A review by singalana
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

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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