Tomb of the Golden Bird

The finale of the Amelia Peabody series takes place in 1922 and centers around the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen. An argument with Howard Carter leaves the Emersons on the outside looking in but we do see some of the activities around the discovery.

The Emersons are busy with problems of their own when Sethos shows up fighting a bout of malaria and trailing villains who want to recover an encrypted note that he stole. When David arrives from England, he gets involved in the same issues that he was involved with as a younger man: encouraging Egyptian independence from the British, it looks like both David and Sethos are dealing with different aspects of the same plot.

There are a series of threats but not murders in this episode show more ruining the Emerson's murder-a-season record. The threats seem rather half-hearted and include kidnapping and then releasing the Emerson's butler among other sorts of nuisance threats.

One plot point concerns whether or not Sethos has really reformed and also deals with his relationship with his wife Margaret. Ramses isn't at all sure that Sethos's reformation is real since he could easily have arranged the threats without breaking his word to Amelia to leave the family alone.

I will miss the Peabody/Emersons. I wish that I could watch the grandchildren grow up past the age of six. I greatly enjoyed this series which was filled with interesting archaeological details and characters who will live forever in my memory. show less

This is the 18th, and latest book in the Amelia Peabody series. It's really bittersweet being all caught up--I've loved reading them, but it's sad knowing I don't have any more waiting for me.

The year is 1922, and if you're familiar with Egyptology, you'll know that that's the year when King Tut's tomb was found. Unfortunately, credit for the discovery doesn't go to the Emersons--since Radcliffe had betrayed his interest, Howard Carter and his sponsor, Carnarvon, decided to remain in the Valley of the Kings for one more season, and Carter discovers the tomb.

The Emersons are eager to be in on the discovery and offer their help, but when Radcliffe accuses Carter and Carnarvon of stealing artifacts from the tomb, they ban him from the show more site.

Meanwhile, Sethos arrives in the grip of a malarial fever, with a coded message he says is putting his life in danger. Keeping him hidden is no easy matter, with all the journalists around for the opening of Tut's tomb, including Sethos's estranged wife. And the family, including their butler Gargery who's arrived from England, is suddenly (again) under constant threat of attack and abduction.

Ramses and David, who were in the intelligence service during the war (as was Sethos), use their contacts to try to discover who's behind the attacks and the message, and uncover an assassination plot, and David is torn between his loyalties to his English family and his Egyptian heritage.

Mostly, though, it's an adventurous visit with old friends. Amelia and Emerson are getting older, and now that Ramses and Nefret's twins are 5, the family that's been a working unit for so long is starting to break apart. Just like it does in real life, the impending independence of the younger generation is a matter for both pride and sadness. I have no idea if it's the case or not, but Tomb of the Golden Bird feels like an end to the series. Maybe I'm just affected because it's the last one in my TBR pile, but with everyone planning on going their own ways, it feels final. At any rate, if there is a next book, it'll be interesting to see who's the focus and how the separation is handled. show less

I usually try to be thoughtful and reasoned when doing a review, but this book was just plain bad. This series jumped the shark several books ago, but I keep hoping Peters will realize this and turn the series over to a new generation of characters that *might* be able to breath some new life and new ideas into the plotlines.

Alas, this is nothing but a "clips show" of old material (Sethos as rogue - we get it! David entangled in Egyptian independence - done! And, PLEASE, no more visions of Abdullah, family Xmas celebrations, councils of war, tea at Shepherd's or Kadija's green goop!) thrown together in hopes of suckering fans of the series into spending money. My advice: if you *have* to read this one, borrow it from the library. I show more know I won't be purchasing any more books in this series. show less

Book on CD narrated by Barbara Rosenblat

This is book number eighteen in the Amelia Peabody series of cozy mysteries, featuring the intrepid Amelia and her husband, eminent Egyptologist Radcliffe Emerson. They are joined in this episode by most of the Emerson clan, including their son, Emerson’s brother, and loyal household staff.

Emerson is certain that the tomb of the little-known king Tutankhamon lies somewhere in the Valley of the Kings, but he’s been banned from the East Valley, so he’s desperately trying to convince Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter to relinquish their digging rights. But his interest has convinced Carnarvon and Carter that the site holds real treasure and they are all the more determined to keep the Emersons show more away.

It was really fun to “watch” this historical event (for, of course, we already know what treasures Carter and Carnarvon will discover when they find King Tut’s tomb) from this perspective. Of course, more than just this treasure comes into play, as the Emersons are drawn into an international political plot. Various characters are followed, set upon or kidnapped, go into hiding (even from each other), and reappear. Their stories are sometimes purposely vague so as to deny Amelia and Emerson the full truth of what is happening. Is this to protect them? Or to bring them closer to danger?

I read this one out of order because I really wanted an audiobook CD for my car and this was the first one of this series available in that format. I’m a bit sorry that I skipped so far ahead because the relationships among the characters develop over the course of the series, and I had only gotten to book three previously. The mystery itself is pretty much standalone. But I am glad there is a character list (including relationships) as well as a glossary included.

Barbara Rosenblat does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. She has clear diction and a good pace. I love the way she interprets Amelia and Emerson. show less

In the 18th book of the Amelia Peabody series, we join the archaeological Emerson family in 1922 Egypt for another digging season. Radcliffe Emerson is sure a major find is still waiting to be discovered in the Valley of the Kings. Professor Emerson is trying to dissuade the wealthy Lord Carnavon and his hired archaeologist, Howard Carter, from continuing their work and giving the concession to him. Unfortunately Carter and Carnavon want one last season, in which they will soon discover where Tutankhamen is buried.

I've been looking forward to this installment of the series for some time. I've always wondered how they would combine the real-life discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb with the fictional story of “the world's greatest show more archaeologist”, Radcliffe Emerson. I enjoyed discovering how Amelia manages to get in on the excitement of the discovery and how she and Emerson refuse to be thwarted by Carnavon and Carter. I really enjoyed seeing how the author slipped in the storyline of how Professor Emerson might have been responsible for letting loose the Mummy's curse that ends in the deaths of Carter and Carnavon, along with other members of the crew.

The series is getting older, as is our heroine, Amelia Peabody. It's not quite as exciting as it used to be but I always give an extra star when listening to the audio book version, narrated by the incomparable Barbara Rosenblat. She personifies Amelia to me, much as Jayne Entwhistle personifies Flavia de Luce. If you are a fan of the series, you should enjoy this one. show less

As the final book in the series (chronologically speaking) this book leaves long time readers with a satisfying wrap up. Ms. Peters creates a convincing story around the discovery of King Tut's tomb (crediting the Professor with the intuition to find the burial place) and overlays it with on-going unrest in Egypt. There is the token attempted antiquities heist, but mostly this book is fun for all the interplay between the various characters. I will miss the Emerson clan!

The Tomb Of The Golden Bird (Amelia Peabody #18), by Elizabeth Peters
★★★★ (rounding up to 4½, with a ♥ for the whole series)

Synopsis: Banned forever from the eastern end of the Valley of the Kings, eminent Egyptologist Radcliffe Emerson's desperate attempt to regain digging rights backfires—and his dream of unearthing the tomb of the little-known king Tutankhamon is dashed. Now Emerson, his archaeologist wife, Amelia Peabody, and their family must watch from the sidelines as Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter "discover" the greatest Egyptian treasure of all time. But the Emersons' own less impressive excavations are interrupted when father and son Ramses are lured into a trap by a strange group of villains ominously demanding show more answers to a question neither man comprehends. And it will fall to the ever-intrepid Amelia to protect her endangered family—and perhaps her nemesis as well—from a devastating truth hidden uncomfortably close to home . . . and from a nefarious plot that threatens the peace of the entire region.
In A Sentence: A decent conclusion to the series, but not my favorite
My Thoughts: Well, chronologically speaking, this is the last in the series, and it ends with a historically famous event: the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. I really enjoyed reading about this event from the perspective of the Emersons; it was pretty entertaining. The mystery element of the story takes a little bit of a backseat so we can learn more about what was going on when Howard Carter found the tomb, which makes the book drag a little, in my opinion. The lack of action didn’t help the book much, and there were multiple things going on, which made it a little confusing. To top it off, I found the Emersons to be just a little hypocritical in this book, saying that Howard Carter and Lord Carnavon shouldn’t have entered the tomb without permission, yet entering the tomb themselves “to make sure everything was all right”.
I still liked the read, though. The humor was funnier this time around, and everyone gets a happy ending, which is nice. I would have loved to see what happens to everyone after the books, and I keep thinking that some of the books in this series would make for some awesome movies or a TV show. Maybe one day…
Anyway, if you have been reading this series, and managed to make it past the 9th or 10th book, you might as well make it to the end. While this isn’t the best book in the series, it is still worth a look. show less