Elizabeth Peters manages to combine laugh-out-loud humor with thrilling mystery and suspense. The enemies-to-lovers trope between the headstrong Amelia and the equally stubborn husband, Emerson is a loving parody of traditional romances, which Peters has written under the name Barbara Michaels. It is also a parody and indictment of of Victorian propriety. The mystery is central to the story, not just an afterthought. The setting is also a vital aspect of the book. Peters' holds a PhD in Egyptology, so her history is accurate and her descriptions of Egyptian archaeology are spot on. I feel completely immersed in that world, although occasionally I do have to stop and check a map. This is the first in the series, and introduces not only Amelia and Emerson, but Emerson's brother, Walter, and Evelyn, his soon-to-be-wife, and several other minor series characters.
Amelia Peabody is Elizabeth Peters' most brilliant and best-loved creation, a thoroughly Victorian feminist who takes the stuffy world of archaeology by storm with her shocking men's pants and no-nonsense attitude!
In this first adventure, our headstrong heroine decides to use her substantial inheritance to see the world. On her travels, she rescues a gentlewoman in distress - Evelyn Barton-Forbes - and the two become friends. The two companions continue to Egypt where they face mysteries, mummies and the redoubtable Radcliffe Emerson, an outspoken archaeologist, who doesn't need women to help him solve mysteries -- at least that's what he…
One of Marsh's best Roderick Alleyn mysteries. Her writing style, as always, is superb. The characters are well-rounded and clearly depicted. Alleyn is, as always, the interested observer. The heavy mystery is lightened by touches of humor. The winter solstice fertility ritual is a synthesis of components of actual ancient English rituals (another version can be seen in the movie, "The Wicker Man"). Marsh gives references in an Author's Note for those who want more information. I would warn, however, that it was written in 1956 and does express some questionable views about mental illness.
Pagan revelry and morris dancing in the middle of a very cold winter set the scene for one of Ngaio Marsh's most fascinating murder mysteries. When the pesky Anna Bunz arrives at Mardian to investigate the rare survival of folk-dancing still practised there, she quickly antagonizes the villagers. But Mrs Bunz is not the only source of friction -- two of the other enthusiasts are also spoiling for a fight. When the sword dancers' traditional mock beheading of the Winter Solstice becomes horribly real, Superintendent Roderick Alleyn finds himself faced with a case of great complexity and of gruesome proportions...
With Caudwell's untimely death in 2000, the series also ended too soon. Her writing is witty and clever, although, TBH, there were times I had to re-read a sentence or two to parse the meaning. Her characters are young and obsessed with all of the emotional and sexual issues (closed door) that we are obsessed with when we're young. The mystery and solution are terribly convoluted, but that is part of the fun. In case you're wondering, we never do discover whether the narrator and detective-from-afar, Professor of Medieval Law, Hilary Tamar, is male or female. Highly recommended for fans of Dorothy Sayers.
When her personal copy of the current Finance Act is found a few metres away from a body, young barrister Julia Larwood finds herself caught up in a complex fight against the Inland Revenue.
Set to have a vacation away from her home life and the tax man, Julia takes a trip with her art-loving boyfriend. However, all is not what it seems. Could he in fact be an employee of the establishment she has been trying to escape from? And how did her romantic luxurious holiday end in murder?
It’s 1929 and 25-year-old librarian Prudence Bates is bored with her conventional middle-class life. She escapes by heading to west to qualify as a Courier for the Southwestern Indian Detours. On the California Limited, she meet Jerry Begay, a charming Navajo school teacher. They feel an instant rapport, but he's headed for Gallup, so it's but a brief encounter. In Las Vegas, New Mexico, Prudence is befriended by Castaneda Hotel Harvey Girls Martha and Anne and desk clerk Clara. They take Prudence under their wing and invite her along to dances and the local hot springs. Four days later, Martha’s brother, Tom, is found murdered. Was it because of his bootlegging activities? Or his amorous relationship with Liz Kearney, daughter of the richest man in the area and rumored mob boss? And was that really Jerry whom Prudence saw meeting with Tom in secret the day before he was killed? Following in the footsteps of her favorite fictional characters, Tommy and Tuppence, Prudence is determined to solve the murder. But one wrong step and she may end up in the sights of the bootleggers.
