Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

5 reviews

borkyreadsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

The story itself was fun and enjoyable. I really appreciated the archaeological accuracy as a fellow archaeologist however it’s quite hard to get past the racism that oozes out of every page, especially towards Egyptians. I get the sense that Michaels was trying to satirize the views of Victorian Egyptologists but from a 2024 perspective it just read as prejudism. 

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singalana's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

If you like The Mummy (1999), starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, I think you will like this book.

NOTE: This story is told from the point of view of a British upper-class person and has unchallenged colonialistic views. If that is something that bothers you as a reader, then I would not recommend this. I read this book keeping in mind that these are the opinions of the character, so I will not be commenting on this aspect of the story. 

Crocodile on the Sandbank is the first novel in the Amelia Peabody murder mystery -series. The story takes place in 1880s Egypt when archaeology (and I use this term loosely) was a popular pastime with the British aristocracy. The main character Amelia has inherited a significant amount of money and decides to travel. In Rome, she rescues another Englishwoman, Evelyn, and takes her as a travelling partner. Her interest in archaeology gets her involved with the Emerson brothers. But what would a story set in Egypt be without a mummy making an appearance?

This is a lighthearted mystery book with a dash of the supernatural. The characters are archetypical to what you might imagine finding in this kind of book. It feels almost campy, but as I read on, the characters grew on me, and their relationships seemed to develop organically. I found the writing to be lively and the style fitting to the story. The banter between the characters was delightful, and despite their flaws, I was rooting for the characters. 

If the reader has experience with mystery books, the ending might be somewhat predictable, but because of the campy and lighthearted nature of the book, I wouldn’t necessarily count it as a flaw. All in all, I like the characters and the milieu enough to be interested in continuing the story.

However, regarding this edition of the book: There were some typos, and the printing quality was not the best. And I would skip Amelia’s biography at the beginning of the book to avoid all spoilers. At the end of the book, there’s an extract from the 18th book in the series, which is an odd choice considering this is the first book… 

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erebus53's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A simple story in 1800s style with an Anglophile bent, having been with in the 1970s it allows a story told from the point of view of the women, despite the antics being primarily of Egyptology.

You're not going to like this story if you are disinterested in stories of rich Brits flitting about the countryside buying the time and energies of the locals, while pillaging the countryside of its relics and treasures. It's all quite ridiculous but at least, if you can hold your nose, it's not as rife with racism and misogyny as Wilbur Smith.

The sarcastic humour and dry turn of phrase is amusing. I did laugh out loud at some of the quips, and the casual banter between main characters is stuffy and kind of toxic, but is a foil for solid relationship building and mutual respect.

Not my usual flavour, but a fun little mystery, that's a bit ScoobyDoo in the execution.

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kalira's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Amelia Peabody series has been a favourite since I was little and listening to the audiobooks with my mother; Barbara Rosenblat does a beautiful job bringing them to life.

While Amelia is very much the definition of an unreliable narrator, and her perspective is very much flavoured by her nationality and the era, these things are well written to make it obvious to the reader that they are true, and Amelia herself is a delight (in all her occasionally disastrous glory). The character dynamics and relationships are wonderfully engaging, and the mystery fascinating and alarming.

The conclusion sets up the next book in the series in excellent fashion without leaving any feeling of things being left hanging.

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bookwyrmknits's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

I enjoyed a lot about this book, though there were quite a few racial slurs that made me uncomfortable. It may have just been being true to the era when the book is set, but it still had moments that were unpleasant to read. There is also mention of a suicide attempt by one of the secondary characters early on in the book, but it is not graphic and we do not see her POV.

I've seen this on lists of cozy mysteries, but to me it doesn't quite fit the feel of a cozy. While some of the elements fit (amateur detective, female main character, not gory or overly violent) it just didn't have the tone of a cozy to me. Which is fine! I like a good historical mystery too, I just don't read as many of them.

This was a fun read, in part because I love reading about / seeing movies about / learning about Ancient Egypt. I will admit that I figured out the "who" part of the whodunnit early on, but I couldn't determine the "why" and so I was doubting myself. Definitely a book to pick up for a fun historical mystery, as long as you're able to handle some dated racial stereotypes with your mystery.

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