Title: Crocodile on the Sandbank.
Author: Elizabeth Peters.
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Romance, Action/Adventure, Drama.
Plot: Amelia Peabody is a thirty-something spinster with a cynical outlook on life, a love of studying and an inheritance vastly larger than she’d originally supposed. Being bored with life in England and lonely for companionship, Amelia plans a visit to Egypt during the winter there. Her original traveling companion very quickly deserts her but the quick-thinking heroine soon rescues and befriends the seemingly delicate Evelyn who is fleeing a damaged reputation and a scoundrel lover. With these two teamed up, an adventure is sure to take place and they both unknowingly influence each other in a positive manner.
However, the adventure they encounter on their journey up the Nile isn’t what either expected. They stop in at a dig run by the Emerson brothers whom they’d previously run into at a museum with humorous and lopsided results. The dashing but very temperamental Radcliff Emerson and Amelia had exchanged insults and were not fond of each other’s company in the least; the admirable and handsome Walter Emerson, however, was very fond of the ladies’ company, particularly of Evelyn’s. With these four thrown together, first by a serious fever on the elder Emerson’s part and then secondly by a series of misadventures usually resulting in loud arguments and someone getting bruised {usually Emerson}, the situation is lively and entertaining enough. Yet when a mysterious midnight visitor starts calling and Evelyn’s foppish cousin arrives on the scene, Amelia and Emerson wonder what they’ve gotten themselves into.
Likes/Dislikes: This is the first Amelia Peabody mystery and I must say I enjoyed every word of it although I rather liked The Golden One better. It’s a case of the first book verses a later book difference. Anyway, this tale is lively and fun with a good deal of sarcastic humor thrown in which is what I enjoy in books like this. Emerson does curse a lot though not as much as in the fourteen book, which I noticed. There is also some suggested suggestive material, thus I cannot recommend it to younger readers but to more mature readers, particularly those who love mysteries, adventures and grand tales set in places like Egypt, I highly recommend it.
Rating: PG-16 and up for content and reading level.
Date Report Written: September 8th, 2011.
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