The Mummy Case

I think I am enjoying the Amelia Peabody books more the second time around. The climax of this one was a doozy!! The fun thing about books with real historical/geographical connections is that you can harness the power of Google and see exactly what they're talking about, adding authenticity to your mental picture of the story.

In this case, it's the Black Pyramid at Dahshur that captures the imagination. I looked up pictures of this, and it doesn't look like a pyramid--it looks like a giant, diabolical, black mountain THING full of secrets. Perfect!
The entire Emerson family ends up buried alive underneath it in the half-flooded, pitch black king's chamber, and that makes for some supremely exciting pages!
Before that, Amelia spends a lot show more of the book theorizing on the existence of a "Master Criminal" who is controlling the illegal antiquities trade. This is the beginning of a HUGE series arc, and makes me, a second-time reader, grin in anticipation. Especially because Emerson can't stand the way Amelia rhapsodizes on the genius of said "Master Criminal." It is a pretty sensational nickname. Amelia totally owns the fact that her life is thriller fiction, but Emerson isn't having it.

Anyway, it's fun to recognize the Master Criminal from his very first appearance, with vague memories of what's to come...


First read April 21 to May 1, 2010.
Second read Jan.-Feb. 2016 show less

This third volume of the Amelia Peabody stories brings her young son Ramses Emerson into his own as a character. The "romantic" element between the adult Emersons is even more hilariously overplayed than in the previous books, and the supporting cast is also full of funnier characters than before.

This book is a romp. Amelia and Emerson are up to their usual selves. Emerson is determined to save Egyptian antiquities from thieves and incompetent archaeologists. Amelia is sure of her skills and still loves pyramids. And Ramses ... the lisp nearly drove me crazy, as it does Amelia. I feel for her having to raise a brilliant child who gets into no end of adventures. I'm all ready to start book number four in the series.

WARNING: do not read this novel if you plan to maintain any awe of Victorian archaeologists such as DeMorgan, Petrie, Wilbour, or Wallis Budge. After reading this book, every time you see a mention of DeMorgan's hallowed name in a museum or article, you will start giggling about his pathetically eager desire (at least, that portrayed in this novel) to be portrayed heroically in the Illustrated London Times:

(I think the woman in the front might be Amelia herself.)
Petrie's illustrious name will conjure the man's tendency to eat canned peas after they had been left half-eaten, stewing and mouldering in the Egyptian sun. Wilbour will always be the amiable "father of the beard," working hard to smooth away the ire of the snappish Reverend show more Sayce.

And Budge...oh, don't get me started on Budge's antics. The worst (or best) of it? Almost all the stories are true, and all the characters, if perhaps a little larger than life, are accurately portrayed. If you read these novels, you'll end up feeling like you know the Victorian archaeologists, bizarre eccentricities and all. And you'll always envision Amelia Peabody Emerson, flanked by her belligerent husband and Machiavellian son, poking her parasol into every political and social bee's hive in the archaeological world.

The Mummy Case is one of my absolute favourite stories in the entire series. The gleeful combat between Amelia and Emerson is still in full force, only heightened by their simmering and ever-present romantic passion. But yet another element of entertainment and conflict has appeared on the scene: the young Walter ("Ramses") Emerson is finally accompanying his parents on a dig. Young Ramses is one of my absolute favourite characters. He is, as his mother once put it, "catastrophically precocious," constantly jumping from one debacle to the next and always just managing to avoid the edicts of his mother via his positively Jesuitical reasoning. His terrifying prolixity, paired with his inability to pronounce certain diphthongs, makes his dialogue a constant source of entertainment. Last, there is his ever-present shadow, "da cat Bastet", to add an additional flair to the novel. This series also is one of the only ones I've ever read in which the female protagonist finds the man, has the kid, and still remains the main character. In almost every other series I've read, it seems like as soon as said husband is captured and said child is produced, the female heroine has apparently fulfilled all potential roles in the story and retires to the background. Not so with Amelia Peabody--she has far too much life left in her!

As is always the case with Amelia and Emerson, no sooner have they arrived in Egypt but they are adrift in a sea of intrigue. Emerson has proclaimed his intent to excavate the Black Pyramid of Dashur--

--entirely ignoring the fact that de Morgan, head of archaeology, has already planned to dig there. Despite all of Emerson's roars and all of Amelia's wiles, the couple is forced to settle with the nearby site of Mazghuna instead. Amelia is not pleased: the image below, a picture of the "pyramids" at Mazghuna, certainly explains her disappointment.

Amelia perks up when she realizes that the game's afoot: a dastardly antiquities thief is in town, a smarmy antiquities dealer has been found hanged, an American evangelical is stirring up trouble, and Rameses is behaving even more suspiciously than usual. The indomitable Amelia, armed with her invincible self-confidence and her parasol, sets out to unravel the mess, shadowed by her perniciously perspicacious and apparently ubiquitous son. Master criminals, religious lunatics, and a bizarrely peripatetic mummy case create a baffling--and, above all, entertaining--web of conspiracy and contrivance. I strongly suggest listening to these books on audiobook, narrated by the inimitable Barbara Rosenblat. She is absolutely perfect at creating voices for these characters and her voice for the dipthong-deprived Rameses is absolutely spectacular. In print or on audiobook, I cannot too highly recommend this instalment of the series! show less

The third book in the Elizabeth Peters series that features the intrepid Amelia Peabody and her husband, Radcliffe Emerson... and our first expedition with Walter "Ramses" Emerson, their precocious young son. Emerson had promised Peabody that this season, she would have pyramids... but when he's unable to obtain the rights to excavate at Dahshoor, he grumblingly accepts a rather poor site called Mazghunah, where the pyramids of Dahshoor are close enough to taunt them. Mazghunah appears to be a burial ground, with poorly constructed later pyramids that have already collapsed to be buried by sand. It's of a much later period than Emerson cares, but with his pride injured, he sticks stubbornly to his dedication to a job well done on any show more project.

Of course, Emerson should be aware that with a wife like Peabody (who stumbles into every potential criminal case that could possibly be afoot) and a son like Ramses (who seeks out all manner of trouble), even a season as Mazghunah will be eventful. Peabody is intent on learning more about a smuggling ring that she believes is lead by a "Master Criminal," and her suspicions about this are only confirmed when an antiques dealer is found dead. It may look like suicide but Peabody is convinced of foul play and that the Master Criminal is to blame. Emerson, naturally, takes a bit more convincing before he can accept that something sinister is afoot. After multiple thefts, often involving the same mummy, the sleuthing couple (aided by their loquacious son and his intelligent cat, Bastet) set out to solve the mystery that seems to feature everyone around them as a potential suspect.

I must admit that The Mummy Case did not terribly delight me. Sure, it was pleasant enough as another chapter in the lives of Amelia Peabody and her husband, but the case was not terribly fascinating and the characters were only mildly amusing. Perhaps the most annoying thing is the acceptance that Ramses is, indeed, here to stay as a prime feature of the storylines and I just can't quite warm to the child. He's terribly annoying and speaks at length on any given subject. At least his parents are aware of his defects (at least Amelia is; Emerson quite dotes on the boy) and frequently interrupt him with requests that he get to the point. Honestly, he could be much more pleasant if Peters simply did away with his unfortunate lisp (well, I suppose it's not a lisp, is it, it's simply an issue with diphthongs and such). A character with such a speech defect is mildly annoying when he or she remains relatively quiet but when it's a character that speaks at such length, it's enough to be a valid reason to set down the series entirely. If his speech doesn't improve by the next installment, I might seriously be moved to discontinue my reading, no matter how delightful I might find Peabody and Emerson to be.

So, in short, fans of the series will appreciate another book but clearly must be one of the hurdles that I was forewarned about. I don't mind the simplistic mysteries so much as annoying characters, because Peters is actually quite good at sketching amusing characters and Ramses seems like a real lapse in judgment. The unconventional family dynamics, however, are a bit amusing. Emerson is a ridiculous softie when it comes to his son and Peabody loves him but is far more rational than most mothers when it comes to their offspring. Indeed, it's not quite fear that tinges her observations of her child, but there's certainly a bit of concern for her far-too-intelligent son and his capabilities for getting into scrapes. Since there always seems to be a sub-plot of uniting two lovers, I predict that the need for Ramses to be watched 24/7 will supply us with a parade of fellows (or strong governesses) to provide one half of the equation there. Through it all, though, the interactions between Emerson and Peabody make for a delightful cornerstone on which the foundation of the series is built. Here's hoping we can overcome the small irritations so that we can continue to enjoy these two characters as they dig through archaeological sites and mysterious cases of intrigue. show less

It's been a stressful six weeks, and I really needed a tried and true book to help bring those stress levels down. I was delighted to find that my local library had a few Amelia Peabody audiobooks in their collection, so I promptly downloaded one.

I read all of these books years ago, and Amelia remains one of my favorite characters of all time. She is wonderfully unreliable at times. If I could pick a fictional character with whom to sit down and have tea--well, Amelia would definitely be in the running.

I love historical mysteries of all sorts, and Egypt in 1895 makes a perfect setting. This is the first book in which Amelia's son Ramses appears, as well, and Ramses is a remarkable character in his own right. So is Radcliffe Emerson, show more Amelia's archeologist husband. And the mystery is typically complex, fun and funny, but also serious by turns. So glad to have revisited this one! I'm sure I'll end up re-reading more in the series now that this one stood up so well. show less

This is one of the better Amelia Peabody series, if for no other reason than to imagine having a child like Ramses. What a cutie! But what a challenge to raise someone so idiosyncratic. Actually, I wish I knew one like him--but only as a neighbor, not as a responsibility.

The book itself concerns the excavation by Amelia and Emerson (and Ramses, don't forget Ramses) of a so called pyramid in the shadow of the Black Pyramid, after which they lust.

In addition to the usual contretemps between the two adults, there is the additional problem of a religious fanatic and hangers on and of course the "Master Criminal" (though not called so in this one).

How Amelia controls Ramses (after a fashion), deals with the temperamental Emerson, keeps show more house, keeps track of wandering Mummy Cases, pet lion cubs, and a near miss in the death department makes for an enjoyable read. show less