Customer Reviews

The Ape Who Guards the Balance

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

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 of Chicago) who weaves historical references into her narratives, Peters the author is just as comfortable describing the dusty streets of Cairo as she is detailing the events of a swanky European dinner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.

I have yet to be disappointed by Elizabeth Peters. I love the way that she manages to include ample information about the Victorian period and about archaeological exploration in Egypt while providing a compelling mystery. The family members are engrossing, and this time I was interested in the recurring issue of women's "place" in the society of the time. We heard about the suffrage movement in England and the literacy movement in Egypt, both portents of things to come. I am ready for the next in the series!

I will admit, I don't read much fiction. Especially not modern fiction. But, being something of an Egyptology enthusiast (small wonder, since I am mother to one) I decided to give this book a go. And I am so glad I did! It actually kept me so interested that I couldn't sleep until I had finished it. I stayed reading till after three a.m. What a pity that this is the only book of the series that my library has!

I do not read many mystery novels - generally, I read the first and last five pages, to see the problem and its solution. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie were about the only mystery writers I ever read - until I read "The Ape Who Guards the Balance", by Elizabeth Peters. I could not put it down, and am now a confirmed Peabody enthusiast.

The story is well-crafted, delivered with wit, charm, and elegance of style. The characters are all believable (some feat, surely, for people of such fondness for peroration) and framed with precision and allure. I shan't give away any details, as I hate to ruin a good yarn, which this surely is.

One note: while I do not generally exhort strict adherence to sequential structure, I would advise that the Reader would get more enjoyment from reading the Peabody series in chronological order than hodgepodge. The development and maturation of the characters is more easily displayed and ascertained through sequential order.

I needed something to read... I read the back cover and it sounded interesting so I bought it. After reading this wonderful book and falling in love with the characters and their almost comedic tendency to become embroiled in who-done-its, I realized that this was the latest in a series of Amelia Peabody mysteries. I immediately ran out and bought the entire series to read from start to finish. Lion in the Valley was out of print so I scoured used book stores for it. Now I have read all the books in the series and recommend them to everyone!

The many plot twists, red herrings, false leads and unexpected triumphs of "The Ape Who Guards the Balance" has been covered skillfully in other reviews elsewhere so I won't supply a plot synopsis here. It might be better to use this small space to tell why this book and this series is such a special treat to this fan.

Ms. Peters gives us romance without being maudlin, action without excessive or graphic violence and mystery without melodrama. (ok, maybe a *little* melodrama) Her humor is laugh-out-loud funny and she even manages to insert Egyptian history without dogma, except perhaps when Ramses delivers one of his condescending lectures.

But it is the characters we remember most.

Intricate, tightly woven plots are the mark of a good mystery, but if we don't care about the characters, who cares where the plot takes us? The characters are well drawn, well thought out and compliment each other. Can you imagine Amelia without Emerson's verbal sparring? It seems Ramses and Nefret are destined to carry on this enlivening tradition: will it be the next book where they admit to each other what we all have guessed by now? Can Sethos really stay his hand from Amelia's most engaging affairs? (Not bloo- er blooming likely.)

Ms. Peters has also been able to get around the limitations of the first person narrative by "discovering" additional manuscripts describing the main events but written by other combatants, er, participants. It's great fun seeing the same event described from greatly contrasting viewpoints.

Anyone whose interest in Egyptology has been piqued by the recent discoveries of Kent Weeks and Miroslav Verner would be well advised to save the airfare to that troubled region. For a tiny fraction of that cost you can pick up a copy of "The Ape Who Guards the Balance" and enjoy all the mystery, danger and romance and not worry about the local water. What a bargain!

I fervently wish Amelia (and Ms. Peters!) a long and fruitful life so that we may enjoy this series for years to come. Especially to the year 1922, when her friend Howard Carter makes (with much help, poking and prodding from the Emersons) the most famous descent in modern archeology: down the sixteen steps of KV62 and into the final resting place of Tutankhamun.

I imagine Emerson having preceded him there, sapphire eyes snapping in the torchlight with archeological fever. Bruised, bloodied but not bowed, his torn clothing in disarray.

"Don't stand there gawking, Peabody, there's work to be done," as his strong arms circles her waist.

"Emerson!" she exclaims, searching the depth of those eyes.

"Another shirt ruined!"

Fans of Amelia Peabody and her willful entourage will enjoy this addition to the series. As a stand-alone story it leaves much to be desired. There's a lot more talk than action, more brute violence than sophisticated mystery, more accounting of trivial social events than archaeological puzzles. And if you haven't read the previous books, you'll probably be confused by the recurring characters and their agendas. Still, aficionados won't want to miss the latest chapter in the lives of a unique and very entertaining family.

I first picked up an Amelia Peabody mystery on a whim. Now I'm addicted. Peters' stylish and intelligent prose makes her books worth reading, and you feel that your mind is expanding with every page. Once you read one, you'll want to read them all. No other author has brought Egypt, it's people, and adventure more to life.

Highly regarded archeologist Professor Radcliffe Emerson has recently alienated too many administrators. In retaliation, he has been relegated to wandering around the Egypt's Valley of the Kings, which by 1907 has been explored too many times for any individual to get excited about it. However, having his beloved wife Amelia Peabody, their adult son Ramses, and their foster children (Nefret and David) along with him will ease the tedium.

In a slummy section of Cairo, the children purchase a papyrus of the Book of the Dead. Abruptly what was to be a dull season has become very exciting because two people are murdered and the Master Criminal has surfaced. This time he defeats Amelia in his game of cat and mouse, but fails to account for her now maturing allies, the next generation of Emersons, who just might tip the scales back in favor of the good guys.

The tenth Peabody novel, THE APE WHO GUARDS THE BALANCE, demonstrates why Elizabeth Peters recently was the recipient of the Grand Master Award by the Mystery Writers of America. The novel, like all the Peabody tales, is complicated but humorous and loaded with interesting historical references from two eras (antiquity and the first decade of the twentieth century) that surround an intriguing mystery. However, what makes the latest entry so refreshing and fun to read is the maturing of the next generation of Emersons. This will elate fans of the series and bring in new readers as well.

Harriet Klausner

This book is enjoyable and fun like the rest in this wonderful series, but it does not do well as a "stand-alone" novel. There are too many things that have gone on in previous books that keep cropping up in this one for someone who is new to the series to be able to understand and to enjoy the book as it should be enjoyed. This is a wonderful series and each of the books in it are great in their own right, but in order to be fully appreciated, the series should be read as a series and in order. This allows for the maximum enjoyment of each installment. That way the reader can see the relationship between Amelia and her Emerson develop, they can watch the children as they grow up, and understand each of these characters fully. Besides, it's such great fun to read these books. I can always hardly wait for the next one. This book was set in 1907, and it takes place in The Valley of Kings where Amelia and Emerson have been excavating for a number of seasons already. The mystery and the adventure are exciting, and we see some of the Emersons' previous villains appear in this one. What I really enjoyed though was Ramses and seeing the man he has become. He is going to be a formidable presence in upcoming books.