The Last Camel Died at Noon (Amelia Peabody #6)

Elizabeth Peters really outdoes herself with this novel, which continues the Amelia series and has all the hallmarks readers have come to expect--Ramses doing his best to bring about his own premature death, Amelia and Emerson enjoying their passionate relationship, excavations, facts about Ancient Egypt, suspense, intrigue, and of course, a dead body or two. The final chapter is a bit convoluted and the reader who devoured the novel may have to go back and re-read certain portions, but that's hardly a punishment. This is the best of the series that occurs while Ramses is still a child.
Readers who enjoy this book might also enjoy Peters' books written under the nom de plume Barbara Michaels.

Just finished re-reading this book. My favorite of an excellent series. A very intricate, fast-paced plot which masterfully incorporates loads of fascinating, historical detail. The action never stops and we are introduced to Nefret in this book. Amelia is at her parasol-wielding finest.

I like slow, deeply rich stories with lots of imagery. This book is just slow. Lots of description, but fairly repetitive.

I also like fast paced mysteries. This book isn't either.

I like humorous stories. This book just tries and fails. There were a few funny lines, but they were so interspersed with the huge number of lines that were supposed to be funny that weren't, or repeats of jokes that had already been said, that even the truly funny ones just got lost in glut.

And if I had to read one more "cute" description of their sex life, I would have screamed. Sure, a couple times it was mildly amusing. But you can beat a camel to death.

I get the feeling a lot of authors and publishers feel they HAVE to have sex in their novels to make them sell. Um, no. One can write a great book without it. As a result, any time I see sex in a book, I automatically figure it's just to sell what is otherwise a paltry attempt at literature. Usually, I'm right.

And the technique of describing historical details via the husband and wife arguing about who knows more just didn't work for me. If the history was essential to the plot, or if it could have been better worked into character development, it would have fit. If it was just fascinating and written well, a history buff like me would have appreciated it. However, this just read like a freshman paper from a not too stellar student pasted into the book at random locations.

It also was beyond belief that Peabody and Emerson are still together, given the way they bicker. Really? Is the sex that good? It wasn't for me, so I kind of doubt it was enough to hold their failing marriage together. If the author was trying to describe how Victorian marriages stayed together despite the husband being an abusive bully, that didn't work either. And Peabody is supposed to be an independent woman, but she puts up with this?

I thoroughly enjoyed this very long tape and agree with the second reviewer that the relaxed pace is one of its pleasures. I'm not sure how I'd feel sitting on a couch listening to it and doing nothing else, but it's great for listening to in a car or while sorting stuff, etc. The personalities of Amelia and the other characters come through beautifully.

Other reviewers have given the gist of the story. It is a great take-off on H. Rider Haggard's famous tales.

What bothers me is that I have just started Ken Follett's "The Key to Rebecca" (1981), which begins with a paragraph of one sentence: "The last camel collapsed at noon."

Ten years later Peters comes up with the title "The Last Camel Died at Noon"? Not a word of thanks to Follett or any allusion to "borrowing" his famous one-liner. Her credibility just slipped a few notches.

Amelia Peabody mystery and adventure. Having excavated in many of the important sites in Egypt, Amelia, Emerson, and Ramses, their precocious son, now hope to go where to archeologist has ever gone before: the ruins of the ancient city of Napata in the heart of the Sudan. However, a war prevents them from their desired location. They end up in the arid Nubian desert where fourteen years previously the explorer Willoughby Forth and his new bride had disappeared. Through a series of mysterious and coincidental events, they end up on a search for these unfortunate souls.On this journey, the gallant Emerson-Peabodys find themselves in the most dangerous and extraordinary predicament of their lives. One of Peters' best fast-paced, suspenceful, educational mysteries.

The plot seems to be slow moving, the characters are very flat, and for whatever reason, the narrator is hard to listen to.

I checked this book out of the library on a whim, the cover talking about the female version of Indiana Jones. I wasted my time slugging through four cassettes before I gave up and returned it.

The plot centers around a secret map that may lead to untold riches. Along the way Peabody, with her husband and son have uninspired encounters with the local natives in egypt. The native they are traveling with is really a prince of a lost ancient civilization, the crooked porters run off with their camels and supplies. I don't know if it was just incredibly bad forecasting or just that it was so darn predictable, but I found myself wanting to fast forward just to get to the good part. Four tapes later I gave up on finding any.

You might like this if you enjoy turn of the century literature, slow moving plots, and unoriginal storylines. As for me, I pass.

This book is about what you fantasize about at work. It's too incredulous to be true but that is the charm of it. You wish it were true and that you were in Amelia Peabody's place. Instead of being one of those confounded tourists. In The Last Camel Died at Noon, Amelia and Emerson (along with the irrepressable Ramses) set out to do something but I forget what since it has been so long since I've read it. Anyway, just read it simce that was what you were going to do in the first place. What's the point of knowing all about it before you read it?

Barbara Rosenblatt really captures the spirit of the Amelia Peabody novels. She understands that these books do not take themselves too seriously. Amelia Peabody is irrepressible and the slow pace of the story is enjoyable because the characters are so likeable. A true pleasure.

Barbara Michaels hit the jackpot when she invented Amelia Peabody Emerson, and this novel just increases the appeal of the entire family. For those of us who love Egyptian history, adventure novels, and romance, this series can't be beat. Thanks, Ms. Michaels!