The love of my beloved is on yonder side
A width of water is between us
And a crocodile waiteth on the sandbank
Those lines, attributed to an ancient Egyptian love poem, were chosen as an epigraph for what would prove to be the first book in a long series about a very independent Victorian woman who explores the antiquities of ancient Egypt, quite an unusual interest and life choice for a woman in the late 1800s. The author is Elizabeth Peters, the protagonist of that series is Amelia Peabody, and the book, taking its title from that provocative poem, is Crocodile on the Sandbank. It's the subject of today's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the complete review by clicking here.
The Amelia Peabody mysteries follow the adventures of what in Victorian times would seem like a most unlikely central character. Amelia Peabody is something of an oddity in the Victorian England of 1884, for she is strong-willed, fiercely independent, has an inquiring mind, and is fascinated by archaeology and history. She is also 32 years old and unmarried (with neither any suitor nor any desire for one). As such, when her father dies and leaves her a considerable fortune, she finds herself with quite enough money to be able to live independently. She decides to pursue her interests by traveling to Egypt and taking a cruise along the Nile.
Along the way, searching for a suitable companion to accompany her, she meets a younger woman, Evelyn Barton-Forbes, who has had the misfortune to have been seduced by a lounge-lizard type of suitor who promptly abandoned her. The two women set off on their journey, despite the presence of (and occasional interference from) Evelyn’s caddish seducer, who has suddenly reappeared, and also from Amelia's cousin, who has decided that he wants to marry her, despite her constant rejections.
Instead, Amelia and Evelyn continue on their journey and find themselves at a remote archaeological “dig” site run by two brothers named Emerson. There’s Radcliffe, the older brother, a man with a violent temper, and his younger brother, Walter, who promptly falls for Evelyn.
And that’s when very odd things begin happening. There is a series of very dangerous accidents – if indeed they WERE accidents – which seem to be aimed primarily at Evelyn. One of the party's guides also vanishes mysteriously.
And then there is what seems to be a mummy – a strange and terrifying sight, appearing to walk through their encampment. Even Amelia finds her rational beliefs shaken by what she sees. Or is there more – a great deal more – going on? And who is behind it all, and why?
Crocodile on the Sandbank, by Elizabeth Peters, is more of an adventure story than a straight mystery. There’s a fair amount of romance involved as well, as you might expect from that epigraph, all served up with a good deal of humor.
I'm woefully late in meeting both Amelia Peabody and her author. "Elizabeth Peters" was the name used by the late Barbara Mertz when writing the Amelia Peabody books. Mertz - among her many accomplishments - earned a Ph.D. degree in Egyptology from the University of Chicago, and her non-fiction books about ancient Egypt are still readily available. Beginning in 1975, as Peters, she wrote 19 books in the Amelia Peabody series; the 20th, and final, book was completed by her friend, author Joan Hess, and was just published in July, 2017. Somehow, I had never read any of them. Good to know there are a lot of them still out there just waiting for me,,,rather like that crocodile, I suppose...
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