Plucky archeologist/sleuth Amelia Peabody is back for another adventure in “He Shall Thunder in the Sky,” Elizabeth Peters’ 12th installment in her mystery series.
And though I have just joined Peabody and her team of Egyptologists, as a former archeology student, I don’t mind digging in deep to catch up.
In Peabody’s latest exploration, set late in 1914, Cairo sits tensely at the edge of the World War that’s rocking Europe.
The British are determined to hold Egypt and the Suez Canal from the attacking Turks, who are allies of Germany. And respected archeologists Peabody and her husband, Radcliffe Emerson, are equally steadfast in their determination to keep to their excavation schedule, despite the looming war and the evil doings of a variety of villains.
Plans for an insurrection against the occupying British by Egyptian nationalist el-Wardini finally draw the interest of Peabody, whose intrepid band is set on discovering el-Wardini’s true identity and motives. Thrown into the mix is Sethos, the “master criminal” who claims to be in love with Peabody. (The story of Sethos, an ongoing mystery-within-a-mystery in the Peabody series, is finally clarified in this latest adventure.)
Elizabeth Peters is the nom de plume of Barbara Mertz, who writes books on Egyptian history under her own name, as well as thrillers under the name of Barbara Michaels. She has a doctorate in Egyptology and weaves this expertise, in breathtaking detail, throughout her witty and complicated mysteries.
The first of her Amelia Peabody series was set in the 1880s and chronicled the odd and thrilling lives of the archeologist; her husband; their son, Ramses; and their wards, Nefret and David.
The younger members of the family join their indomitable elders in these adventures, injecting this rich, tongue-in-cheek desert romp series with some fresh and vibrant blood.
Believe this one-time archeologist: Slaving under the desert sun for the furtherance of social science has rarely been so rewarding – or so much fun.