Reading the Detectives discussion

Welcome to our Buddy Read of Curse of the Pharaohs the second book in the Amelia Peabody series, first published in 1981.

When Lady Baskerville's husband Sir Henry dies after discovering what may have been an undisturbed royal tomb in Luxor, she appeals to eminent archaeologist Radcliffe Emerson and his wife Amelia to take over the excavation. Amid rumours of a curse haunting all those involved with the dig, the intrepid couple proceeds to Egypt, where they begin to suspect that Sir Henry did not die a natural death, and they are confident that the accidents that plague the dig are caused by a sinister human element, not a pharoah's curse.

The third in the series, The Mummy Case is scheduled as a buddy read in June/July.

Please feel free to post spoilers in this thread.

What did anyone think of the solution to this one? Did you guess any of the twists?

I was sure that the missing assistant, Armadale, was going to turn up dead, but I didn't work out who the villain of the piece was going to be!

This is one of my favourite series but I'd have to say the mysteries are often forgettable - so even though I'd read it before, probably twice, the villain was still a surprise!

I love the writing, Amelia's voice, the characters, just everything about these books. I even find precocious Ramses utterly adorable :)

I had worked out who the murderer was from quite early on, but the plots in these books come second to the characters for me.

I agree the characters are more intriguing than the plot. There were also one or two surprises with how the relationships worked out - I was surprised by Mary's choice of husband!

I have to agree with RC and Jill- I read these so long ago, and reread a few times, but it’s the characters, humor, and sense of adventure that I remember- the mysteries are almost beside the point. I think I remembered who the villain was, and it seemed to fit a lot of mysteries I’ve read (who benefits?), so it worked for me. I do remember, Judy, I was surprised at Mary’s choice as well!

Yes, in many mysteries you can see which young lovers are going to end up together a mile off, so this one was a surprise.

I have to admit though that I find both Amelia and Emerson quite annoying at times. Sorry, as everyone else seems to love them.

No, I can see that - Amelia and Emerson can both be stubborn, and she clearly finds their “stimulating little discussions” (read, fights), a turn-on and a vital part of their relationship, but I imagine being around them as a staff member (or even for their son, Ramses, in later years), could be exhausting. They are like a force of nature, and would steamroll over lesser personalities! Funny to read about, but wouldn’t be a picnic to live around...

True, true - but I'd like to think that if I'd been born in Victorian England that I'd be off for adventures with the Emersons, trusty parasol in hand, rather than swooning delicately around London ;))

Roman Clodia wrote: "True, true - but I'd like to think that if I'd been born in Victorian England that I'd be off for adventures with the Emersons, trusty parasol in hand, rather than swooning delicately around London..."

Definitely!