Seeing a Large Cat

Rating:
Summary: HER BEST YET!
Review: I've eagerly devoured all of the Amelia Peabody books. I was delighted to find Ramses, David, and Nefret strong-minded individuals--as strong-minded as Amelia and Emerson. I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one. Please hurry!!

Rating:
Summary: I don't believe I finish this book
Review: If you think that in this book you will read something interesting about the ancient Egypt, you are completely wrong, the main story of the book is the diary of Amelia Peabody, but I don't think that if someone writes a diary will write what think another person, you can't do that, you just don't know what others think.
Basically the book is the story of an assassin who killed his wife ten years or so before this story, it really is boring and boring.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Rendition of Egyptian Mystery!
Review: Seeing A Large Cat was Elizabeth Peters at her best. The book is truly intriguing and quickly draws you in- I couldn't put the book down!. The annual excavation trip to Egypt looks to be pretty boring exploring non-noble already discovered tombs in the Valley of the Kings. But knowing Amelia, something is bound to happen- and it did! A 15 year old mummy in a "new" tomb, dangers galore, and a long list of exciting suspects forms the basis for this excellent Amelia Peabody mystery. Good Gad, you've just got to read it!

Rating:
Summary: How Elizabeth Peters has created another wonderful mystery.
Review: Seeing a Large Cat, the most recent Amelia Peabody book, is one of the best yet. The excitement and surprise most certainly brings admiration for Elizabeth Peter's flair to hold reader's on the edge of their seats. Many interesting possibilities arise for the Emerson family. It appears Sethos may not truly be dead after all. The children are quickly maturing and outstepping their adolescence. Nefret and Ramses become more precocious with the turn of each page and any reader is forced to wait for the next Elizabeth Peters book. It will be interesting to see how things develop, not only with Manuscript H, but how David, Ramses and Nefret fall to the doom that became apparent at the end of the novel. Hopefully Nefret and Ramses will mature into adults who will not mimic Amelia and Emerson. Though the two have carried the series for so long, to have Nefret and Ramses become them would ruin their chracters and uniqueness. Any readers of the Vicky Bliss series may remember the character John remarking he had ties to Egypt. Maybe he is a descendent of the Emersons! There have certainly been many subtle references (and some not so subtle) that connect the two series. Who knows what else will happen. The book is wonderful, but hopefully the best is yet to come. Ms. Whitney-Jones will probably reappear. And following a past tradition of villains returing from previous novels (i.e. Sethos and Bertha), we may soon see Ms. Dolly again, maybe with a venegeance her snippish, flirtatious self never fully projected. However, having a jealous, embittered female return might just be too similair to the many women who have been in love with Emerson and tried to extract their revenge through Amelia. However, Elizabeth Peters should not fall into plot repition. Ramses cannot become Emerson, he is an individual to himself, and will hopefully always remain so.

Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointed!
Review: The Peabody series rebounds after the uneven Hippopotamus Pool, but rather than returning to the tone of the pre-Nefret books, it takes off in a new direction. The "children"-- calculating Ramses, gutsy Nefret, and gentle David-- come into their own here, though sixteen-year old Ramses still, at times, seems older than his two comrades combined. Peters allows the readers access to the minds of these three through the device of "Manuscript H," which provides a welcome contrast to Amelia's familiar but none too reliable way of recounting events.

This volume has a smaller cast of characters than some of its predecessors; a handful of familiar faces is balanced by a handful of new ones, but the mystery benefits rather than suffers from this reduced cast. It's a unique case this time, with no pesky journalists needed to lend the events an air of exoticism. The juxaposition of a medium, her delusional client, a five-year-old disappearence and a highly unconventional mummy create a blend of a genuinely interesting plot and the characterization and dialogue at which Peters excels.

Darkness begins to creep into this once-lighthearted (in spite of all the murders) series, as foreshadowed conflict between the three children builds to premonitory images of doom at the novel's end. In other words, proceed directly to The Ape Who Guards the Balance if you want answers... though you may not like what you find.

Rating:
Summary: Splendid new direction for a long-running series
Review: The Peabody series rebounds after the uneven Hippopotamus Pool, but rather than returning to the tone of the pre-Nefret books, it takes off in a new direction. The "children"-- calculating Ramses, gutsy Nefret, and gentle David-- come into their own here, though sixteen-year old Ramses still, at times, seems older than his two comrades combined. Peters allows the readers access to the minds of these three through the device of "Manuscript H," which provides a welcome contrast to Amelia's familiar but none too reliable way of recounting events.

This volume has a smaller cast of characters than some of its predecessors; a handful of familiar faces is balanced by a handful of new ones, but the mystery benefits rather than suffers from this reduced cast. It's a unique case this time, with no pesky journalists needed to lend the events an air of exoticism. The juxaposition of a medium, her delusional client, a five-year-old disappearence and a highly unconventional mummy create a blend of a genuinely interesting plot and the characterization and dialogue at which Peters excels.

Darkness begins to creep into this once-lighthearted (in spite of all the murders) series, as foreshadowed conflict between the three children builds to premonitory images of doom at the novel's end. In other words, proceed directly to The Ape Who Guards the Balance if you want answers... though you may not like what you find.

Rating:
Summary: Splendid new direction for a long-running series
Review: The Peabody series rebounds after the uneven Hippopotamus Pool, but rather than returning to the tone of the pre-Nefret books, it takes off in a new direction. The "children"-- calculating Ramses, gutsy Nefret, and gentle David-- come into their own here, though sixteen-year old Ramses still, at times, seems older than his two comrades combined. Peters allows the readers access to the minds of these three through the device of "Manuscript H," which provides a welcome contrast to Amelia's familiar but none too reliable way of recounting events.

This volume has a smaller cast of characters than some of its predecessors; a handful of familiar faces is balanced by a handful of new ones, but the mystery benefits rather than suffers from this reduced cast. It's a unique case this time, with no pesky journalists needed to lend the events an air of exoticism. The juxaposition of a medium, her delusional client, a five-year-old disappearence and a highly unconventional mummy create a blend of a genuinely interesting plot and the characterization and dialogue at which Peters excels.

Darkness begins to creep into this once-lighthearted (in spite of all the murders) series, as foreshadowed conflict between the three children builds to premonitory images of doom at the novel's end. In other words, proceed directly to The Ape Who Guards the Balance if you want answers... though you may not like what you find.

Rating:
Summary: The Excitement is BACK!
Review: This has got to be Peabody's best adventure yet. Ramses is now a fully developed individual in his own right, as is Nefret. The triumvirate formed by Ramses, Nefret and David is formidable indeed! The inclusion of the H manuscript not only provides valuable insight into the trios thoughts, but also leaves the reader in doubt as to which is the true author. The admission that Sethos is not dead tantalizes us with the hope of future meetings between Peabody and her nefarious admirer!

Rating:
Summary: Fun fluff
Review: This is a fun, quick read...perfect for a plane ride or a lazy afternoon. It's a historic, aristocratic murder mystery...an old-fashioned who-dunnit placed in Egypt at the beginning of the century, when archaeological discoveries were in their prime.

The main characters are a family of noted egyptologists well known not only for their famed discoveries (tombs, mummies, you know..) but for their spate of crime solving successes. Each family member has an over-the-top persona, and the dialog is hilarious due to both the aristocratic flair and the high-drama egos.

The mystery is fairly simplistic, but it's really more about the style than the substance. This novel is high-camp all the way, which makes for a fun, amusing read. There is an entire series of mysteries with this family/setting, but, honestly, one was enough for me. As goofy and fun as this one was, I certainly wasn't intrigued by the characters--as, clearly, the author intended me to be--I was, rather, amused and slightly annoyed with them.

Rating:
Summary: What a wonderful find
Review: This is the first book in the series that I read. What a wonderful enjoyment! I actually listened to the story on tape on my way to and from work and discovered that it was not such a good idea. Peabody is a bit quirky and her character will make you smile, but there are some scenes that one really needs to concentrate on, and behind the wheel is not a place to do it.

I did enjoy the novel and have continued to read each new book in the series. My goal is to eventually go back and pick up the previous seven installments.