novel_nomad's review against another edition
4.0
Such fun to be found in the company of Amelia Peabody and her outrageous family, especially when they find themselves caught up in lost cities, power struggles and more confounded young lovers. Not my absolute favourite from the series so far, but with so many interesting developments I cannot wait to continue the series.
aharey's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
cheryl6of8's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars -- I liked the tongue-in-cheek aspect of it, in that the running gag through the whole story is Peabody's fascination with H. Rider Haggard's book King Solomon's Mines and this is written in the same style with a similar storyline. I have not read this series in any particular order, so it was kind of fun to see the first meeting between the Emersons and Nefret, their adopted daughter. There was a lot of intrigue in the book -- who can you trust and who can you not trust, shifting loyalties, etc -- as opposed to an actual mystery. But it was a grand adventure, if a trifle long and wordy (which is exactly what I thought about King Solomon's Mines when I read it several years ago).
katyjo13's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-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? No
4.0
colls's review against another edition
4.0
I often think I laugh in unintended places, but these books amuse me. Amelia Peabody would probably annoy me if I ever met her in real life, but as a fictional character she'd delightful.
abby_bartlett05's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
msjoanna's review against another edition
3.0
I read a bunch of these cozy mysteries when I was a kid. For a reading challenge, I needed something published in 1991 and, for my commute, I needed that book to be available on audio from my library. I spotted this and thought it might be fun to revisit this series. The narrator did a great job with the book and made this a fun and easy listen. I had completely forgotten (or maybe didn't notice) just how much sex there is here. None of it is explicit -- it's all innuendo and side comment -- but much more going on between Amelia and Emerson than I picked up on as a young reader.
In any event, this is an adventure story set in Egypt. The plot is rather fanciful and far-fetched, but does involve discovery of a lost city where people are still living (somewhat) as they did in ancient Egypt. Overall, the plot carries the story forward, but the heart of the book is reading the interactions between the characters and the amusement to be had from watching these proper British archaeologists blunder about.
In any event, this is an adventure story set in Egypt. The plot is rather fanciful and far-fetched, but does involve discovery of a lost city where people are still living (somewhat) as they did in ancient Egypt. Overall, the plot carries the story forward, but the heart of the book is reading the interactions between the characters and the amusement to be had from watching these proper British archaeologists blunder about.
lberestecki's review against another edition
3.0
I love this series, but this book was just okay. It felt more like an adventure novel than a mystery, and I never really got into the story. I was excited to see Nefret though, because I've read some of the later books in the series and have been looking forward to her first appearance.
I also felt like this book had a slightly more "us vs them" feel than most of these books, and some of the comments about the natives bothered me a bit.
I also felt like this book had a slightly more "us vs them" feel than most of these books, and some of the comments about the natives bothered me a bit.
wintersonata9's review against another edition
3.0
Lots of fun! I have never read H. Rider Haggard but I have always enjoyed the sort of Indiana Jones / Uncharted takes on lost kingdoms. Never a dull moment in this book, and an extremely satisfying ending.