The Golden One (Amelia Peabody Series #14) » (Abridged Audio, 5 CDs, 6 hours)

Barbara Mertz is a woman of many talents. With a Ph.D. in Egyptology, her first published books were captivating nonfiction reads about life in ancient Egypt. As Barbara Michaels, she has written gothic suspense novels with spellbiding supernatural elements; and, as Elizabeth Peters, she has authored books in three different series -- most notably a sequence of mysteries set in 19th-century Egypt, featuring the intrepid archaologist/sleuth Amelia Peabody.

New York Times bestselling Grand Master Elizabeth Peters is at her stylish and suspenseful best in a richly woven tale of greed, treachery, and murder set against the tumultuous backdrop of wartime intrigue.

A new year, 1917, is dawning, and the Great War that ravages the world shows no sign of abating. Answering the siren call of Egypt once more, Amelia Peabody and her family arrive at their home in Luxor to learn of a new royal tomb ransacked by thieves. Soon, a more disturbing outrage concerns the archaeologists: the freshly and savagely slain corpse of a thief defiling the ancient burial site.

Besieged by the British and defended by formidable Turkish and German forces, the fortified seaport of Gaza guards the gateway to the Holy Land. Answering a call he cannot refuse from British military intelligence, Amelia's son Ramses must journey to this ancient, fabled city to undertake a mission as personal as it is perilous. Death will surely be his lot if he is...

Publishers Weekly

The legions of Amelia Peabody Emerson fans will be overjoyed with this 14th in the series (after 2001's Lord of the Silent), for they're getting two books in one. First, MWA Grandmaster Peters offers another amusing if wordy Egyptian archeology mystery, set in 1917 and replete with grave robbers, a murder, the discovery of a richly furnished tomb and a cast of thousands. Halfway through the book, this plot is annoyingly left dangling when the British recall the Emerson's brilliant son, Ramses, for an espionage assignment in Gaza, where he must determine if a newly powerful figure, Ismail Pasha, is really the Emerson family black sheep, Sethos, master criminal and secret agent. The redoubtable Amelia; her eccentric husband, Radcliffe; Ramses's adventurous wife, Nefret; and their faithful foreman, Selim, follow him in disguise. Captured by Sahin Pasha, head of the Turkish secret service, Ramses later escapes, fulfilling his mission with his family's help. Then it's back to Egypt, where the Emersons and their friends the Vandergelts solve the murder and subdue the villains. Radcliffe even ejects intrusive tourists from fragile archeological sites. Peters's books divide the mystery-reading public. With a Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago, she provides an authentic historical backdrop. However, her long-winded explanations and preposterous plots frustrate many. Those who enjoy romance and find the hubbub of the Emersons and their devoted entourage entertaining will forgive the faults. Agent, Dominick Abel. (One-day laydown Apr. 2) Forecast: Increased wordiness won't daunt the author's faithful followers, who will lift this Mystery Guild Main Selection onto bestseller lists. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.