Crocodile on the Sandbank

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, delightful novel !!
Review: This is a wonderful , excellently written novel that begins the Amelia Peabody series. This novel establishes her relationship with Emerson & Evelyn. If you begin to read this you'll have a very hard time putting it down!

I must have given this book, to friends & family, probably 10 times this year alone; and most wind up reading the entire series. My husband just adored the novel (he has written 3 N.Y. Times best selling novels...so he is really PICKY). If you like anything to do with ancient Egypt, Victorian times, murder, mystery & intrigue.......This is your novel!!

I only have two complaints: I wish there was a life-time supply of fresh Amelia Peabody stories available. The other complaint is that there is nothing inside the book on any of the novels that helps create a 'time line' of all the novels in the series. In other words, I read the fifth book first & had no clue as to what was the first book, second book, etc. in the series. I had to go & do a comparison between the dates when they were written and check the story lines to figure this out. Most series list the available novels in a chronological order somewhere in the book.

So...for all future & current lovers of the series, here a list of all her books for the Amelia Peabody series & the Vicky Bliss series:

Amelia Peabody Series
Book #1-Crocodile on the Sandbank
Book # 2- The Curse of the Pharaohs
Book # 3-The Mummy Case
Book # 4-Lion in the Valley
Book # 5-The Deeds of the Disturber
Book # 6-The Last Camel Died at Noon
Book # 7-The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog
Book # 8-The Hippopotamus Pool
Book # 9-Seeing a Large Cat
Book # 10-The Ape Who Guards the Balance
Book # 11-The Falcon at the Portal
Book # 12-He Shall Thunder in the Sky
Book # 13-Lord of the Silent
Book # 14-The Golden One

Vicky Bliss Series
Book #1 1-Borrower of the Night
Book #1 2-Street of the Five Moons
Book #1 3-Silhouette in Scarlet
Book #1 4-Trojan Gold
Book #1 5-Night Train to Memphis

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: 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.