Crocodile on the Sandbank: An Amelia Peabody Murder Mystery
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Elizabeth Peters' unforgettable heroine Amelia Peabody makes her first appearance in this clever mystery. Amelia receives a rather large inheritance and decides to use it for travel. On her way through Rome to Egypt, she meets Evelyn Barton-Forbes, a young woman abandoned by her lover and left with no means of support. Amelia promptly takes Evelyn under her wing, insisting that the young lady accompany her to Egypt, where Amelia plans to indulge her passion for Egyptology. When Evelyn becomes the target of an aborted kidnapping and the focus of a series of suspicious accidents and mysterious visitations, Amelia becomes convinced of a plot to harm her young friend. Like any self-respecting sleuth, Amelia sets out to discover who is behind it all. --Coco Avondale
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
The Guardian
"Dastardly deeds, whirlwind romances, curious mummies and all the fun and intrigue of Egyptian excavations, with a heroine who wields a sturdy parasol rather than a magnum. Accomplished entertainment."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Amelia Peabody muscles her way straight into your mind and then into your slightly perturbed heart. Armed with her surprisingly rigid parasol she makes it her duty to prod and seduce everyone in sight around to her way of thinking. From Evelyn, the swooning waif to sexy dark Radcliffe Emerson, the critical archeaologist Amelia takes them all by storm (with a fair amount of prodding) while simultaneously indulging her passion for pyramids, egyptology and mystery along the way.
Don't expect a completely impreganable plot. By about 50 pages from the end I was pretty sure I knew "who done it", but the whole book is constructed in such a way that you don't really care. Throw in plenty of romance and a very important pavement, and there's a recipe for complete escapism. Up until the final line I was completely hooked - I couldn't put it down and spent five hours solid reading. On the day I finished it I ordered the next four.
Don't expect a completely impreganable plot. By about 50 pages from the end I was pretty sure I knew "who done it", but the whole book is constructed in such a way that you don't really care. Throw in plenty of romance and a very important pavement, and there's a recipe for complete escapism. Up until the final line I was completely hooked - I couldn't put it down and spent five hours solid reading. On the day I finished it I ordered the next four.
This book is by no means her first or her last - there are now 12 more in the Amelia Peabody mysteries (and more coming), as well as the Vicky Bliss mysteries and the Jaqueline Kirkby mysteries (all worth reading). But well before giving birth to the wonderous creation that is Amelia Peabody, Peter's was writing one gothic novel romance/mystery after another under the name Barbara Michaels. In between all these releases (I think she's about 35-40 fiction books to her two names) she found time to write her non-fiction egyptology books as well!
Elizabeth Peter's knows what she's talking about - she has a PhD in Egyptology and while the Peabody books weren't written to stretch the intellect they have the power to entertain over and over. The facts and details aren't laboured over but smoothly adhere to the action. Enjoy!
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought "Crocodile on the Sandbank" almost on a whim after a friend recommended it to me. I then promptly left it to gather dust on my bookshelf for six months, before picking it up again recently to finally sit down and read it.
I am quite furious with myself for those six months I spent ignoring it. "Crocodile on the Sandbank" is a wonderful story, filled with vibrant, likable characters. Amelia Peabody, the protagonist, is strong-minded, outspoken, and something of a Victorian superheroine: she rescues forlorn waifs from the streets of Rome, she speaks four languages, and she can archeologise just as well as any man! Surprisingly, the presence of a character so obviously written to be liked by readers does not become tiresome, largely, I suspect, because Amelia isn't just talk: she is tremendously loyal to her friends, as well as being brave, compassionate, and genuinely unafraid to put herself in danger to help those in need.
Admittedly the novel is a little too "nice" and inoffensive: the heroes are as clearly-defined as if they were wearing white hats throughout, and the villains practically twirl black moustaches in the most dastardly manner imaginable. I found myself at certain points in the novel raising a cynical eyebrow at the characters' (especially Amelia's) attitude to premarital sex. However, I admit that this can be put down both to a need to keep the story moving forward (I believe I would have killed myself in despair had every character Evelyn encountered reached for his or her smelling salts upon the discovery that she was not a virgin), as well as the fact that it is made quite clear from the start that Amelia is a little unusual for a Victorian lady.
If I have one major complaint with the novel as a whole, it's that the mystery wasn't quite mysterious enough for my liking, taking a backseat to the development of the relationships between the characters. While character development (obviously!) is no bad thing, I prefer mysteries to focus on the mystery at hand.
Actually, I lie; I have one final complaint. I'm not sure whether Peters or the publisher is to blame, but I disliked the insertion of a mini "biography" of Amelia at the beginning of the book, mainly because it gave away a key plot development! Admittedly this particular development hardly required a Mensa-level of intelligence to predict, but I still felt a little put out.
That being said, it is a wonderful first book in a series, and I look forward to reading its many sequels. Highly recommended to fans of Egypt, mysteries, archeology, the Victorians, or just good, old-fashioned adventure stories!
I am quite furious with myself for those six months I spent ignoring it. "Crocodile on the Sandbank" is a wonderful story, filled with vibrant, likable characters. Amelia Peabody, the protagonist, is strong-minded, outspoken, and something of a Victorian superheroine: she rescues forlorn waifs from the streets of Rome, she speaks four languages, and she can archeologise just as well as any man! Surprisingly, the presence of a character so obviously written to be liked by readers does not become tiresome, largely, I suspect, because Amelia isn't just talk: she is tremendously loyal to her friends, as well as being brave, compassionate, and genuinely unafraid to put herself in danger to help those in need.
Admittedly the novel is a little too "nice" and inoffensive: the heroes are as clearly-defined as if they were wearing white hats throughout, and the villains practically twirl black moustaches in the most dastardly manner imaginable. I found myself at certain points in the novel raising a cynical eyebrow at the characters' (especially Amelia's) attitude to premarital sex. However, I admit that this can be put down both to a need to keep the story moving forward (I believe I would have killed myself in despair had every character Evelyn encountered reached for his or her smelling salts upon the discovery that she was not a virgin), as well as the fact that it is made quite clear from the start that Amelia is a little unusual for a Victorian lady.
If I have one major complaint with the novel as a whole, it's that the mystery wasn't quite mysterious enough for my liking, taking a backseat to the development of the relationships between the characters. While character development (obviously!) is no bad thing, I prefer mysteries to focus on the mystery at hand.
Actually, I lie; I have one final complaint. I'm not sure whether Peters or the publisher is to blame, but I disliked the insertion of a mini "biography" of Amelia at the beginning of the book, mainly because it gave away a key plot development! Admittedly this particular development hardly required a Mensa-level of intelligence to predict, but I still felt a little put out.
That being said, it is a wonderful first book in a series, and I look forward to reading its many sequels. Highly recommended to fans of Egypt, mysteries, archeology, the Victorians, or just good, old-fashioned adventure stories!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Wherever Amelia Peavody goes, she has two very useful assets: her moral principles (solid victorian upbringing) and her umbrella (great against the rain, the desert sun and any rascals that may attempt to hurt her or her friends).In fact, one of the funniest things about this character is how, by way of scrupulously and strictly following her ethical code --which is supposed to be shared by all her fellow countrymen--, she manages to be an extravagant outsider, almost a revolutionary. And the whodonit plot seems a showcase for this, since it actually provides perfect occasions for Amelia to assert her ideas and character. Another very funny thing about this character is her love life. The romantic part of this book follows the well known (and irresistible, if well done)hate-at-first-sight-that-turns-into-love formula. And I warn you....you will inevitably fall in love with Emmerson!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Impressions of The Crocodile
In common with all the Amelia Peabody books, the quality of writing is consistently excellent.The characters are engaging, likeable and well drawn. Read more
Published 22 days ago by Swift
Victorian adventure
Amelia Peabody is rich and decides to travel abroad with a companion. In Rome - after her companion has been sent home ill, she meets and rescues Evelyn Barton-Forbes and the pair... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Damaskcat
Addictive entertainment -such fun!
I was lent this on holiday 2 years ago and I really enjoyed it (and am now up to book 11 in the series!). Read more
Published 9 months ago by Jane K
Fun reading
I've read a number of Elizabeth Peters' books. This is the first of the Amelia Peabody series. Like the other books in the series it is a fun combination of Victorian egyptology,... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Katelon
Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody Murder Mystery): An Amelia...
absolute amazing series. mixture of romance, adventure, murder mystery and historic learnings. this book and the series will certainly keep you on your toes. recommended.
Published on 4 May 2010 by miss claire a bingham
The first of the Amelia Peabody mysteries
I read this after a few of her other books in the series and I am not sure if I enjoyed it more or less for that. Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2009 by R. Whitton
more praise hardly needed
I came across the Peabody Mysteries through a gift, more than 7 years ago: "The Ape who guards the Balance". Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2009 by GMR book lover
Great Timeless Series!
England, Victorian Era. Amelia Peabody, a middle aged spinster and somewhat of a scholar, just inherited a considerable amount of money from her deceased father, seeing this as her... Read more
Published on 11 Aug 2009 by Ana Isabel Oliveira
I wish I'd been on holiday ...
This is a real holiday read, especially if you are by the Nile at the time. However, it was still entertaining in England in the winter! Read more
Published on 19 Mar 2009 by Rosie Gamgee
A Jewel of a Read
absolutely adore this book! What a pleasure to be treated by an author who considers the reader an intelligent being; no lengthy explanations of concepts but the assumption that... Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2008 by Marion Marchetto
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