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Summary: A Little Peabody Please
Review: A friend of mine got me hooked on the Amelia Peabody series and I have enjoyed reading them ever since. It revolves around a strong willed woman, her hot tempered husband and her stoic son. As well as all of their friends and other family members. Most of the stories take place in Egypt as Amelia's family are prominent archeologists. In this book, artifacts are stolen and a murder occurs, as well as a mysterious figure appearing dressed as the Egyptian goddess Hathor. This story takes place right after WWI has swept through Egypt and England. If Egypt or archeology appeals to you, I think you would enjoy this book as well as all the other Amelia Peabody mysteries.
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Summary: Super!
Review: Amelia and company all together again is simply a joy! I tried to take it slow to savor, but the story was too good, the twists too quick and unexpected to read slowly. Loved the twist about Sethos' name, too! Now I'll have to go back through for the details; or better yet, get the audio when it comes out. I can hardly wait until the next one. Please!?
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Summary: Peabody is back!
Review: Another good book in the Emerson/Amelia series. I loved all the family interaction but after a while it seemed more like a Dickens novel (way too many characters). Still, the charm and cozy feel will keep me reading and rereading the series.
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Summary: Peters reminds us all of the Middle East's true legacy
Review: As international tensions spiral out of control, we're all forced to contemplate the uncertain present and future role of Middle Eastern countries in global politics. Centuries-old ideological conflicts have spilled over geographic boundaries into our own daily lives, leaving roiling emotions in their tragic wake. Yet there was a time when this region that lies half a world away held a romantic allure for travelers and historians alike. The mystique of this ancient cradle of civilization sparked the imaginations of novelists like Mailer, Smith, McCullough and Michener, who transported us with a stroke of their pen to the stark deserts, lush river valleys and towering monuments of the Valley of the Kings. Bedouin tents and bustling bazaars fascinated visitors from all over the world. Elizabeth Peters is one such author who found the beauty of the land and the rich history of its people a compelling backdrop for her historical fiction. With this latest novel, she continues to reach beyond the ugly realities of today's turbulent Middle East to a gentler era of the early 20th century, crafting her enchanting mysteries from the fabric of her own life experience. CHILDREN OF THE STORM is the fifteenth journal of Peters's beloved fictional character, Amelia Peabody Emerson; it brings together all the family principals of previous novels in one grand reunion. The First World War has ended and the Peabody/Emerson generations are gathering in Egypt for what is hoped to be an uneventful season of reacquaintance and renewal, but fans of Amelia know that it isn't likely to remain that way for long. Ramses and Nefret, David and Lia, and Walter and Evelyn have arrived, accompanied by their respective children, to lend a hand with the latest archeological project that is preoccupying Amelia's husband, Radcliff. Descendants of the faithful Adbullah still comprise the household staff and lend their own colorful facet to the chaos that follows when the priceless Jewelry of the God's Wives goes missing and Ramses is briefly kidnapped by a woman claiming to be the legendary seductress, Hathor. Suspicion for the theft quickly settles on Emerson's half-brother, Sethos, who has shown up to aid in the search for the jewelry but Amelia is convinced that, despite his previous unsavory activities, he's not responsible for this latest criminal caper. As for the abduction of Ramses, there seems to be any number of possible candidates from his past youthful escapades, creating embarrassment and marital tensions for Amelia's handsome offspring. While Amelia and her family are investigating these events, another familiar face reenters their lives through a mysterious encounter with a strange young boy in the marketplace. Even though she has taken great pains to disguise herself, Sethos's estranged daughter Maryam is eventually revealed to be one of the boy's traveling companions and she soon joins the household, adding further strain on the family dynamics. Ghostly visitors, a series of near-fatal accidents and cryptic messages from the grave all serve to keep the plot moving and the reader guessing. And, as usual, the formidable Amelia takes aggressive action to unravel the puzzle, which evokes Emerson's trademark tantrums and the inevitable verbal tugs of war. As an Egyptologist, Elizabeth Peters utilizes her substantial expertise to provide an intriguing historical setting to the Amelia Peabody series, reflecting the ambiance of Egypt in the early 20th century. Although the realities of life on an archeological dig were far from glamorous, Peters captures that romanticism of a bygone era that we armchair adventurers love to experience. Ancient secrets, eerie tales and the magnificence of the tombs themselves provide a fertile springboard for the prolific storyteller. Perhaps in these perilous days, it's just the antidote we need to remind us that the true legacy of the Middle East was not always --- and hopefully will not always be --- the face of terrorism. --- Reviewed by Ann L. Bruns
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Summary: Read it at the library
Review: As one who reads the Amelia Peabody mysteries as much for the archaeology as for the mysteries, I was disappointed in the minimal attention the Emerson clan pays to the excavations in this book. I also was disappointed in the mystery. I spotted the villains as soon as they appeared on the scene, which left me with 300 more pages to wade through. Peters seems to have fallen back on her old formulas and villains, after the creative plots (and new villains) of the last two books. It's not the worst Amelia Peabody mystery, but it is certainly not the best.
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Summary: Multiple Motives Mystify Amelia
Review: Before commenting on this novel, let me observe that it would be an unhappy error to begin the 15 book Amelia Peabody series with Children of the Storm. You would have a very hard time keeping track of all the characters and the mystery's solution would be totally invisible to you before the solution is revealed. You would probably rate this a one or two star book. My rating assumes that you have read at least the last 8 novels in the series. The setting and cast of characters are a major shift from the books in the series set during World War I. With the War to End All Wars having ended, all of the Emerson clan (and I do mean ALL) come together in Children of the Storm. Ramses and Nefret are now parents of active two-year-old twins, so the family has also expanded into a third generation. Those with faulty memories will appreciate the Editor's Note which describes who all these people are and how they are related. The book opens in Luxor with Cyrus Vandergelt concerned about how much of his large archeological find involving four princesses will have to be presented to the Cairo Museum. The Emersons are working on a messy site with seemingly limited potential which looters and poorly disciplined archeologists have ravaged in the past. M. Lacau from the Department of Antiquities arrives to inspect the Vandergelt artifacts and mummies. Soon he will choose what will remain in Egypt. Consternation reigns when "reformed" antiquities thief, Signor Martinelli, disappears as do several of the best pieces of ancient jewelry. The Emersons vow to recover the jewelry before M. Lacau discovers it is missing. Their search takes them to Cairo where Ramses responds to a note offering a warning only to find himself abducted, drugged and manipulated by a beautiful young woman dressed as the Veiled Goddess Hathor. As the mystery develops, there are mysterious deaths, attacks on individuals, sabotage of conveyances and a reappearance of Hathor in Luxor! Amelia and the rest of the clan are more than usually puzzled. They cannot see a pattern in what purpose could lie behind the baffling activities. When the pattern becomes clear, there's deadly danger to overcome and an exciting finish! Children of the Storm is exceptional from two perspectives. First, the title captures a myriad of meanings in the context of the story that will enrich your appreciation of the story. Nicely done! Second, I cannot think of a novel that weaves so many characters and story lines together with accuracy and meaning. It must be like carrying the world on your shoulders to plot and develop this complex a story. And it works. Some things are lost in the process. The story often feels over peopled. This requires a lot of development to fit everyone together in a meaningful way. This development sometimes feels bulky. In addition, a third of the book's length is caught up with details of day-to-day life like looking after for the children, arranging work schedules to appease Emerson, organizing Nefret's clinic in Luxor, and dealing with Emerson's latest toy. The mystery itself would have required about 250 pages, and would have been a page turner. The mystery feels diluted amidst all of this detail of daily life. The Emersons focus on domesticity also limits the amount of detecting they do compared to earlier novels. So you get less of Emerson's investigative derring-do in Cairo, fewer forays by Amelia on her own, and limited searching by Ramses and David. Sethos plays his mildest role yet even though he is involved throughout the book. As a result, much of the material in the book feels more like The Forsythe Saga than an early Amelia Peabody thriller. In fact, the book almost felt like a whole new genre . . . the three-generation extended family as detective. A bright light to look out for in future novels is that the twins seem destined to be very interesting characters which may ignite all of this clan expansion into something more exciting. After you finish this book, think about how you balance your family, your friends, your work, and your personal interests. How could you make them more positively integrated?
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Summary: engaging Amelia Peabody historical
Review: By December 1919, the Great War is finally over. Amelia Peabody and her husband, the famous archeologist Emerson, are in their Luxor, Egypt home along with their extended brood. This includes their son Ramses, his wife Nefret, and their two children, Emerson's brother Walter, his wife Evelyn, their daughter Lia and her husband David and their children as well as Emerson's illegitimate half brother Sethos and his bastard daughter Maryann. Emerson and Amelia's friend and colleague Cyrus Vandergelt has found a well preserved tomb in the Deir el Medina, the same place where Emerson is working on an archeologist site. Soon afterward, a trusted worker disappears with some of the treasure and his murdered body is found in the desert. A woman pretending to be the goddess Hathor kidnaps Ramses, but he escapes before he finds out what she wants. Maryann is attacked and someone sabotages the boat they are traveling on. None of the incidents form a pattern that makes any sense but Amelia knows someone is weaving a web around them and intends to trap them in it. It is fascinating to read about three generations of Emersons in the same book. CHILDREN OF THE STORM is the fifteenth mystery starring Amelia Peabody and it doesn't get any better than this. Elizabeth Peters brilliantly shifts from the first person to the third person so readers always know what is going on the minds of the characters. Old enemies reappear while the heroine of this amateur sleuth novel works overtime trying to figure out who is waging a vendetta against her and her family. Harriet Klausner
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Summary: Number 15 and going strong...
Review: Children of the Storm continues the adventures of the archeologist and investigator Amelia Emerson and her family. This story, the fifteenth in the series, opens in Egypt in 1919 after the close of World War I. Although the Great War has come to an end, the dangers that surround the Emerson family show no sign of ending. Within the vividly depicted context of Egyptian dissatisfaction with British rule, a series of mysterious occurrences begin to trouble individuals close to Amelia. Thefts, murder and peculiar encounters with a mysterious woman set the heroine on a mission to solve the riddle buries within layers of intrigue. This latest addition to the series introduces new characters, most notably two year old twin grandchildren of Amelia, while retaining familiar ones that fans will be happy to see return. However, new readers may find this a difficulty, as there are fourteen previous books for many complicated relationships to be developed, a number of which play a role in this novel. A prologue attempts to provide a thumbnail sketch of this history, but as a new reader, I found it most valuable as reference material. With an intricate plot and likable characters, this novel is an enjoyable read. Fans of the series will likely find it more than enjoyable as they will have a familiarity with the world created by Ms Peters that those readers new to the series will not possess. On the other hand, the history that exists within these books provides a depth to the plot and character interactions that may not otherwise exist. All in all, Children of the Storm is sure to find a spot on bestseller lists sometime this summer. And this is a book ideal for summer reading.
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Summary: Storm Watching at its Best
Review: Children of the Storm delivers a solid story line and intriguing mystery while giving all of Elizabeth Peters fans enough of the family's shenanigans and interpersonal stories to keep them very happy! I've been waiting years to see what would happen to Ramses when he grew up and had children of his own. I thought the introduction of the twins was a stroke of genius - right down to the last page. I hope Ms. Peters will continue to write the series. I know it has been going on for a number of years now and I hope to see it last as long as possible as each one of the books is a treasure! I agree with other reviewers that this is not the book to begin the series on.. Start at the begininning of the series. It's more fun that way!
Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: Despite being a devoted Peabody fan, I had to drag myself through this book. Peters tries to get all of the Emerson clan in this one story and it leaves less room for the actual story and character development. The first two thirds of the book is ho hum. Scenes of grandchildren eating and playing. Missing jewelry. Minor excitement involving Abdullah's family (other than a major car incident). Minor episode involving Emerson. Minor episode with mysterious female attempting to seduce Ramses. Nothing, however, that keeps one turning the pages to see how it ends. The Ramses-Nefret relationship is bland now. The appeal of earlier Peabody stories was the entertainment/fantasy escape factor. Ramses and Nefret are now having the same troubles all of us married-with-children people have. It isn't very entertaining. More of "Yeah, and your point would be?" There are many scenes with the grandchildren, but this new generation is not nearly as funny or interesting as Ramses was as a child. (And Dolly is so downright perfect you want to say, "Hey, be a real kid-go break some rules!") Around the second half of the book, Amelia basically takes charge and Emerson and Sethos come across as much weaker characters in terms of decision making. (The character of Sethos is particularly sad. He used to be powerful, romantic, and sexy. Now he seems to be weak and simply flamboyant, almost a parody of himself.) The end of the book picks up the pace with a frantic attempt to rescue our heroes and save the treasure. You would never know from Amelia's exertions at this point that you were reading about a woman in her middle 60's (roughly--I didn't do the exact math). .... Overall, not one of Peters' best Peabody stories.
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