This is a really great Amelia Peabody adventure, with a now mature heroine and her whole family involved in the dig. This is set in early 1922 as we are very close to a major discovery in the Kings Valley... and it is lovely to be there as we follow the Emersons and cie. The plot is really good and this is a great page turner. Egyptology and crimes, with a touch of family love and dynamics! ( )

It is 1922 and the Emersons are in Egypt when the widow of an antiquities collector asks Emerson to take charge of an artifact from his collection. She is convinced that the golden statue is cursed. Emerson is intrigued by the statue and wants to find out where it came from. It is of a time period that is the same as Tutankhamun's though his tomb has yet to be discovered. Common wisdom believes that there are no undiscovered tombs remaining in the Valley of the Kings.

Emerson was long since banned from excavating in the Valley of the Kings but has gotten a toehold when he was allowed to reexamine KV55 which had been excavated in a haphazard manner years earlier. Meanwhile, Ramses is intrigued by papyrus fragments from one the other sites that Emerson has charge of.

When the widow disappears Amelia's first thought is that it is a publicity stunt designed to reignite her career as the author of sensational novels. It leaves her stepson and stepdaughter as suspects in her disappearance.

Then the attacks begin on Ramses' life. There are other suspicious incidents too regarding both the woman and the statue. Even with many "little lists" Amelia and her family are having trouble figuring out who wants what.

This was another enjoyable episode in the Amelia Peabody series. ( )

I think my favorite part of this is when Amelia arranges a family meeting with all the chairs lined up in rows and herself behind a desk, and then pretends that it's a totally normal way to have a discussion. ( )

It’s such a shame that Elizabeth Peters died because I loved the way this series was heading with Ramses and Nefret with their own children (who naturally resemble themselves in their formative years), and Amelia and Emerson tasking on the role of detectives emeritus and Sethos the rather unpredictable eccentric uncle.

In this volume it’s 1922 and the family has returned to the Valley of the Kings However, before they can begin, a well-known author appears with a small, golden statue that she claims is cursed. Of course the Emersons are determined to discover the origins of this treasure leading them into yet another convoluted adventure. This book was a delight from start to finish. ( )

https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2022/12/2022159-serpent-on-crown-elizabeth.html ( )

I wanted to push through and finish the series after slogging through the first 16 books. However, the mystery part is sloooooooooooooooow. The characters, while familiar and comforting for readers looking for that dynamic, act entirely predictably and add nothing new of interest whatsoever. It feels like reading each of the previous 6 books over again, to the point that my attention drifts almost immediately despite Rosenblat's phenomenal narration. So I've given myself permission to remove the remaining books from my TBR. ( )

Synopsis: 'The Emersons have returned to the Valley of the Kings in 1922 and Amelia Peabody and her family look forward to delving once more into the age-old mysteries buried in Egypt's ever-shifting sands. But a widow's strange story -- and even stranger request -- is about to plunge them into a storm of secrets, treachery, and murder.
The woman, a well-known author, has come bearing an ill-gotten treasure -- a golden likeness of a forgotten king -- which she claims is cursed. She insists it has taken the life of her husband and unless it is returned to the tomb from which it was stolen, more people will die.
Amelia and her clan resolve to uncover the secrets of the statue's origins, setting off on a trail that twists and turns in directions they never anticipated -- and, perhaps, toward an old nemesis with unscrupulous new designs. But each step toward the truth seems to reveal another peril, suggesting to the intrepid Amelia that the curse is more than mere superstition. And its next victim might well be a beloved family member ... or Amelia Peabody herself.'
Review: Whew! I thought that Amelia was a goner and this was the end of the series. ( )

It's 1922 and the Emerson family has returned to the Valley of the Kings. Before they can even get settled back into their daily life, a widow implores Emerson to accept a small golden statue, which she claims carries a curse that killed her husband, a collector of antiquities. Shortly thereafter the woman disappears and several attempts to steal the statue are attempted. Everyone claims the kidnapping was done by a black afrit, which is a bad spirit. Before long a body is discovered and the Peabody/Emerson household is back in the murder solving business.

The story is nicely played out and several plots are woven together for complexity. Peabody’s Victorian rhetoric can go over the top but the author injects plenty of humorous banter, lots of bluster from Emerson, and enough swipes at Victorian propriety to keep the story lively. Veteran narrator Barbara Rosenblat doesn't miss any of the sly humor that readers/listeners have come to expect in the series. Ms. Rosenblat successfully inhabits diverse characters and presents distinctive voices that will entertain and amuse.

If you are a fan of the series you will enjoy this seventeenth book. I don't know if I would enjoy nearly as much if I was just reading it. I can't imagine a better narrator than Barbara Rosenblat who nails each one of the characters, book after book. ( )

I've read the whole series and have enjoyed them for an entertaining fast read. Unfortunately, this one fell flat. A friend loaned me the next one in the series so I'll give it a try and hope it's back to the level of the earlier books. ( )

It's 1922 and the Emerson family has returned to the Valley of the Kings. Before they can even get settled back into their daily life, a widow implores Emerson to accept a small golden statue, which she claims carries a curse that killed her husband, a collector of antiquities. Shortly thereafter the woman disappears and several attempts to steal the statue are attempted. Everyone claims the kidnapping was done by a black afrit, which is a bad spirit. Before long a body is discovered and the Peabody/Emerson household is back in the murder solving business.

The story is nicely played out and several plots are woven together for complexity. Peabody’s Victorian rhetoric can go over the top but the author injects plenty of humorous banter, lots of bluster from Emerson, and enough swipes at Victorian propriety to keep the story lively. Veteran narrator Barbara Rosenblat doesn't miss any of the sly humor that readers/listeners have come to expect in the series. Ms. Rosenblat successfully inhabits diverse characters and presents distinctive voices that will entertain and amuse.

If you are a fan of the series you will enjoy this seventeenth book. I don't know if I would enjoy nearly as much if I was just reading it. I can't imagine a better narrator than Barbara Rosenblat who nails each one of the characters, book after book.
( )

Serpent On The Crown, by Elizabeth Peters
★★★★ (★★★★★ and a ♥)

Synopsis: A priceless relic has been delivered to the Emerson home overlooking the Nile. But more than history surrounds this golden likeness of a forgotten king, for it is said early death will befall anyone who possesses it. The woman who implores the renowned family of archaeologists and adventurers to accept the cursed statue insists the ill-gotten treasure has already killed her husband. Further, she warns, unless it is returned to the tomb from which it was stolen, more will surely die. With the world finally at peace—and with Egypt's ancient mysteries opened to them once more—Amelia Peabody and her loved ones are plunged into a storm of secrets, treachery, and murder by a widow's strange story and even stranger request. Each step toward the truth reveals a new peril, suggesting this curse is no mere superstition. And the next victim of the small golden king could be any member of the close-knit clan—perhaps even Amelia herself.
In A Sentence: better than I previously remembered, but I still think the series starts to go downhill after book #12, and this is book #17.
My Thoughts: After a while, all the different things that happen to Amelia and her family just start to blend together. Even though I finished this yesterday, I can barely remember what happened at the beginning of the novel. When they discussed the facts of the case at the end of the story, my first immediate thought was, “wait, there was a boat involved? Huh?”
Despite my lapses in memory, I still enjoyed the read. For some reason I didn’t like this novel the last time I read this. So maybe the lowered expectations allowed me to enjoy it more this time around. The plot was interesting, with multiple things happening at once. The humor is still there, although it hasn’t changed much since the first novel. And Ramses is still my favorite.
I am looking forward to the end of this series. There are two books left, and I want to re-read Lord Of The Silent eventually (reading the abridged version ruined it!). So here we go! 17 down, 2 more to go!
( )

One of the things I like the best about these later books in the series is getting Ramses point of view and of the tenderness that shows up unexpectedly between family members. This mystery was a bit complicated because there was more than one going on. A satisfying read. ( )

Amelia does it again! Great entertainment. ( )

My blog post about this book is at this link. ( )

The story starts off with a woman bringing an ancient relic to the Peabody family for safekeeping. This relic is supposed to bring death to whoever holds it, including the woman’s family. To prevent this cycle from continuing, the relic has to be returned to its tomb. Naturally, Amelia and her family take on the woman’s request, which starts a winding adventure filled with murder and treachery. This novel contained the usual tomb excavations and journeys through treacherous areas that Elizabeth Peters brings to her novels.

I found this novel a bit hard to get into. I thought the story was overwritten and long-winded. It also lacked believability. The characterization of almost all of the characters in the story was weak. The novel had a good bit of suspense as well as some twists and turns to keep it interesting, but for the most part it fell flat. The Egyptology in the novel is fairly well developed, but more often than not I wanted to put this novel down.

Carl Alves – author of Blood Street ( )

Gold statue, purported to be cursed, makes for trouble, as Ramses and David chase a brother and sister and Amelia is very badly hurt. Entertaining, though the kids (Ramses') are irritating. ( )

Wonderful as ever - I love Amelia! ( )

Wonderful as ever - I love Amelia! ( )

Wonderful as ever - I love Amelia! ( )

This installment of the Amelia Peabody series brings us back into chronological order.

The Emeraons are approached by a wealthy widow who is also a famous novelist. She appeals to them to accept a stunning golden statue which was bequeathed to her by her husband, and which she claims is cursed. She claims to believe that only Emerson can safely keep it, as his talents for escaping all kinds of danger and for excorcising evil spirits are well-known.

Soon, the Emersons are thrust into the midst of a series of mysterious events involving dead bodies and black afrits. As they work to unravel the puzzle of who is behind these mysterious occurences, they never flinch from what may be the greatest danger they've ever faced.

Of course I loved this! It was one of the most suspenseful in the series. ( )

Its now 1921 and the extended Emerson-Peabody clan is once again excavating in Egypt. A woman gives Emerson a small golden statute because she is concerned that it is cursed, she subsequently disappears in strange circumstances. The usual shenanigans ensue and as family is inexorably drawn into investigating the disappearance. Amelia is on fine form, 'I instructed the driver of our hired carriage not to whip up the horses. We do not permit cruelty to animals. Besides, rapid motion raises a cloud of dust and I was wearing my second-best hat.' Superb. ( )

A woman arrives in Cairo and gives Emerson a very expensive Egyptian artifact, asking him to remove the curse from it. The serpent on the artifact is missing, and the source of its find is a great mystery. The family of the woman are a bit of a puzzle as well and there are a number of new faces that seem to appear for odd reasons, causing the Luxor residence to build a guardhouse with a guard. The antics of the grandchildren play favorably in the story with many new relationships being built. Ramses and Emerson stage an exorcism of an afrit in trying to get rid of the curse, but is there a real afrit who has kidnapped the woman who owns the artifact? The family team does it again in ferreting out the many criminals and their motivations, but the fun comes from the finding of the serpent that goes in the crown of the artifact. ( )

Even as she grows older, Amelia Peabody Emerson is unstoppable. Being presented with a valuable statuette which supposedly curses whoever is in possession of it, causes Emerson to try to trace its origin and its legal owner. A number of people are vying to buy the statuette, including Cyrus. The previous owner is murdered and this gives Amelia and Emerson ample opportunity to exercise their detective skills, the former ultimately revealing the culprit and the latter the statuette's origin. ( )

I absolutely love this series. I'd been letting the latest books pile up in my TBR pile for a while--kind of like... er, well, actually, it's exactly like hoarding treasure. Now I only have one left to be caught up.

In this 17th book in the series, the Emerson clan is back in Egypt after WWI: Emerson, Amelia, Ramses, Nefret, and their twins: David John and Carla.

Shortly after their arrival, a famous author of sensational novels arrives with a gold statue. She begs Emerson to take the statue and protect her from the curse she claims killed her husband. She seems genuinely frightened, but they're suspicious that it might just be a publicity stunt. Regardless of the existence of a curse or actual danger to the woman, the statue is genuine, and for the Emersons, the questions of where the statue came from--a lost tomb?!--is far more compelling.

Things become complicated, of course, starting with the widow's stepchildren barging into the Emersons' home demanding the return of the statue at gunpoint. There are several sightings of a black-robed "demon," prompting one of Emerson's famous exorcisms; the appearance of Emerson's half-brother Sethos, always suspicious when there's treasure around; kidnapping, disappearances, and murder.

As usual, the family adventure is just as important as the mystery--watching Peabody and Emerson growing older and Ramses and Nefret with the twins is like visiting with old friends.

Also as usual, the characters are their distinct selves--Amelia's not-completely-reliable narrator is a delight, and the sections from Ramses's point of view demonstrates his character well. But because their characters are so vivid, you really have to like the characters to enjoy the books. ( )

Enjoying a busy period of excavation in 1921, the Emersons learn of a mysterious death that has been attributed to a curse, a situation that enables Amelia and her family to enter the banned Valley of the Kings in order to return a stolen statue. ( )