Customer Reviews

A River in the Sky (Amelia Peabody Mysteries)

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(27)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I read this entire book with a huge grin on my face. Amelia is back in perfect form, and so is Emerson.

This book takes place in 1910, and in the story chronology it falls between Guardian of the Horizon and Falcon at the Portal. I think Ramses is about 18 here, and you can see him in the process of becoming the man he is in later installments.

This 19th entry into the series is wonderful fun--and is concentrated on the activities of just the central members of the clan, which makes the story feel like a return to some of the earlier tales where there wasn't such an enormous cast of characters to keep track of. While I like knowing what all the various characters are up to, it's nice to focus on the main characters this time.

The Emersons manage to dominate any landscape they enter, and their excursion into the Holy Land brings in some new and interesting elements.

Fans of the Emersons will rejoice!

I've been a fan of Elizabeth Peters for over 20 years, so the prospect of a new Amelia book is always thrilling to me. I was admittedly a bit disappointed in the last book in the series, which, though wonderfully written, was really more of a tribute to King Tut's tomb than an Amelia story. This book, on the other hand, was back to Peters' classic formula. Another dead body? Another shirt ruined? Heavenly!

The story takes place in pre-WWI 1910, as Amelia, Emerson, and company head to Palestine to stop a politically and religiously sensitive excavation of holy ground. It was wonderful to see Amelia and Emerson charging around berating political and religious leaders alike for their failures in the region, and even better to see Ramses as a tentative, developing 23 year-old. With a good plot, credible villains, and a cast of characters small enough that I was able to enjoy them all to the fullest, I loved every minute of it... especially Sethos' appearance (which all of the Emersons missed - but I didn't!) A treasure for any long-time fan of the series and highly recommended!

I agree with some reviews that this installment was shorter and lacking in detail in places, but it reminded me of what got me hooked on this series in the first place 20 years ago - Peabody and Emerson! Peabody's "little lists"; her parasol; her self-confidence; her steely, take-no-prisoners mentality (all wrapped up in the perfect decorum of a Victorian British lady, of course); and the wonderful driving force behind the series, the passionate yet loving relationship she shares with Emerson, her hunky, hilarious, brilliant and outspoken husband, "the greatest Egyptologist of this or any other age". They are a delicious pair, with their "refreshing discussions", charging in where angels fear to tread, fighting the good fight against spies, criminals, inept bureaucrats, archeologists and hypocrites everywhere.

So, while I agree that this might not be up to the excellent standards Ms. Peters set for herself in previous books, her middling best is still better than a lot of what is out there for mystery buffs - especially those of us who enjoy a large dollop of humor in the mix - so I liked it and gave it four stars accordingly. I only hope there are more Peabody and Emerson adventures to come, whether they are set after 1922 or during the "in-between years"!

I've enjoyed all the Amelia Peabody books, but was disappointed in this one. Most of the books were published in chronological order ... that is to say, Amelia and the rest of the characters are a bit older in each book. Even larger than life fictional characters can't live forever (except perhaps Sherlock Holmes), and so Peters has been filling in the blanks. Since there were multiple times that the series initially jumped several years, there are quite a few opportunities.

Sadly, there just wasn't room for the characters or their relationships to develop in this book. Ramses and Nefret's relationship can't develop, because it is already established that NOTHING HAPPENS between them during this time period. The same is true of all the characters. We know where they've been and where they will go, and there just isn't any room for them to move in this book.

There are spies, captures, escapes, little lists, the parasol, and another dead body.

Nothing we haven't seen before.

I gulped this baby down in one sitting. Unlike some other reviewers, I thoroughly enjoyed the new setting of Palestine. As usual the denouement was almost an afterthought, but still this is a welcome addition to the Oeuvre. That makes nineteen of this series that I have read, with no major complaints. And while $12.99 (Kindle Edition) may seem like a bit too much for an evening's entertainment, it is less than four glasses of Pinot Noir at my local canteen, and after reading the book I woke up the next morning without a hangover.

To be frank, I am not exactly sure what to think about A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters. It's another one of her "Go Between" books where she takes the Amelia Peabody series back to the past and fills in some of the gaps. As other reviewers have mentioned, this is unsatisfying on many counts because it does nothing to move the characters forward and does nothing to develop the relationships. We already know that Ramses and Nefret get married. We already know that David marries Amelia's niece. We already know who the Master Criminal is and what happens to him.

Since we already know what happens to all the characters, about all that is left to enjoy is the interaction between them, however we are robbed of that as well since Ramses and David are separated from the rest of the group for most of the book. Again, this is very unsatisfying.

Finally, I really don't have the foggiest idea of what happened in the book. It involves some kind of homeland movement or something or other and much of the impetus for the crimes, whatever they are, is political-- none of which particularly interests me so I zoned out through much of it. I realize that Peters has kind of run out of places to go with this series because if she continues into the post WW I future, the history of Egyptian archaeology is fairly well known and she would have to change some history pretty blatantly, which I don't think she really wants to do.

That all being said, this is still an Amelia Peabody book, and I get the feeling that Peters loves her character as much as her fans do and just can't keep from writing about her. Since she can't really go forward, she takes it backwards so she can at least do something with her.

And this definitely is an Amelia Peabody book with all of the traits we know and love-- Emerson will bombast and Amelia will pontificate and Nefret will be kind and Ramses will be lovesick, but when the family gets together, they will all support each other and come to one another's aid. There is a very charming scene at the end with Ramses and Amelia on a little adventure by themselves, which perfectly lays open not only the love between them but also the trust and the respect.

So to heck with the fact that the mystery itself in this book didn't do anything for me. Reading this book is like returning to visit family after a long time away. The characters are just as they have always been and it's a very comforting home to visit. I would love to have new Peabody material, but if this is all we can get, I'll take it because it is family and when push comes to shove, family is sometimes the only thing upon which we can rely.

Amelia Peabody and her Egyptologist husband, Radcliffe Emerson, are off, not to Egypt, but to Palestine. Out of chronological order, this one is set in 1910, at a time when the Ottoman Empire was crumbling and the British were trying to stem German influence in the Holy Land. The Emersons set off, at the behest of the War Office, which is concerned that a bumbling archaelogist may or may not be a German spy, but in any case is likely to engage in a dig that will antagonize Jew, Muslim and Christian alike.

As in all Peters' books, the bad guys aren't always easy to tell from the good, Ramses Emerson gets into hot water, there are mysterious societies, and what's right and wrong isn't always obvious. Unlike many of her books, though, there's a sense that Peters was going through the motions, putting in the stock scenes - Amelia with her umbrella, Emerson ranting, women throwing themselves at Ramses. There's very little emotional tension, and, frankly, the motivations of the characters are almost buried.

Not Peters' best.

The Amelia Peabody series is one that I come back to time and time again. I was so excited to read this book and to find out that it is set in 1910 before The Falcon and the Portal but after Guardian of the Horizon.

A River in the Sky begins with Amelia and Emerson at their home in England with Ramses off in Samaria on an expedition all his own. As to be expected, Amelia and Emerson encounter a bit of a mystery that leads them to an area not far from where Ramses is staying. With Nefret and others in tow, Amelia and Emerson begin their journey and investigation under the premise of an archaeological expedition. Amelia is her usual efficient and independent self with her lists and her parasol with Emerson at her side.

While I enjoyed having a chance to go back in the past with the characters and the opportunity to read about an adventure away from Egypt, I found that the story lacked some of the usual charm. The ending felt rushed and choppy. I will say that this book (at least the very beginning) reminded me why I fell in love with this series...Amelia and Emerson. Not to say that I do not enjoy Ramses and Nefret but their story is not what originally drew me to this series while I was in middle school! I would definitely recommend this book to any Amelia Peabody fan! However if this is your first book in this series I would say it would be a good idea to start from the beginning (but definitely read this in between The Falcon and the Portal and Guardian of the Horizon).

I only gave it 4 stars because it was shorter than the usual Amelia Peabody mysteries. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this episode in the lives of Amelia, Emerson, Ramses, Nefret and David! I liked that author left some things unstated, such as Nefret's connection with Ramses when he is in danger. People who have read the later books catch on. I particularly enjoyed Emerson in this round. He was in fine form from his first line, to the little matter of quelling a riot and of course his passion for excavating. The villains in this one were as satisfyingly mysterious as ever and as usual, Amelia and the other have to work together to untangle their various motivations. An exciting climax featuring Amelia and Ramses facing a crazy villain, a tunnel and a surprising danger was a great finish to this story.

Although this story is complete, I think there could be another one coming in the timeline before The Falcon at the Portal takes place. After all, there is one villain still on the loose and some incidents alluded to in Falcon and The Portal that were not explained in River in the Sky, so hopefully we'll see another one in a couple of years!

Elizabeth Peters is at her best when she writes as Amelia Peabody. This book, her most recent, is as comfortable to read as the entire series. Peters' use of the language of the time, her descriptions of the way a family interacts under all circumstances and her vivid recreation of Egypt and the adjacent areas of the world in the early 1900's is not to be missed.