Crocodile on the Sandbank

Rating:
Summary: Amelia Peabody is absolutely addictive!
Review: I must say that I have read or listened to most of the books in this series. Crocodile on the Sandbank is highly entertaining. In this novel the relationship between Emerson and Amelia is introduced. I love the head strong dialogue between the two. No only is the novel interesting but highly amusing as well! I also recommend listening to the series. Barbara Rosenblat brings the character of Amelia her own special charm.

Rating:
Summary: Do they get better?
Review: In Peters' defense, I'll have to admit that I found her books on a list compiled by a person who also recommended Dorothy Sayers, and having just come off a Sayers kick and looking for something similar I thought I'd give her a try. Perhaps that's why Peters' writing and characters were so flat to me. All the exposition crammed into the first chapter seemed strange and stilted-why are you telling me this when I don't give a whit about this character yet? Amelia Peabody is particularly bad about bludgeoning the reader with information that would have been better demonstrated. "I think more quickly and more intelligently than most people," is a prime example. The romantic tension was clumsily portrayed and even more clumsily resolved - romantic dialogue is definitely not Peters' strong suit. As others have mentioned, the historical information was definitely the best part of the book, but I think I'd rather read the real thing in Peters' (Barbara Mertz's) non-fiction. If I were on a really, really long plane flight and had forgotten to bring any books (yeah,right) and found one of her novels in the seat back in front of me, I'd read Peters again. But probably not until then.

Rating:
Summary: First Amelia Peabody mystery
Review: This is the first Amelia Peabody book, and it's a fun read. Amelia is quite a character - headstrong, passionate, principled, and hilarious despite her best efforts to be dignified. This is the kind of book you can share with anyone. I loaned it to my Grandmother and ended up buying her the next three in the series because she enjoyed it so much. Great escapist fare.

Rating:
Summary: This Book Provides Pure Enjoyment
Review: I have just finished this book this a.m. I am supremely delighted in how it ended, it was the only logical ending. :-) Amelia Peabody starts off as a intelligent, slightly arrogant, determined-to-be spinster. Sets off on an adventure in Egypt after solely inheriting her father's surprise enormous investments. She rescues a beautiful young girl, on the brink of ultimate self-destruction, and helps this girl to have a new vigor for life. Amelia herself is transformed by her acquaintances. Only for the better, of course. If you enjoy a good mystery, with a dab of romance put into the works, you will absolutely be completely satisfied with Elizabeth Peter's first installment of the Amelia Peabody chronicles. I have not yet had the opportunity to read further into the series, I just discovered their existence 2 weeks ago, but I am so thankful for Amazon and all its customers & all their lists. I would be so sad, had I never chanced to read this delightful novel. I cannot attest to the story's historical, hieroglyphical, and antiquital accuracy; however, I have read that Ms. Peters is actually an avid student of Egypt and all things old. So perhaps, this story has much accuracy amidst its satiating pages. I give this book FIVE stars & would give it more, if more were possible. Bravo Ms. Peters for writing the best novel I have read in a Long while. THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR CREATING AMELIA & ALL HER FRIENDS AND FOES FOR US TO KNOW, AND LOVE & HATE!

Rating:
Summary: A Clever Mystery
Review: This book is the first in one of my favorite series. Peters blends archaeology, murder, humor and a little romance into a captivating story. The descriptions of Egypt will draw you in from the first chapter, and Amelia's narrative style will have you lauging out loud. This novel will undoubtedly get you hooked on the Peabody-Emersons, and it only gets better from here!

Rating:
Summary: Great!!!!!!
Review: I was first introduced to these books by my mom. She had been reading them so I decided to give them a try. I was 12 at the time, going on 13, and I read all summer in order to finish them by the time school started. I absolutly loved them!!! It was a refreshing mix of romance, mystery, and humor. I am now 13 going on 14 at the end of my 8th grade year, and I am starting all over! I would recomend this series to any one who loves a great read. Enjoy!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Crocodile on the Sandbank
Review: The Amelia Peabody mysteries are so good I couldn't help becoming addicted. The vivid, colorful characters, moving plot, and details about Victorian archeology in Egypt make quite a combination. There's grumpy, sexy Radcliffe (although he prefers to not be called by this) Emerson, social barrier braking spinster of a woman Amelia Peabody, beautiful self sacrificing Evelyn, and sweet tempered Walter. The information surrounding the plot about archology really makes the story. It is definately well written, adventurous, and down-right fun!

I'd say that once you have read these books, you'll definately want to read another! Barbara Mertz (Elizabeth Peter's real name) also writes by another name, Barbara Michaels, so there is plenty to keep you buisy.

Rating:
Summary: The Mummy Meets Nancy Drew Meets Sherlock Holmes
Review: After reading many Sherlock Holmes stories, especially the Mary Russell series by Laurie King, I was urged to try the Amelia Peabody mysteries. Some observations:

My first thought was on the similarities between Elizabeth Peters work and the most recent Mummy movies starring Rachel Weisz (sp?) and Brendan Fraser. So much so that I wondered if Elizabeth Peters helped write the screenplays. Since the Mummy movies are some of my many favorites, this was a plus.

Second, Amelia is a grown-up Nancy Drew. There is no mention of a mother and often refers to Amelia's adoring father. She is a very independent woman in a time when suffrage was just starting to gain some ground in America. This is also a plus because my young world was surrounded by Nancy Drew mysteries.

Third, Radcliffe Emerson, the future Mr. Amelia Peabody, is such a carbon of Sherlock HOlmes, I couldn't help but be delighted. His seemingly mysoginist views on women are just a mask.

I will agree with some reviewers who say the story is a little weak, but hey, it's not War and Peace. If you enjoy mysteries and independent women, check out the series. I will be devouring the rest of the stories, too.

Rating:
Summary: Crocodile in my bookcase
Review: ...A friend suggested I try an Elizabeth Peters book, so I went down to my local bookstore and started reading Crocodile on the Sandbank. ...
Amelia Peabody is a fairly rich heiress in Victorian England. She's not particularly feminine or pretty, but she is sharp as a tack. And now that she's got money, she can do whatever she wants, and that is to travel. She decides to go to Egypt to see the tombs, with a small stopover in Italy along the way. In Rome, she meets Evelyn, a young English lady who has run off with an Italian scoundrel and been disinherited by her peer grandfather. Amelia, clearly a goddess of common sense, picks Evelyn up, dusts her off, and takes her to Egypt. It is here that they meet the Emerson brothers, and through an interesting series of events Amelia and Evelyn end up helping them excavate a site. This is when the murder mystery part comes in, with the requisite spooky mummy.
The mystery is incidental to the character development. It's not overly hard to figure out by oneself, but if that's the reason that you read mysteries, this is not the book for you. Amelia Peabody is, without a doubt, my favourite mystery heroine. She's smart, she knows it, and she doesn't put up with any you-know-what from anybody. Finally, an intelligent heroine! The irritable Radcliffe Emerson is a perfect foil to her tendency to take charge of any situation, and his brother Walter and Evelyn allow Peters to poke fun at the Victorian society. If you like a good dose of character with your mystery, you can't find a better book than Crocodile on the Sandbank.

Rating:
Summary: Great characters, but a hackneyed plot - read for setting!
Review: I was recommended Elizabeth Peters as a writer of historical mysteries, by friends who know my obsession for that genre (and for reading romances!) - everyone also urged me to listen to the tapes by Barbara Rosenblat. Well, I haven't located the latter, but I decided to read the first Amelia Peabody novel in print.
This review is a highly personal reaction to the first Peabody book, and *not* a summary of the plot. [For that, please go elsewhere].

Frankly, I think this is a book that is better listened to in audio form, than read in print. Why? Firstly, some of the conversation sounds decidedly stilted if not laughable on paper, but probably sounds better if read aloud. Secondly, the mystery for me at least was quite obvious from the start - and I want to be surprised in my mysteries. From that point of view, this book was a disappointment.

Thirdly, while I realized that Elizabeth Peters/ Barbara Mertz is parodying romance novels and the conventions of Victorian England, I could not help being irritated by Evelyn Barton-Forbes, a young woman in distress aided by Amelia Peabody. I began to wonder if I had been spoiled by my Amanda Quick binge (her heroines being, well, unconventional for Victorian times). I decided that even reading a parody of Cartland (or whoever) is pretty painful. It might sound better in audio; I have my judgment suspended until I come across the Rosenblat version.

Now for some problems which left me cold, especially since I am pedantic about British titles and succession to titles in the British peerage. The succession of Evelyn's cousin to the peerage made very little sense (although I am aware that some earldoms could pass to a grandson or other male relative through a female descendant). Secondly, the motivation of the villain was far too pat and easy. I could spot that coming as soon as I read the plot.

Reading about Amelia's interest in Egyptian archaeology (Egyptology) is delightful on the other hand. And reading about her interactions with Emerson is delightful. This is one book you want to read for the main characters (Evelyn and the villain aside), and for the setting and the profession engaged in by the heroine. Definitely not one to read for the mystery.

Will I read more Peabody books? I am not sure, frankly. I am not that fond of ancient Egypt, although I once dreamed of being an archaelogist in my pre-teens. And to read about independent-minded women in Victorian times, I have many other options. I might give another Peabody book a try, or then again, I might not.