Elizabeth Peters - Thunder in the Sky (2000)

This is book 12 in the Amelia Peabody series.

It's 1914 and the Emersons are spending another dig season in Egypt, but their archaeological yearnings take a backseat to World War 1. Ramses, opposed to war, is collecting white feathers from the British community. David is interned in India and Nefret is foolishly playing with their newest enemy, Percy. Aside from the Emerson-family-theatrics is the civil unrest in Egypt as an uprising looms in Cairo, and the influx of soldiers, training for trench warfare and protecting the Suez Canal.

The Emersons work well together in this book, apart from Nefret, whom they still don't seem to entirely trust. Not surprising considering how prone she is to impulsiveness. Which is one of the main reasons Percy is now their enemy - Nefret betrayed Ramses' secret in a fit of rage to Percy. But, alls well that ends well - sort of. I'm happy Sethos is back and I absolutely do not believe the ending - it's just not possible! I really enjoyed this episode in the Emerson-drama. Finally the characters are meshing together and becoming that indomitable team that they just feel like they should be.

Elizabeth Peters - The Falcon at the Portal (1999)

This is book 11 in the Amelia Peabody series.

The Emersons are in 1911 Egypt, excavating at Zawyet el'Aryan. It's more like an English cemetary with lots of little tombs and they don't expect to find much there.

David has recently married Lia and they're off in Europe on their honeymoon. Whilst he's absent someone is pretending to be him to sell antiquities supposedly belonging to his late grandfather Abdullah.

Naturally the Emersons all run off searching in different directions for the forger, without consulting each other. Initially they get in each others way until they realise they're better working together.

They have a new nemesis, Amelia's nephew Percy and he brings darker troubles for the family than they've ever faced before. It's a much somber book. Usually the troubles are deep, but obviously surmountable. Yet this book just made me feel sad and overwhelmed.

I'm really starting to like Ramses and Nefret again. They have matured and are less like arrogant idiots. The whole family is more cohesive and open with each other. They work great as a team. Yet, I find Nefret's marriage impossible to believe. It's probably the feminist in me, but I just cannot comprehend how a woman could be that stupid or petty. Nefret almost threw her life away without a good reason. I know the character is impulsive, but that is taking it all a bit far. I do wonder sometimes what kind of people Peters knew that put these characteristics in her mind.

As ominous as this book felt, I did like it, even though the ending had me raging. I'm really saddened that Peters is dead, I feel like something bright has been lost from the world and there is no-one gifted enough these days to take her place.

Elizabeth Peters - Seeing a Large Cat (1997)

This is the ninth book in the Amelia Peabody series. It is 1903/4 excavation season and the Emerson clan are back in Egypt and living in their house outside Luxor, close to the Valley of the Kings. There are a few years between this book and the last, with a lot of changes inbetween. Emerson is making a survery of all the forgotten tombs, something everyone is finding very boring after locating a Royal Tomb in 1900. Ramses is suddenly all grown up and has spent the last six months with the Bedouins, away from his parents and learning many things that seem to have changed his personality almost completely. Nefret is now a young lady studying medicine and David is a young man who is English in every way except that he is Egyptian. Saddest of all is the death of the cat Bastet, Ramses childhood friend and companion.

This book was a bit of a shock. I didn't expect Peters to jump forward through so many years and to downplay Amelia and Emerson in the mystery like they were a couple of old crones. They're around 48, if Amelia gave her correct age in the first book, and that's not quite putting them in their dotage.

The Emersons do find a mummy in this book, but it's of a recently murdered woman and the family are once more plunged into a mystery. They tend to bumble around each other because they're all so secretive and sure they're right, so they refuse to share anything with each other. There was a lot of overlap and some silly dangers that could have been avoided. The whole secrecy aspect is going too far. After it almost got Amelia killed in the last book they should know better.

The story was okay, but I disliked a lot of the characters. Ramses is no longer my favourite. It's a good continuation of the series, but that was pretty much it for me.

Elizabeth Peters - The Hippopotamus Pool (1996)

This is the eighth book in the Amelia Peabody series. It is 1900 and the whole family is back in Egypt for this excavation season where they stumble upon a Royal Tomb in Thebes - mostly by following the thieves back to it. This has two parties after them, one to protect Queen Tetisheri and one to kill off the Emersons and loot her tomb.

It was a fun book, but I didn't like the ending. I thought that, after everything she has experienced, Amelia's character was incredibly stupid.

I was very happy to have Walter and Evelyn back in Egypt, but I didn't think their characters resolved out very well. Evelyn arrived in Egypt heart-broken and at some point everything was suddenly fine? Maybe that got lost in the editing.

So a few hiccups in this book, but it was still a good book in the series. Ramses and Nefret develop into teenagers and they're joined by another 'brother', David. I'm still quite fond of Ramses, he's interesting, but nice and not a bully like his father. I like Emerson, but his constant bullying and yelling at people gets tiring after a book or three.