson, Ramses, and others.  This is the first Amelia Peabody book I've read.  Do her brothers appear in others?  James was awful. James' children were awful. 

Percy shows signs of a future serial killer, or at least a domestic abuser. Will that be the mystery in a later book?

sten1238's review against another edition

funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

ergative's review against another edition

3.0

Solid enough, and I'm glad that Peters is exploring the possibilities of a mystery set in London, but it's a bit less entertaining than the ones in Egypt. Not quite sure why, unless it's my western white lady desire for exotic orientalism, which is probably saying nothing good about me, but it does affect my enjoyment of this extremely exotically orientalist series.

celiapowell's review against another edition

5.0

This is the first Amelia Peabody book not set in Egypt (I am reading, or listening to, the series steadily through from the beginning). I thought perhaps I wouldn't like it as much as the others, but I loved it. The awful cousins were satisfyingly awful (in the audio book, Percy is given the most unctuous voice - it's wonderful), Ramses is endearing rather than annoying, Amelia & Emmerson are lovely, even when they're wilfully misunderstanding each other, and the mystery was terribly exciting. Can't wait for the next book, but unfortunately, the library doesn't have an audio copy. I love listening to these books, and they last longer that way too.

msjk427's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective fast-paced

4.75

dmcke013's review against another edition

3.0

The fifth Amelia Peabody novel which, in a change of setting, actually takes place in and around London rather than Egypt (even though it still deals with Egyptology).

There's also a 2001 film called 'The Mummy Returns': having now read this, I can see more than a few parallels between that movie and this! British museum? Check. Historical(ish) setting? Check. Husband and wife team? Check. Precocious son? Check. Attempted Egyptian ritual/curse? Check (yet again).

OK, so the novel doesn't have the undead wandering around, nor a hot-air balloon, but still enough ...

msdeecm's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

krisleigh0630's review

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

jquellin's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0