From Publishers Weekly
A menacing cloud hangs over the eighth adventure of 19th-century archeologists Amelia Peabody and her husband, Radcliffe Emerson (seen before in The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog). Unfortunately, the cloud rains suspense only in the book's final quarter, long after the warning of a dire threat has paled. In Cairo, Amelia and Emerson are visited by a mysterious man who shows them a scarab ring and claims that it is the symbol of the High Priest of Queen Tetisheri, whom he has sworn to protect. He offers to lead them to her tomb, thereby passing his "sacred duty" onto Emerson. But after the man acts as if he's poisoned and then vanishes, the couple dismiss his words. They are soon reminded of his visit when a notorious antiquities dealer, whom they liken to a hippopotamus because of his girth, warns them to watch whom they trust. With their preteen son, Ramses, and their ward, Nefret, the family travels to western Thebes in search of Tetisheri's tomb. There, after a series of minor mishaps, Ramses is abducted, requiring Amelia and Emerson to begin what seems a nearly impossible task to get him back. The melodramatic 19th-century writing style studded with Amelia's sly wit makes this series unique to the subgenre of historical mysteries. Major ad/promo. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
A masked stranger pinpoints the location of an Egyptian queen's lost tomb for Amelia and husband Emerson and then disappears. The pair set off in search of queen Tetisheri's tomb, encountering all the usual amusing situations, disguises, villains, and murderers. A necessary purchase.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Egyptologist Amelia Peabody and family find themselves back in Egypt for their eighth archaeological adventure. Alexandra Thomas's personification of Peabody is brilliantly multidimensional and reveals her humor, creativity and maternal instincts, as well as her famous intelligence. Thomas's interpretation of the dark and wily villain, Peabody's pseudo-intellectual husband/partner, and the mysterious nanny establish her as a master of narrative diversity. Middle-Eastern dialects are effortless for Thomas and create an ominous and pervasive influence which colors the outward appearance of many of the main characters. Alternatively, her portrayal of Peabody's son and young female ward discloses her ability to identify and interpret the emotions of teenagers in the nineteenth century. Alexandra Thomas is a delightfully credible performer! B.L.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
The prolific Peters' latest features intrepid British feminist and Egyptologist extraordinaire Amelia Peabody Emerson. Amelia, along with handsome husband Radcliffe, precocious son Ramses, and attractive young ward Nefret, returns to her beloved Thebes, this time to excavate a heretofore undiscovered tomb that supposedly contains the remains--and priceless treasures--of Queen Tetisheri. Amelia's old nemesis, the Master Criminal, may be gone, but there are still plenty of obstacles to overcome: heat, bats, rock avalanches, assorted thieves and scoundrels, greedy antiquities dealers, pesky tourists, and ambitious journalists, not to mention a wickedly tricky art dealer with the physique of a hippopotamus and a mousy governess who's not the quiet scholar she first seems. The excavation is progressing satisfactorily if slowly. Then Ramses and Nefret are kidnapped. Terrified for the youngsters' safety, Amelia must use all of her considerable detecting skills--including the dreaded parasol-weapon--to find out who has taken the children and why. Although readers familiar with the series may find the plot all too familiar, they won't care much because it is Peters' wonderful, rapid-fire wit and the delightful Amelia herself--practical, strong minded, and, for a Victorian lady, quite liberated and free-thinking--that make this series such a long-running success. Emily Melton


From Kirkus Reviews
Once more into the ancient tombs of Egypt with staunch 19th- century archaeologists Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson (The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog, 1992, etc.). With their powerful enemy Sethos disposed of, the Emersons--along with loquacious son Ramses and lovely young ward Nefret--are aboard their boat Amelia, moored on the Nile, as they prepare to explore the possible site of Queen Tetisheri's tomb in Thebes. The undertaking was prefaced by a strange encounter in a Luxor hotel with a mysterious stranger who talked of reincarnation, claimed to know the tomb's exact location, and died of poison in the middle of the meeting. His body vanished, to be found days later floating in the Nile. All of this the Emersons attribute to Signor Riccetti, kingpin of illicit trade in antiquities. Meanwhile, there are other evil forces to reckon with, like Abd el Hamed, a rival dealer, whose abused apprentice David, a grandson of Radcliffe's trusted helper Abdullah, comes under Amelia's wing and later proves his worth when Ramses is kidnapped. Nefret, too, is at risk, but with help from Radcliffe's brother Walter, his sensitive wife Evelyn, and Amelia's usual fearless and intuitive instinct, all ends well for everyone but the bad guys. Like many of the previous seven in this series, a wordy confusion of vile intentions, powerful enemies, dramatic rescues, excruciatingly detailed forays into the ancient past, and Amelia's cool. Fans of the latter may love it, but most readers will be numbed by the heavy-handed plotting. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

What could be more intriguing to Amelia Peabody and her irresistible, irascible husband, Emerson ("the Father of Curses"), than meeting a masked stranger who offers to show them an Egyptian queen's lost tomb? The mysterious disappearance of that midnight visitor before he can disclose the secret! Thus begins Amelia's newest adventure along the Nile. Helped, or hampered, by two teenagers, their son, Ramses, and their beautiful ward, Nefret, the Emersons set sail for Thebes to find the hidden tomb of Queen Tetisheri. With them is a timid (or is she?) governess named Miss Marmaduke. Soon to join the expedition are Amelia's sister- and brother-in-law, Evelyn and Walter, whose marriage is going through a rocky patch. As usual, archaeology is only one of Amelia's concerns, as the Emersons encounter murderers, kidnappers, grave robbers and ancient Egyptian curses. The tomb, of course, will hold a stunning surprise. And the Hippopotamus Pool? It's an ancient Egyptian story of war and wits that Amelia is translating... and that alerts her to a hippo of a different stripe: a nefarious, overweight art dealer who may become her next archenemy. Or perhaps not - for another nemesis is lurking under the Saharan sun, a master of disguises, a caliph of crime, a veritable vizier of villainy. Will Amelia meet her match?

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

A menacing cloud hangs over the eighth adventure of 19th-century archeologists Amelia Peabody and her husband, Radcliffe Emerson (seen before in The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog). Unfortunately, the cloud rains suspense only in the book's final quarter, long after the warning of a dire threat has paled. In Cairo, Amelia and Emerson are visited by a mysterious man who shows them a scarab ring and claims that it is the symbol of the High Priest of Queen Tetisheri, whom he has sworn to protect. He offers to lead them to her tomb, thereby passing his "sacred duty" onto Emerson. But after the man acts as if he's poisoned and then vanishes, the couple dismiss his words. They are soon reminded of his visit when a notorious antiquities dealer, whom they liken to a hippopotamus because of his girth, warns them to watch whom they trust. With their preteen son, Ramses, and their ward, Nefret, the family travels to western Thebes in search of Tetisheri's tomb. There, after a series of minor mishaps, Ramses is abducted, requiring Amelia and Emerson to begin what seems a nearly impossible task to get him back. The melodramatic 19th-century writing style studded with Amelia's sly wit makes this series unique to the subgenre of historical mysteries. Major ad/promo. (Apr.)

Library Journal

A masked stranger pinpoints the location of an Egyptian queen's lost tomb for Amelia and husband Emerson and then disappears. The pair set off in search of queen Tetisheri's tomb, encountering all the usual amusing situations, disguises, villains, and murderers. A necessary purchase.

BookList - Emily Melton

The prolific Peters' latest features intrepid British feminist and Egyptologist extraordinaire Amelia Peabody Emerson. Amelia, along with handsome husband Radcliffe, precocious son Ramses, and attractive young ward Nefret, returns to her beloved Thebes, this time to excavate a heretofore undiscovered tomb that supposedly contains the remains--and priceless treasures--of Queen Tetisheri. Amelia's old nemesis, the Master Criminal, may be gone, but there are still plenty of obstacles to overcome: heat, bats, rock avalanches, assorted thieves and scoundrels, greedy antiquities dealers, pesky tourists, and ambitious journalists, not to mention a wickedly tricky art dealer with the physique of a hippopotamus and a mousy governess who's not the quiet scholar she first seems. The excavation is progressing satisfactorily if slowly. Then Ramses and Nefret are kidnapped. Terrified for the youngsters' safety, Amelia must use all of her considerable detecting skills--including the dreaded parasol-weapon--to find out who has taken the children and why. Although readers familiar with the series may find the plot all too familiar, they won't care much because it is Peters' wonderful, rapid-fire wit and the delightful Amelia herself--practical, strong minded, and, for a Victorian lady, quite liberated and free-thinking--that make this series such a long-running success.

AudioFile - Sue Feder

Egyptologist Amelia Peabody and family find themselves back in Egypt for their eighth archaeological adventure. Alexandra Thomas￯﾿ﾽs personification of Peabody is brilliantly multidimensional and reveals her humor, creativity and maternal instincts, as well as her famous intelligence. Thomas￯﾿ﾽs interpretation of the dark and wily villain, Peabody￯﾿ﾽs pseudo-intellectual husband/partner, and the mysterious nanny establish her as a master of narrative diversity. Middle-Eastern dialects are effortless for Thomas and create an ominous and pervasive influence which colors the outward appearance of many of the main characters. Alternatively, her portrayal of Peabody￯﾿ﾽs son and young female ward discloses her ability to identify and interpret the emotions of teenagers in the nineteenth century. Alexandra Thomas is a delightfully credible performer! B.L.W. ￯﾿ﾽAudioFile, Portland, Maine

Marilyn Stasio