The Falcon at the Portal (Amelia Peabody, Book 11) (Mass Market Paperback)

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Key Phrases: private tombs, Aunt Amelia, Jack Reynolds, Father of Curses (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"'Really,' I thought in mounting exasperation, 'there never was a household in which so many people felt free to offer their unsolicited opinions!'" This, of course, is the eminent Egyptologist and dedicated crime solver Amelia Peabody, setting the stage and the tone (an updated Oscar Wildean irony) for Elizabeth Peters's 11th book. And it's true that there are no shrinking violets in this particular household, from the redoubtable Amelia and her hot-tempered archaeologist husband Emerson (his native diggers call him the Father of Curses), to their dashing, unpredictable son Ramses (born Walter). Also, let's not forget their lovely ward, Nefret (rescued from a desert tribe several books back), and their butler, Gargery, "who wields a cudgel as handily as he carves a roast."

As she has so many times before, Peters presents us with this quaint--even campy--little group of people, plops them down in an exotic Egyptian setting, and then surprises us by involving them in a story of great strength and emotion.

It's 1911, and David Todros, a young Egyptian who has just married into the Peabody family, is suspected of dealing in forged antiquities, possibly to help support a rising nationalist movement. Amelia, Emerson, Ramses, and Nefret all take various actions to help David, and there are serious, dangerous consequences for everyone involved. Despite the melodramatic setting and the theatrical language, Peters's story is--as always--modern, believable, and exciting.

Other books in the Peabody series available in paperback are The Ape Who Guards the Balance, The Crocodile on the Sandbank, The Curse of the Pharaohs, and The Hippopotamus Pool. --Dick Adler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Fake artifacts, dead bodies, and a mysterious child demand Amelia Peabody's attention in her latest.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Avon; 1st THUS edition (April 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380798573
• ISBN-13: 978-0380798575
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (173 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #180,640 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 11 in The Amelia Peabody Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book was character driven and suprising., July 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Falcon at the Portal: An Amelia Peabody Mystery (Hardcover)

When I finally got my hands on The Falcon At The Portal, I felt the familiar rise of Petersonian fever. I let the house go hang, sent the children out to play in the traffic, and immersed myself in the delights of Amelia Peabody and company. What followed was satisfying and surprising. Unlike most mysteries, the latest offerings in this series seem to be more character driven than story driven. The relationships among some of the main characters have become excruciatingly complicated, but in ways I never could have imagined after reading the preceeding book. Peters generates considerable heat between Ramses and Nefret. The passionate, loving and devoted marriage of Amelia and Emerson remains comfortingly central to the action. A crucial new character is introduced, cousin Percy is resurrected, and Abdullah is mourned on every page. The mystery is tidily wrapped up at the end of the book, but personal loose ends are left floating everywhere. If Ms. Peters insists on writing cliff-hangers, it is my fervent hope that she is eating properly, getting regular check-ups, and looking both ways before she crosses the street! I eagerly await the next installment.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Amelia Peabody book yet, December 1, 1999

By	Elizabeth Kerner (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Falcon at the Portal: An Amelia Peabody Mystery (Hardcover)

In Falcon at the Portal, Elizabeth Peters goes far more deeply than ever before into the emotional lives of all of her characters. From the lovely evocative dreams that Amelia has of Abdullah, to the sheer passion that possesses Ramses, Peters lets us see and feel with her characters more surely than ever before, while not losing a jot of the usual madness that surrounds the Emersons every season - forged antiquities, doubts being cast on family members, and more than a few completely unexpected plot twists, turns and in fact revolutions! Brilliant writing, great fun, and deeper (and, yes, darker) than most of the series, this is a *terrific* book, and I await the next in happy anticipation. Peters is a splendid writer, long may she wave!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Campy Victorian Archeological Soap Opera Soars!, May 30, 2000

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Falcon at the Portal: An Amelia Peabody Mystery (Hardcover)

I adore the Amelia Peabody novels because they are so unlike any other mystery series. First, the bulk of the time is spent on archeological digs pursuing important scholarship in Egypt. Second, the characters are so outrageously original (Amelia is an early 20th century Wonder Woman who passionately craves her husband, Emerson is a steam boiler always about to go off on some emotional tangent or other, Ramses is a mixture of Oliver Twist and Super Boy, Nefret is Elizabeth Taylor in Dr. Florence Nightingale's role -- you get the idea). Third, the plots always involve lots of local history and interesting perspectives on manners of the period. Fourth, the whole crew is always off on some unexpected adventure or other. I often wonder how any of them ever sleep, between their day-time adventures and the clandestine night-time ones. It makes me tired just to think about them.

The characters have really grown on me. This is one of the few series I have read where the characters are probably the main attraction. The Nero Wolfe books by Rex Stout have a similar attraction for me.

In this book (as in the recent ones), the action revolves around tensions among the family members. Clearly, everyone wants more psycholoical space, but the others good-heartedly want to look out for each other and impinge on that space. One would think these characters had read Freud.

Two characteristics of this book bothered me. It seems like the loose ends were greater in the family drama at the end of the book than they were at the beginning. I don't mind if Elizabeth Peters is going to do that, but she should bring out two books at the same time when she does so we are not left waiting so long for the resolution.

My other concern is that I think that Peters cheated a bit with Nefret's actions and emotions in this one. The Nefret I had built up in my mind (child goddess of the desert who captivates all and sundry who come within her reach) disappeared in this novel, and seemed to be replaced by an imposter. I think that Peters owes it to us to close this gap with one of her upcoming books.

If you have not read any of the Amelia Peabody mysteries, DO NOT START WITH THIS ONE! Most of the joy of these novels comes in the build-up of the characters from one book to the next. While you need not read them all, you certainly should work through them chronologically from the earliest publication date. Have a great time when you do, and keep your tongue firmly in your cheek!