A review by laurenjodi
The Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters
3.0
The Deeds of the Disturber
3.5 Stars
Amelia and her family return to England, where they learn of the mysterious death of a night watchman at the British Museum. When another man dies under suspicious circumstances, rumors abound concerning a mummy curse, and the Emersons find themselves wrangled into investigating.
Elizabeth Peters is a master of social satire with her tongue-in-cheek descriptions of British society and their sense of superiority. Nevertheless, this installment in the series has its problems.
To begin with, the mystery has potential as Amelia employs her detecting skills on British soil. However, the pacing is rather slow until the last few action-packed chapters (which earn the book an extra half-star), and the eventual explanation is convoluted and not altogether logical.
Moreover, Amelia can be exceedingly annoying at times, which is most apparent in her decided lack of communication with Emerson leading to completely unnecessary angst in their relationship. That said, there is some excellent character growth for them both as details of his past prior to his meeting Amelia come to light.
Ramses, as always, provides excellent comic relief and his antics are hilarious. In this regard, Amelia finally comes up to snuff and demonstrates an excellent understanding of her son's nature when.
While this installment is an improvement on the absurdity of the last, it still does not quite meet the expectations set by the first three books.
3.5 Stars
Amelia and her family return to England, where they learn of the mysterious death of a night watchman at the British Museum. When another man dies under suspicious circumstances, rumors abound concerning a mummy curse, and the Emersons find themselves wrangled into investigating.
Elizabeth Peters is a master of social satire with her tongue-in-cheek descriptions of British society and their sense of superiority. Nevertheless, this installment in the series has its problems.
To begin with, the mystery has potential as Amelia employs her detecting skills on British soil. However, the pacing is rather slow until the last few action-packed chapters (which earn the book an extra half-star), and the eventual explanation is convoluted and not altogether logical.
Moreover, Amelia can be exceedingly annoying at times, which is most apparent in her decided lack of communication with Emerson leading to completely unnecessary angst in their relationship. That said, there is some excellent character growth for them both as details of his past prior to his meeting Amelia come to light.
Ramses, as always, provides excellent comic relief and his antics are hilarious. In this regard, Amelia finally comes up to snuff and demonstrates an excellent understanding of her son's nature when
Spoiler
her obnoxious nephew's manipulative bullying comes to lightWhile this installment is an improvement on the absurdity of the last, it still does not quite meet the expectations set by the first three books.