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Rating: 
Summary: Flat compared to her earlier Peabody books
Review: As a devoted fan of Amelia Peabody, I've faithfully followed the series with each book. The earlier novels were funny, infused with Ramses' precocious exploits as a child, Amelia's musing on the inferiority of the male gender, and rich displays of romantic imagination. As Ramses grew into a teen, the novels became a little less campy and a little more serious, the tension of the novels often residing in the Ramses-Nefret relationship or the Amelia-Sethos-Emerson triangle. In this latest novel, Peter's heart just doesn't seem to be in it. The plot seems forced, the sense of what-will-happen-next is missing (Rames and Nefret are safely married, Amelia and Sethos are a "has been" item), and the war has erased the humor. The tension in the novel comes almost wholly from a rather mundane plot versus the characters' relationships, making it fairly dull compared with earlier Peabody novels. Amelia's character, the heart of the book, seems to lack the love of life she used to have and none of the characters around her are as interestingly as they used to be. Has Peters grown tired of the Peabody series? This book reads as if it has been churned out rather than written with Peter's former humor and warmth.
Rating: 
Summary: Delightful Egypt Adventure
Review: Emerson and Amelia Peabody have a new archeological dig, Ramses is overjoyed with his wife, and Amelia's adoptive family continues to grow, but all is not well in World War I era Egypt. Tomb robbers have discovered an ancient temple and are sneaking artifacts out, and are willing to kill Emerson and Amelia to preserve their treasure. The British army has bogged down outside of Gaza and its intelligence community desperately wishes to get Ramese back in the fold. And somehow, Amelia has to manage all of this while hoping that she will soon become a grandmother. Naturally, Sethos--Emerson's half brother and something of a love interest for Amelia is back and in the midst of both tomb robbing and the war. Author Elizabeth Peters has created a wonderful set of characters in the extended Emerson family. Emerson's bull-headedness, Ramses's honor, Sethos's deviousness and overcompensated inferiority complex, and Amelia's proper British manipulativeness all ring true and consistent through the novel and, indeed, through the series. THE GOLDEN ONE does not integrate World War I with the archeological elements of the story as well as some of the earlier novels in the series (perhaps because the Turks have been driven further from Egypt), but is otherwise a delightful adventure. Readers new to this series may find Amelia's proper Britishisms somewhat off-putting but; for me at least, these have become familiar friends and amusing reminders of a time when the British really thought that they had a great moral lesson to share with the world. Peters certainly knows her Egypt and makes this great period of Archeology and Egyptology come to life.
Rating:
Summary: Great Improvement
Review: I had been pretty dissapointed in Lord of The Silent; I thought that all the interesting loose ends had been tied up at the end of the book. However, the Golden One brings the focus back on our favorite heroine, Amelia Peabody. The plot was delightfully complex and kept me on the edge of my seat. Even with Ramses and Nefret married, the book still had some tension, though I liked the series better before they were married. The book also did not tie up every single problem so we can all expect that the next Amelia Peabody mystery will be as interesting or better. However, I found Sethos' turn for the good a little unrealistic and I wished there was more from the rest of the family. This series is great for anyone who likes good mysteries or has an interest in Egyptology. Elizabeth Peters is a highly competant author who knows her subject and her Amelia Peabdody series is a pleasure to read.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Elizabeth Peters book yet!!!!
Review: I have read quite a few of her books and this is the best one.It is a real page turner.The plot is just so exciting!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Amelia Peabody and the gang are back!
Review: Oh, how I love Elizabeth Peters and her stunning cast of characters! I was afraid the series would get stale after the marriage of Ramses & Nefret and the way things were "resolved" with Sethos, but I was wrong! The story did drag on a bit in spots, but overall it was a fun read and a welcome addition to the series. Now if only David & Lia could make an appearance in the next book....
Rating:
Summary: enjoyable even if plot is somewhat predictable
Review: This latest Amelia Peabody Emerson novel was more of an adventure book than it was a mystery novel. However, it was still an enjoyable read, even if it did follow along on predictable formulaic lines. The Emersons and entourage have returned to Luxor for another season of 'digging,' where they learn that tomb thieves have been ransacking a newly excavated royal tomb. Of course Amelia, Emerson, Ramses and Nefret, immediately hunker down to discover who is behind these thefts and to put a stop to them, and discover that an enemy from a previous adventure ("The Lord of the Silent") may be involved in these felonious goings-on, and that he is bent on revenging himself against the Emersons... Halfway through this storyline however, the novel veers off into another direction, when officers from the British Military Intelligence ask Ramses to resume his espionage activities and to discover the fate of one of their operatives, Ismail Pasha (also known as Sethos, one time foe of Amelia's and Emerson's, and who also happens to be Emerson's half-brother), who seems to have disappeared. Normally, I'm not much of a fan of sudden plot departures that go really off tangent for no apparent reason. But I must say that I'm glad that Elizabeth Peters did introduce this subplot as it proved to be a highly entertaining one with some really humorous moments. All in all, "The Golden One" was quite an entertaining read even if the storyline was not a very original one. It was nice to visit with the incredibly adventurous and eccentric Emersons again. And I liked that Jumana (a character from "Lord of the Silent") made an appearance again, even if she seems to have lost some of her edge and been reduced to hand wringing and light histrionics. (Perhaps her character will revert to type in the next Amelia Peabody adventure?) However, I would have to agree with the previous reviewer, Kathy Farrell, either borrow this book from the library or else wait for the paperback edition. Because while I DID ENJOY reading this book very much, there really is no earth-shatteringly compelling reason to go out and buy this expensive hardcover edition.
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