The Hippopotamus Pool

April 8, 1996
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.

February 1, 1996
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.

December 15, 1995
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. ((Reviewed December 15, 1995))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1995, American Library Association.)