The Last Camel Died at Noon

by Elizabeth Peters Narrated by Suzanne O'Malley

Overview

Bestselling author Elizabeth Peters brings back nineteenth-century Egyptologist Amelia Peabody and her entourage in this delicious caper that digs up mystery in the shadow of the pyramids.

The last camel is dead, and Egyptologist Amelia Peabody, her dashing husband, Emerson, and her precocious son, Ramses, are in dire straits on the sun-scorched desert sands. Months before, back in cool, green England, Viscount Blacktower had approached them to find his son and his son's new bride, who have been missing in war-torn Sudan for over a decade. An enigmatic message scrawled on papyrus and a cryptic map had been delivered to Blacktower, awakening his hope that the couple was still alive.

Neither Amelia nor Emerson believes the message is authentic, but the treasure map proves an irresistible temptation. Now, deep in Nubia's vast wasteland, they discover too late how much treachery is afoot (and on camelback), and survival depends on Amelia's solving a mystery as old as ancient Egypt and as timeless as greed and revenge.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

If Indiana Jones were female, a wife and mother who lived in Victorian times, he would be Amelia Peabody Emerson, an archeologist whose extraordinary adventures are guaranteed entertainment. This time Amelia, her handsome, fearless husband, Radcliffe, and their precocious 11-year-old son, Ramses, are in the Sudan, searching for archeologist Willoughby Forth, who disappeared 14 years earlier with his new wife. Rescued in the desert after every camel in their caravan dies, the Emersons are taken to a lost city where ancient Egyptian customs have been carried into modern times. There, entangled in two half-brothers' battle for the throne, Amelia and family fight for the freedom of the slave class while ferreting out the fate of Forth and his bride, and arranging to escape with their lives. Peters ( The Deeds of the Disturber ), who also writes as Barbara Michaels, laces her usual intricate plotting with Amelia's commonsense approach to hygiene and manners, and coyly delicate references to vigorously enjoyed connubial pleasures. Combining a fierce affection for her family with indefatigable independence, stalwart Amelia proves once again an immensely likable heroine. 35,000 first printing; Mystery Guild selection; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternate. (Sept.)

School Library Journal

YA-- Another interest-holding and humorously told Amelia Peabody Victorian suspense tale. It's absurd to believe that an archaeologist missing for years is still alive, but the mysterious plea for help, written on ancient papyrus, appeals to this Egyptologist and her husband. Traveling across the desert in search of Willoughby Forth and his bride is a danger that increases as the camels die and native porters flee with the supplies. YAs who relish a good mystery and detailed storytelling will enjoy this one. The foreign settings of Egypt, Sudan, and England add to the pleasure. --Linda Vretos, West Springfield High School, Springfield, VA

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169806977
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	08/03/2011
Series:	Amelia Peabody Series , #6
Edition description:	Unabridged

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