The Ape Who Guards the Balance

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Summary: "The Perils of Peabody"
Review: Adventurous Egyptologist Amelia Peabody is embroiled in another affair of intrigue and homicide in Elizabeth Peters' "The Ape Who Guards the Balance." Fans of the series will be pleased to know that Peabody and her eccentric family are involved in more adventures and excavations in Egypt, but new readers will quickly warm to Peters' engaging characters. Indeed, in this book Peters devotes almost as many pages to the romantic misadventures of Peabody's extended family as she does to the mystery itself. Readers won't mind, however; Peabody's son Ramses, stepson David and stepdaughter Nefret emerge as full bodied characters in their own right, and they are every bit as willful as their archeaologist parents. Fans of the series will also be pleased to know that "Ape" represents the return of master criminal Sethos, one of the few individuals in the series who can match wits with Peabody. The novel opens with an ingenious robbery where Sethos uses a suffrage demonstration (attended, coincidentally, by a Peabody unaware of the impending theft) as a screen for his operation. When the scene shifts to Egypt and Peabody's clan begins another season of digging, Sethos appears to follow. Soon horribly mutated bodies begin to turn up in the Nile, and it will take the talents of the whole family to crack the case. The "Ape" of the title refers to a figure on amulets worn by the criminal gang involved, and represents an Egyptian god that observed the weighing of an individuals heart after death, an act which determined if the soul was worthy for a place in the afterlife. Peters obviously has a great love for her characters, and her writing is infused with an infectious enthusiasm for the adventures of Peabody and Co. An accomplished student of Egyptology (with a PhD from the prestigious Univ. of Chicago) who weaves historical references into her narratives, Peters the author is just as comfortable describing the dusty streets of Cairo as she is detailing the events of a swanky European dinner party. Peters entertains as well as educates, wisely choosing to keep the Egyptology as the background scenary to her story. "Ape" is an enjoyable trip through turn-of-the-century Egypt taken with good company, and will meet the expectations of old fans while winning some new converts. If there is a weakness to the novel, it is that the mystery appears almost secondary to other plot lines, and the mechinations of the main villain appear so shadowy that the reader is left to wonder if there really is any threat to Peabody. Amateur sleuths may find themselves disappointed, as clues are few and far between. Nonetheless, "Ape" is another solid addition to the Peabody series, and should only add to the popularity of the Egyptologist super sleuth.

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Summary: PHARAOH EMERSON & FAMILY
Review: Elizabeth Peters writes with an assured cadence. Her stories seem to unfold as though revealed in a handwritten letter and with elegant penmanship. Having read two delightful short stories set in Egypt I was ready to immerse myself in a full length book.

For the first time the clerk in my bookstore approved of my choice. She was a devoted fan of the Amelia Peabody series. I was sure to love it. Before this she had failed to comment on any of my bi-weekly mystery selections. I sensed I was in for something special.

The quality of writing did not disappoint. The archeology felt authentic. I learned a lot about excavating Egypt. The settings seemed appropriate to the times and circumstances. I even lamented the intrusion of industrialization upon gentler traditions. I was reminded of Merchant & Ivory.

The Emersons could have been so much more compelling. They are a liberally-collected rainbow group who would be welcomed and entertained at most sophisticated social events of OUR time, but would xenophic and racist Londoners toward the end of Victoria's reign been so kind to compatriots who had "gone native"? Yet it was the mixed backgrounds of two of the "children" that I thought could have yielded the most interest.

What was uninteresting to me was how physically attractive they had to be. Emerson's "steely arms" and "muscular chest"; Ramses' physical stature and attraction for women; David's appearance being similar to Ramses with "the long-lashed dark eyes"; and "strikingly pretty, extremely intelligent" Nefret was even blessed with laughter "like sunlit water bubbling over pebbles". Peabody herself was able to look good in any outfit while being the object of a Master Criminal's desires. Did they also have to be rich and well-bred? Then I was reminded of Lara Croft, Tomb Raider.

I much prefer Elizabeth Peters' short story characters: Senu, the carpenter, and Rennefer, the weaver, or Baenre, the potter, "a scanty little man with thin hair and sharp bones", to these pharaoh-like protagonists. Without the lordly Emersons the short stories are able to plunge the reader directly into that heat and dust where, due to the humble (or average) circumstances of the characters, there is no escaping the mystery, but to solve it.

The Emersons were in Egypt by choice. Their wealth, background, and physical stature distinguished them from the masses. They were even more privileged and rarified than their "lesser" countrymen, some whose careers kept them in Egypt. Throughout the book it occured to me that if situations turned too ugly The Emersons could have decamped to London for a season of ablutions and liberal causes.

I hope Elizabeth Peters, with her knowledge of Egyptology and excellent writing skills, will give us a book length mystery involving Egyptians in their own country.

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Summary: Elizabeth Peters is as good as ever
Review: I always eagerly await the next Amelia Peabody adventure, and this was worth the wait. Peters had plateaued for awhile, but her latest Amelia tales have recovered the charm and excitement of the earlier ones. Ramses and Nefret are growing as characters of their own. Dare I hope that she will start a new series with Ramses alone? There seems to be the hint of that possibility, but maybe it's my imagination.... An abduction attempt at Amelia in England leads them to suspect the Master Criminal once again, and this year's Egyptian expedition is off to a lively start. Emerson is frustrated at not being allowed to start any new digs in the Valley of the Kings, but discovers another tomb anyway. Ramses, David and Nefret are more involved in this one, and both Ramses's and David's romantic interests add an interesting spice to the story. Wonderful as usual, and if you have met Amelia and her family before, I don't need to explain. If you haven't, it's time you got acquainted.

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Summary: A delight!
Review: I love the Amelia Peabody mysteries and this latest novel is a long awaited delight. Elizabeth Peters writes with wit and a dash of history according to Emerson - he would probably claim to have found tomb KV5 long before it's recent rediscovery, but begin only assigned to tidying up tombs in the 1906 season was unable to reveal that he he had for the lack of a firman! It is refreshing to read from other points of view other than Amelia - the change of century brings a new style and layout to the novels, allowing more scope to explore the characters. The return of the dashing Master Criminal, Sethos is another delight as he recused the one he loves - Amelia, much to the chagrin of Emerson. One can't help thinking that he is perhaps related to Sir John Smythe from the Vicky Bliss mysteries... I look forward to the next installment.

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Summary: Last &best of great series - unforgettable characters!
Review: This series of mysteries, starring an eccentric British archaeologist husband & wife team who are excavating in Egypt at the turn of the century, just gets better and better. They are witty, hilarious, ingeniously crafted mysteries, and fascinating in their depiction of archaeology at that time (Peters, the author, is actually an egyptologist and is correct in every historical and period detail). What makes them special is the relationships between the characters. Peters has assembled an all-star ensemble cast who play against eachother wonderfully. The family relationships in this group of intelligent, competitive, and passionate people are drawn with such skill that you laugh and ache with them. While the earlier books were narrated entirely in the first person by the undauntable Amelia Peabody, this latest book (and also the previous one "Seeing a Large Cat") includes parts told from the viewpoints of other family members, particularly her precocious son Ramses who we watched grow up in preceeding books. Peters captures the generation gap perfectly, deftly exposing the frailties of both groups - the tendency of parents to underestimate their children, and vice-versa. Having read the series from start to finish (about 12 books) I am completely hooked. I can't wait for the next book to see what happens next in the lives of this remarkable group of people Peters has created.