Review - The Curse of the Pharaohs

Title: The Curse of the Pharaohs
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Publishing Date: 1988
Genre: Mystery
Rating: B-
Sensuality: Kisses
Book Disclosure: I downloaded an audio book from my library.

The Curse of the Pharaohs is the second book in the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. Amelia Peabody is back after five years has passed between her first Egyptian mystery. Amelia and Emerson find themselves headed back to Egypt to continue an excavation that was stopped after the mysterious death of the patron investigator. Once again Amelia and Emerson find themselves surrounded by a cast of characters and wondering "who dun’ it?"

I am a huge fan of Elizabeth Peters aka Barbara Michaels. I read her as a young girl and have always loved her writing. I had only read the first book of the Amelia Peabody series and when I saw it was an audio book, I jumped at the chance to get it. It was a little weird at first to listen to Barbara Rosenblat narrate the story. She has a very distinct accent and delivery which you have to get used to, or at least I did. At first I really thought I wouldn't be able to listen to her, but I got over it after the first chapter and just sat back and listened. Some of her inflection is spot on. You just have to accept that the pacing is going to be slow.

There are a lot of characters in The Curse of the Pharaohs. I got mixed up a few times, but I think this was because I was listening to the book instead of reading it myself. I did like that the author used a different inflection in her voice every time a different person spoke, so it made it easy to follow along. This book is a little slow as far as action goes. There is a lot of dialogue and this is how the clues are discovered and presented in the book. The mystery will keep you guessing up until the end. The Curse of the Pharaohs takes place in a unique time period and setting with a gripping cast of characters and a decent mystery. Fans of Ms. Peters will enjoy this installment.

Review - The Laughter of Dead Kings

Title: The Laughter of Dead Kings
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Publishing Date: August 2008
Genre: Mystery
Rating: B-
Sensuality: Kisses

Vicky Bliss is back. The Laughter of Dead Kings is the sixth book in the Vicky Bliss series. Vicky and her beau John Tregarth find themselves swept back into another mystery involving the theft of Tutankhamon’s mummy. Their good friend Feisel, whom readers met in Night Train to Memphis (book 5), comes to John because he suspects that John had something to do with the theft or knows the persons that did. Feisel wants to keep the news of the missing mummy quiet and out of the public eye. He enlists the help of John and Vicky to help him find the mummy.

The first Vicky Bliss book was written in present day 1973. The laughter of Dead Kings is written in present day 2008. As you can see 35 years has past between these books and yet Vicky has aged only a few years. This is the problem with books spanning such a wide range of time. Not only does technology change, but attitudes and ideas do as well. Vicky in the first book came across as a modern woman who was a bit of a feminist. Now immerse that same woman in modern day 2008 and she comes across as a little old fashioned. Now, I am not necessarily saying this is a bad thing. It’s just that the speech and mannerisms of the characters are more suited for a book written 30 years ago than today.

After taking into consideration the differences of time, I felt like I was revisiting with old friends. It was nice to see the whole gang again, most notably Vicky, John and Schmidt. The mystery was in typical Elizabeth Peter’s style. It wasn’t too terrible intricate, but it was enough to hold my attention. It seems to me this book was written for fans as closure to Vicky and John’s relationship and also to appease those fans who were clamoring for one more story. I think Peters accomplished those goals with mediocre aplomb. For those readers who haven’t read a Vicky Bliss mystery before, I don’t recommend starting with this one. Instead try Borrower of the Night, the first Vicky Bliss book.

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Review – Night Train to Memphis

Title: Night Train to Memphis
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Publishing Date: September 1994
Genre: Mystery
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Kisses

Night Train to Memphis is the fifth Vicky Bliss mystery. This is NOT a good place to start if you haven’t read any previous Vicky Bliss books. A few characters and relationships have already been established in previous books and this book will be enjoyed more if you are already aware of these characters, more specifically Schmidt and Sir John Smythe.

Vicky Bliss is an assistant curator at the National Museum in Munich and has been asked by the police to assist them on a certain case. She accepts and will be a presenter on a very exclusive cruise on the Nile River in Egypt. At least one other person on this cruise is supposed to be a criminal that Vicky can identify, which is why the police have asked for her help. On the cruise, Vicky gets a very nasty shock from her former lover Sir John Smythe and she is off and running onto another adventure.

This story was a lot of fun. Vicky as a narrator is full of dry wit, constantly telling it like it is. She is a down-to-earth person that everyone can relate to easily. Her boss, Schmidt is hysterical. I don’t think I have encountered a character quite like him before. In between outsmarting the bad guys there are some funny moments. The thing about them is that they are not “in your face” laugh out loud moments, but much more subtle. It is hard for me to describe, but Peters has a writing a style that I thoroughly enjoy. There are nuances to her humor where you almost have to be an “insider” to get it. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t.

The mystery is fully developed with twists and turns that keep the reader guessing as to “who done it”. This book has an Agatha Christie feel to it. When Vicki is on the cruise, all the suspects are stagnant; everyone on the cruise is suspect. In a way it reminded me of a movie I once watched staring Mia Farrow called. It was Death on the Nile. This first part is all mystery. Sometimes it dragged in places where I was waiting for the action to catch up. About halfway through it did and the story moved along at a brisk pace. All the romance was on this end of the story. It wraps up nicely with Vicky getting her “Happy ever after”. I believe that this story was to be the conclusion to this series. Recently, however, Ms. Peters has written one more Vicky Bliss novel Laughter of Dead Kings to be released August 2008.

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