What do You think about The Hippopotamus Pool (1997)?
In this episode, Ramses is 12, Nefret is 15, and Emerson is about to make the discovery of his life--the almost-undisturbed royal tomb of Queen Tetisheri. Of course there are many people who will stop at nothing to get in first, including kidnapping any or all of the children--who soon number three, with the addition of the Egyptian boy David, discovered working for a local forger, but proving to be Abdullah's grandson and a talented artist.This is such a fun series, and it's nice to go back to some of the earlier books after having read the ones set in the 1920s. I don't know that this was one of her better efforts mystery-wise, but lots of threads and characters that recur in later books get their start or continue here, including David, Sir Edward, the hidden villain. And it's nice for once for Emerson to have a real excavation, rather than the boring villages and Roman mummies his temper often lands him with. Part of the delight of these books is listening to them on CD, with wonderful narration by Barbara Rosenblatt. How a woman can manage to convey the ultimate masculinity of Emerson I don't know, but she does it brilliantly.
—Rebecca
Another Win For Elizabeth and a Wonderful Time with AmeliaSince this is my second time reading the adventures of Amelia Peabody Emerson, most of what takes place is not a surprise, but you tend to forget details (or at least I do!). Ms .Peters never fails to entertain, which is why I'm sure I will be reading this series more times. Not only are these books thoroughly entertaining, they are also educating. As Barbara Mertz (Peters' true name) was an Egyptologist, she knew her subject matter. I would encourage readers of any age to try this series, as Ms. Peters kept the series rated PG, Her exclusion of explicit love scenes and inapproprIate language speaks highly of her intelligence and writing skills, The first time through this series, I felt that "The Last Camel Died at Noon," with its highly unusual plot, was my favorite, but, with the addition of David and the return of Walter and Evelyn, I'm now sure that "The Hippopotamus Pool" is it. That could certainly change, the more I re-read the series!
—Carol L. Hensley
This is my first and only experience with this archaeological/Egyptology series as I was unimpressed with this supposed expedition to explore the burial chamber of an Egyptian queen. I have enjoyed my explorations of ancient Egypt with my visit to Giza and also the "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" exhibit in Chicago. This novels imagines the heathen belief in a mythological fantasy of life rebirth inspired by the underwater disappearance and reemergence of the hippopotami while the Amelia Peabody character ends by composing an obscure Egyptian military objective to the folk fable.I did enjoy the antics of the two cats, Anubis and Bastet as I have had Siamese cat companions and been exposed to their hunting traits and habit of jumping up into my arms and on my back. We have treasured our Pharaoh hound and Ibizan hound pets as well who are more adept at displaying the anubis posture rather than that of my cats!
—Raymond
