The Curse of the Pharaohs (Amelia Peabody, Book 2)
by Elizabeth Peters

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Book Reviews of The Curse of the Pharaohs (Amelia Peabody, Book 2)

Book Review: Peters Not on Par, But Still a Far Cry Greater than Most
Summary: 5 Stars

This being the second book in the series I found it a bit more traditional in the mystery genre than the first that I have read.

The cast of characters comes straight out of Agatha Christie with its masquerading nobility, craven widows, the begrudgingly accepted American, the poor young lovers, and the rejected social climber. Yet, despite the fact that this book is more of a traditional cozy than her last, Amelia's enjoyable and matter of fact narraration and the unusual setting of the excavation of a Pharoah's tomb breath life into the tired genre.

Likewise, Peters draws heavily from her previous book. Amelia's efforts to take Mary Berengeria under her wing and manage her romantic affairs were too reminiscent of her relationship to Eveleyn in _The Crocodile and the Sandbank_. (Although the ending was a nice surprise.) Also, the element of the curse of the Pharoah seems standard Egyptian ghost story fare much like the living mummy that appeared in the first book. Hopefully, in her later editions Peters gains enough confidence to stray from these constants in anything to do with Egypt.

Despite these flaws, I can't help but give this book five stars. Peters is amazing at what she does. In every paragraph she writes you can tell she is having fun -- and in her fun we find enjoyment as well. She loves her protagonist and due to the first person narrative, Peters often toys with her giving her readers the impression that Amelia might not know as much as she lets on.

You've got to love a mystery where neither of the sleuths actually solve the crime as a result of their own deduction.

Summary of The Curse of the Pharaohs (Amelia Peabody, Book 2)

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• Books > Subjects
• Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Historical
• Women Sleuths