Egypt, 1912—Amelia Peabody and her dashing archeologist husband, Radcliffe Emerson, are once again in danger as they search for a priceless, stolen bust of legendary Queen Nefertiti and Amelia finds herself the target of assassins in this long-awaited, eagerly anticipated final installment of Elizabeth Peters’ bestselling, beloved mystery series.
Arriving in Cairo for another thrilling … excavation season, Amelia is relaxing in a well-earned bubble bath in her elegant hotel suite in Cairo, when a man with knife protruding from his back staggers into the bath chamber and utters a single word—“Murder”—before collapsing on the tiled floor, dead. Among the few possessions he carried was a sheet of paper with Amelia’s name and room number, and a curious piece of pasteboard the size of a calling card bearing one word: “Judas.” Most peculiarly, the stranger was wearing a gold-rimmed monocle in his left eye.
It quickly becomes apparent that someone saved Amelia from a would-be assassin—someone who is keeping a careful eye on the intrepid Englishwoman. Discovering a terse note clearly meant for Emerson—Where were you?”—pushed under their door, there can be only one answer: the brilliant master of disguise, Sethos.
But neither assassins nor the Genius of Crime will deter Amelia as she and Emerson head to the excavation site at Amarna, where they will witness the discovery of one of the most precious Egyptian artifacts: the iconic Nefertiti bust. In 1345 B.C. the sculptor Thutmose crafted the piece in tribute to the great beauty of this queen who was also the chief consort of Pharaoh Akhenaten and stepmother to King Tutankhamun.
For Amelia, this excavation season will prove to be unforgettable. Throughout her journey, a parade of men in monocles will die under suspicious circumstances, fascinating new relics will be unearthed, a diabolical mystery will be solved, and a brilliant criminal will offer his final challenge . . . and perhaps be unmasked at last.
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Another fascinating story! This one has the Emersons on the trail of Neferititi’s bust after being found by a German archaeologist and her disappearance.
The Painted Queen is the last published book in the Peabody series, but this ‘found’ manuscript is actually set in 1912. I decided to read the series in chronologically instead of in the published order so previous events would be fresh and easier to follow. This one is after “The Falcon at the Portal” set in 1911.
I found the writing to be a little different since Joan Hess finished this story after the passing of Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Mertz. It is not the same, but I feel she did a splendid job of bringing the Emersons to life and I thank her for giving us just one more Amelia Peabody adventure.
I especially enjoyed reading the background history about Ms. Mertz’s life and friends. Barbara Mertz’s trips to Egypt and pursuing her contagious love for Egyptology were very interesting. I have learned so much about England and Egypt’s relationship along with their history. It is amazing how much is covered in each story without overwhelming the reader thanks to Amelia’s charismatic descriptions about current fashions, transportation, politics, war, popular gatherings and of course, Egyptology.
This is Peters best series Amelia Peabody and her whole family really command the attention and interest of the reader.
Very very disappointing. It was so obvious that Elizabeth Peters was not the primary author. Her verve and voice were not present, even in simple things like describing how Ramses or David speak to each other; they NEVER giggle. Amelia’s throwaway references to Emerson were absent – all that needed to be done was copy and paste how she described him in so many of her other books- “the greatest Egyptologist of this time or any other ….. etc. “ This book was FLAT.
For true aficionados of Dr Peters’ work, and of the characters she created, this will be a great disappointment. Makes me want to try my hand at re-writing this story …..
If the last book of hers that you read was “The Tomb of the Painted Bird”, stop there. “A River in the Sky” was Dr Peters’ work, but a flashback/fill in and doesn’t truly give us much more meat to the characters. Give it a miss too.
Glad I read “The Painted Queen” through the public library and did not purchase. It’s not worth reading again (unlike all of her other volumes).
This book did not keep my attention and the characters were overblown and not believable. It read like a very poor satire.
Fun
I love Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody books, and it’s nice to see her last work completed by her friend Joan Hess. The characters are always fun, and the plot of this one was very interesting, too.
I enjoyed visiting with my old friends, the Emersons, and their extended clan of friends, misfits, and enemies. I will miss these stories, but I own most of the books, so any time I get a whim to visit Egypt at the time of the famous digs, I can pick one and dive in.
This book had quite a number of villains and a befuddling ailment–both plus marks. And I’ve been captivated by the Nefertiti bust since I first saw it in a color photograph, probably in National Geographic, so that caught and kept my attention. On a pickier note, while Amelia and Emerson’ voices rang true, I didn’t feel Ms. Peters’ hand so strongly over David and Ramses’ scenes, or Nefret, for that matter. Also, there was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing that seemed to uncover few if any clues. Overall, though, and enjoyable closing to a wonderful series.
Apparently Elizabeth Peters passed away while writing The Painted Queen. It was finished by co-author Joan Hess, but it’s missing the panache of Peter’s style of writing.
I’ll miss more Amelia Peabody stories.
All of this series is priceless, with a feminist archaeologist who is far ahead of her time at the turn of century Egypt. Her adventures in love and with genuine villains are wonderful.
Boring
One of my faovrite authors. Her books are always interesting, her characters entertainingand she brings us right into the Eygpt she is describing. As a bonus I always learn something about ancient Egypt.
I really enjoyed the company of Amelia, Emerson and the gang, again. Although they all had to be exhausted from running back and forth to Cairo, they kept their “stiff upper lip.” There was more incite into their daily rituals than usual, but that was welcome. I am sorry this will be the last book, and thank Ms. Hess for taking on the job.
This was one of Ms. Peter’s best, alas it was her last. The characters were fully drawn, especially if you have been a fan of the series, and the action nonstop. This is a fictionalized story about a familiar archaeological item and it’s favoritism from the very beginning of its find. Fast moving with favorite people and places.
I have loved every book in this series. Book 20 is very entertaining. The family in this series are interesting.
Have always enjoyed Amelia Peabody books, and this final book did not disappoint. The Author certainly finished the book in true Elizabeth Peters style. Thanks for the great read!
Love this author and her characters
Elizabeth Peters wrote a wonderful period series of mysteries based in England and Egypt during the time of the great archaeological discoveries, with unique, eccentric, intelligent characters that will make you laugh. She was an archeologist, and uses her knowledge to create a world that mysteries thrive in.
Read it because I love Amelia Peabody!
This stand alone book is well worth following throughout the series. I recommend that anyone who likes the magic of Egypt, the wonder of a continuing love story and the humor of how you can deal with whatever life throws at you, you can definitely throw back what you want to, and keep on going. Amelia Peabody is a character I have learned to love, and follow.