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The Serpent on the Crown

Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available

New York Times bestselling master of suspense, Elizabeth Peters, brings an exotic world of adventure, intrigue, and danger to vivid life, in a tale as powerful as ancient Egypt.

The Emersons have returned to the Valley of the Kings in 1922 and Amelia Peabody and her family look forward to delving once more into the age-old mysteries buried in Egypt's ever-shifting sands. But a widow's strange story — and even stranger request — is about to plunge them into a storm of secrets, treachery, and murder.

The woman, a well-known author, has come bearing an ill-gotten treasure — a golden likeness of a forgotten king — which she claims is cursed. She insists it has taken the life of her husband and unless it is returned to the tomb from which it was stolen, more people will die.

Amelia and her clan resolve to uncover the secrets of the statue's origins, setting off on a trail that twists and turns in directions they never anticipated — and, perhaps, toward an old nemesis with unscrupulous new designs. But each step toward the truth seems to reveal another peril, suggesting to the intrepid Amelia that the curse is more than mere superstition. And its next victim might well be a beloved family member ... or Amelia Peabody herself.

A novel filled with riveting suspense, pulse-pounding action, and the vibrant life of a fascinating place and time, The Serpent on the Crown is the jewel in the crown of a grand master, the remarkable Elizabeth Peters.

Performed by Barbara Rosenblat

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    • AudioFile Magazine
      Listening to Barbara Rosenblat is always a treat, but when she's performing an Amelia Peabody mystery (Elizabeth Peters's engrossing tales of the Egyptologist and her singularly brilliant brood), the treat becomes a feast. The Peabody-Emersons are in Egypt for the excavation season, and they're soon up to their Victorian manners and mores in murder. With an alleged curse upon a precious gold statue, an ersatz exorcism, and some very villainous villains, archaeological exploration has rarely been more entertaining. Elizabeth Peters's writing sparkles, and thanks to Barbara Rosenblat's bravura performance, every character is identifiable, every nuance is appropriate, and every subtlety speaks volumes. From Peabody's first pronouncement to Emerson's last "Harumph," Rosenblat reaffirms her position as one of the industry's shining stars. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award 2006 Audie Award Winner (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from March 7, 2005
      MWA Grand Master Peters delivers another winner that you can't put down and yet don't want to see end, the 17th entry in her bestselling series to feature Egyptologist Amelia Peabody Emerson and her extended family (after 2004's Guardian of the Horizon
      ). Early in 1922, novelist Magda Petherick, the widow of noted collector Pringle Petherick, interrupts the tea that the Emerson clan are enjoying on the veranda of their house by the Nile. Mrs. Petherick wants Emerson, Amelia's eminent archeologist husband, to dispose of a beautiful golden statuette that Pringle acquired shortly before his death because she believes it carries a curse. All are intrigued. News travels fast, and such a magnificent artifact soon attracts all manner of collectors, museum authorities, journalists and evildoers. Emerson's illegitimate half-brother, Sethos, formerly a dealer in illegal antiquities, arrives in disguise, but unfortunately he's followed by the gentleman he's impersonating. Tomb excavations, mountain treks, brutal attacks, an abduction, an exorcism and murder keep the plot hopping. The author's droll sense of humor and picture of a leisurely and less complicated age add to the appeal. Agent, Dominick Abel.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Before the Peabody-Emersons can begin the season's archaeological dig, a flamboyant woman asks Emerson to remove an alleged curse from a rare gold statuette. The close-knit family faces danger and shocking surprises in Elizabeth Peters's seventeenth Amelia Peabody mystery. Harper Audio's author-approved abridgment scrupulously strives to include major characters and plot points. The CD version also provides helpful tracking information on each disc, and, no music to distract from the performance. The truly exceptional Barbara Rosenblat avoids abridgment confusion with her masterful portrayals. Her wit, intelligence, and subtle shadings establish age, class, and motive beyond any doubt. If they ever make a movie of the series, Rosenblat is the perfect choice for all the roles. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      April 1, 2005
      Intrepid sleuth, archaeologist, and matriarch Amelia Peabody returns in her 17th appearance to date. In autumn 1921, widowed Mrs. Petherick gives Amelia and husband Emerson a valuable gold statue, pleading with them to remove the curse on it that killed her husband. Peabody, always a skeptic, wonders why Mrs. Petherick is so eager to unload the statue when she and her stepchildren could clearly use the money a sale would bring. Emerson vows to uncover the tomb from which the statue was stolen, which requires extensive excavations in the Valley of the Kings. Could the statue be from an undiscovered tomb in the valley? Perhaps famed archaelogist Howard Carter could help investigate. The narrative contains the usual disappearances, muggings, chases, and clever disguises we have come to expect from the Emerson family. The book suffers, though, from minimal character development and a skimpy plot. In-jokes for "Informed Readers" aside, this isn't Peters's best work, but is certainly a required purchase for any public library. Peters lives in western Maryland. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, "LJ" 12/1/04]. -Laurel Bliss, Princeton Univ. Lib., NJ

      Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      March 1, 2005
      The year is 1922, and Amelia Peabody, Emerson, Ramses, and their familiar company have returned to Egypt for another season of excavation. Before they have a chance to begin, however, they receive an unexpected visitor, flamboyant writer Magda Petherick, who spins an outrageous story about a cursed artifact and implores Emerson to exorcise its demon. Of course, no one falls for Petherick's elaborate yarn, but the beautiful statuette piques Egyptologist Emerson's interest enough to convince him an investigation of its history is in order. In the meantime, Petherick turns up dead, someone attempts to "liberate" the artifact, and two attempts are made on Ramses' life. It's a delicious setup for Peabody to exercise her special talents. The espionage complications of previous books evaporated with the end of World War I, leaving this a more routine adventure. But, as usual, Peters injects plenty of humorous banter, lots of bluster from Emerson, and enough coy swipes at Victorian propriety to keep the story lively. There's even a little surprise at the close. A pleasant addition to the long-running series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)

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