Rating: 
Summary: Surprising plot twists, and very, very funny.
Review: After 9 books in the series, I was worried this one might not live up to my expectations. But it is one of the best, with the usual cast of characters, and with my all time favorite, Ramses, in a starring role. Amelia is in fine forms, and as Emerson says, "People frequently shoot at her." I was very surprised by some of the plot twists, and now I have to wait for the next book to find out what happens. Please write quickly, Ms. Peters.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put this down!
Review: I read this book in about six hours. I love what Peters' is doing with Manuscript H and assorted letters and "books" in fleshing out her novel. The cliffhanger ending has me anxiously waiting for the next installment. Peters' is one of the few authors that I keep in hardcover since I'm always re-reading Amelia's exploits.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent historical mystery
Review: In 1911, Egyptology Professor Radcliffe Emerson is disappointed with his assignment. While other teams luxuriate amidst the fabulous Giza strip, he works at two losers in a remote area. Still, Radcliffe, his wife Amelia Peabody, and their usual entourage travel from England to the two pyramids he is to excavate. The seemingly dull dig takes several spins. As close friend David Todos marries their niece, his archeological reputation is being ruined as he is accused of selling forgeries. Amelia plans to rectify that problem without informing the happy groom that his credibility along the Nile has sunk beneath the surface. She plans to expose the real forger. However, while Amelia works that trick, accidents and murder threaten to destroy the Emerson dig as well as the two families close ties. Amelia knows she has a lot of work to do if she is to uncover the culprits and save her beloved extended family. The Amelia Peabody mysteries have been some of the best early twentieth century novels on the market during the past decade. The newest addition, THE FALCON AT THE PORTAL may be the top tale in the superb collection. Elizabeth Peters paints a multi-plotted story with much human emotion that cleverly ties into a wonderful work of historical fiction. Amelia and her clan remain an exciting brood, whose changes throughout the previous books appear genuine and augment the various stories. Already, highly regarded as an exemplary historical mystery series, this particular novel stands out as the best of a long run of excellent works. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: PRAISE FOR THE FALCON AT THE PORTAL
Review: "Amelia Peabody and the entire Emerson clan return for an 11th delightful outing in Grand Master Peters's newest (after THE APE WHO GUARDS THE BALANCE). The 1911 excavation season in Egypt doesn't seem to hold many exciting possibilities for Amelia's tempestuous husband, professor Radcliffe Emerson. The glories of the Giza have been allotted to other archaeology teams, leaving him to scrutinize an unremarkable pair of pyramids at I. Zawaiet el 'Aryan. Nonetheless, it is soon clear that the British family's annual trip to the ancient lands will be anything but uneventful. First, David, their son Ramses's Egyptian friend and their niece's new husband, is accused of selling expensive forgeries of ancient Egyptian artifacts. Then Amelia's devious nephew, Percy, arrives in Cairo and a young American acquaintance is found murdered. When a small child of mysterious parentage appears and someone starts shooting at Ramses, the Emerson family faces an unprecedented series of crises. Bursting with intrigue and frustrated romance, the novel does an admirable job of keeping its many subplots in balance, and the author's snappy dialogue and rapid pacing make for high suspense. Peters has never written with more assurance or passion than she does in this latest chronicle of a superb series." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred
Rating: 
Summary: Forgery, murder, just a usual season for the Emersons...
Review: The Falcon at the Portal picks up some years after the painful events of The Ape Who Guards the Balance (painful for me because I didn't like the book, and painful for the Emersons personally). David and Lia are finally to be married, Nefret and Ramses haven't sorted themselves out yet, and Amelia and Emerson are still themselves. All sounds well enough, but when David is accused of forging artifacts, and Emerson submits to blackmail to keep the accusations secret, the Emerson family detection machine goes into action to keep the newlyweds happy and safe. The mystery follows the family on their seasonal expedition to Egypt, where Amelia has a chance to excavate a (shabby) pyramid. Then the usual annoyances-- sprays of gunfire, near-fatal 'accidents,' despicable family members-- pop up, and before too long the Emersons find a very dead body at the bottom of a pyramid shaft.
I will be brief: I loved this book. The snappy dialogue and vibrant characterization I want from a Peabody book was there. The interaction between the 'kids': Ramses, Nefret, David, and Lia-- was delightful. Lia, an annoyance in the previous book, was redeemed here, and the chemistry between David and Ramses sparkles as usual. Cyrus and Katherine Vandergelt, my favourite recurring characters, also have some wonderful scenes. I don't necessary read Peabody books for the mystery, I read them because I enjoy being immersed in the atmosphere that the characters generate. This installment of the series was as richly atmospheric as any: the scenes between David, Lia, and Ramses on board the Amelia, or the "war-room" scene where the Emersons finally break the forgery story to David's family and to the Vandergelts-- great stuff. I'd love to see it onscreen. I enjoy the "mental" aspect of this book, as I watch considerable minds of these characters puzzle out the messy situation they're in.
I don't want to say more about the plotline. The storyarc is a devastating one, though I don't find the "soap-opera" label warranted. This particular novel is likely to upset fans of the series (judging from other reviews, it sure seems to). I loved it, and I feel it makes a perfect companion piece to its sequel, the magnificent He Shall Thunder in the Sky. This book ends with the fabric of the Emerson family unraveled, and "Thunder" takes those threads, mingles them with other threads from throughout the series, and weaves them into something grand.
(I will add that I read "Thunder" first, and so got the catharsis and closure *before* I read the traumatic stuff. I read them in proper order later and still liked them.)
It's still a fantastic series; it's just not the lighthearted romp it once was. The changing tone of the series fits the changing backdrop of "current events"-- genteel Victorian travellers > tourist infestation > the Sudanese war > tourist infestation > native unrest and the premonitory twitches of World War I.
I would give this four-and-a-half stars if possible.
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Summary: Amelia does it again!
Review: The amazing and bullheaded Amelia is back. But of even greater significance, so is her son Ramses and ward Nefret. As usual this book entertains the reader, but there is even more intrigue when Ramses is getting in on the act. If you loved the other Peabody mysteries, this one will have you enthralled as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Dribble
Review: I've read several other books written by Elizabeth Peters and have enjoyed them. But this book was not up to her usual standards. Combine an over use of superfluous adjectives with a weak story line and an unexplained passage of time by the end of the book you earned five stars just for sticking with it.
Rating:
Summary: Four stars isn't enough, five stars is a tiny bit too much
Review: Like most of the other reviewers, I was entranced by the story in this book, happy for David and Lia, frustrated for Ramses and Nefret...but it held together very well. Ms. Peters has developed these characters a great deal since my first reading years and years ago, and has incorporated the political realities in a very real way. As I said in my review of "The Ape..." I would love to give 4.75 stars but Amazon doesn't have the facilities for that. Read it, enjoy it, and by all means, have fun with it!
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