A River in the Sky

February 15, 2010
Set in 1910, the delightful 19th Amelia Peabody novel from bestseller Peters (after Tomb of the Golden Bird
) takes Amelia and her husband, Emerson, to Palestine, where an English adventurer, George Morley, is planning to excavate Jerusalem's Temple Mount in search of the Ark of the Covenant. Gen. David Spencer, the director of Military Operations in London, suspects Morley, an amateur archeologist at best, of spying for the Germans, whose influence has been growing in the Middle East. Spencer wants Egyptologists Amelia and Emerson to stop Morley from undertaking a project sure to offend the three religious groups that consider the temple site holy. Meanwhile, son Ramses embarks on a treacherous journey to convey to his parents important information learned from two travelers he meets while on a dig in Samaria. Once again, MWA Grandmaster Peters uses vivid settings, sharp characterizations, and deft dialogue to transport the reader to another time and place.

February 1, 2010
Quelling a riot at the Temple Mount and chasing a villain through an ancient tunnel are the latest adventures of the Emerson family, as they detour to Palestine in 1910 when a mysterious German archaeologist, Frau Von Eine, and her Muslim partner, Mansur, kidnap son Ramses, who is working in Palestine. Ameila Peabody and husband Radcliffe, meanwhile, investigate amateur archaeologist Morley, who has ties to the villains. Much of the book centers around the search for Ramses and his escape. Descriptions of the history, culture, archaeology, and landscape impart significance and realism while educating the reader. Still, the plot is hazy, and the importance of the artifact, deemed so significant by the villains, is not sufficiently explained. Multiple shifts from "Manuscript H," which recounts Ramses's activities, to Amelia's first-person narrative may confuse readers. VERDICT The plot is less riveting than many Peters mysteries, but series fans will enjoy sharing another adventure with the forthright Amelia, powerful Radcliffe, and quick-thinking Ramses. Fans should note that this is out of chronological order from the rest of the saga. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 12/09.]Sally Bickley, Del Mar Coll. Lib., Corpus Christi, TX

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2010
The Peabody dynasty finds danger in 1910 Palestine.

While Ramses Peabody toils on a dig near Jerusalem, his parents, Amelia and Emerson, together with their adopted daughter Nefret and David, the Egyptian boy they've taken in, are relaxing in England until Emerson is approached by the government to sort out a problem with Mr. Morley, a treasure hunter who's secured permission from the corrupt Ottoman Empire to excavate near the Temple Mount. The enterprise would be guaranteed to cause trouble with members of the three major religious groups who hold the area sacred even if Morley weren't suspected of being a German spy at a time when Germany is trying to gain influence in the volatile area. Soon enough, Morley departs, deserting his colleague, the Reverend Panagopolous, who seems to be a mentally disturbed religious fanatic. Meanwhile, back in Palestine, Ramses is kidnapped when he learns too much about the German archaeologist Madame von Eine and her mysterious companion Mansur. His family arrives in Palestine, where they have permission to dig near Morley, expecting Ramses to join them. When he fails to appear, David sneaks off to find him. Indefatigable Amelia wastes no time organizing both the dig and the effort to find Ramses and David. Though the family receives help from a shadowy group known as the Sons of Abraham, they all face grave danger before their mission can be accomplished.

Fans should welcome an installment significantly less convoluted than most of Amelia's adventures (Tomb of the Golden Bird, 2007, etc.).

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