Lord of the Silent

The Amelia Peabody Series, Book 13

By: Elizabeth Peters

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Undeterred by world war and enemy submarines, Amelia Peabody, grandmaster Elizabeth Peters' indomitable archaeologist-sleuth, once again sets sail for Egypt, where ghosts of an ancient past and specters of a present-day evil hover silently over an inscrutable land.

With son Ramses, his wife, Nefret, and a few unwelcome additions in tow, the elder Peabody-Emersons embark on a dangerous sea voyage to Alexandria, ultimately ending up in Cairo for their annual excavations. But in this autumn of 1915 the exotic, alluring city is not what it used to be. Cairo has been transformed into an armed camp teeming with enemy agents, and shockingly bold tomb robbers are brazenly desecrating the ancient sites.

Amelia's foremost priority is to prevent the War Office from pressing Ramses into service again, on the same sort of job that almost cost him his life the previous year. But in these terrible days of global conflict and relentless skullduggery, no place in Egypt is safe. Even remote Luxor provides no guarantee of safety, especially after Amelia discovers a fresh corpse resting in an ancient tomb.

The grim discovery presages further trouble for the Emersons, as the sinister conundrum pulls them all into a bubbling morass of corruption, intrigue, and international espionage deeper and more fiendish than any they have hitherto encountered. Death follows death, with abduction and an assault on Amelia herself intensifying the chaos of a world at war.

Yet there is an even darker danger in store for the Emersons. Can it be that one of Amelia's oldest and most dangerous adversaries will intervene to alter the family's destiny? Tantalizing clues suggest that this may be so and point toward an archaeological discovery of unparalleled importance, and the resurrection of a voice that has been silent for millennia.

Don't miss the rest of the Amelia Peabody series. You can also check out more of our Most Addictive Series.

©2001 Elizabeth Peters (P)2001 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Readers will find all the delicious trappings of a vintage Peters extravaganza: lost tombs, kidnappings, deadly attacks, mummies, and sinister villains." (Publishers Weekly)

Unabridged is unacceptable

Since I couldn't get this book, or the next two, in unabridged format, I read them rather than compromising (even though I love Barbara Rosenblat's narration and think she adds a lot to the books), but I decided to give this one a chance, just to see if abridging ruined it. It did. The abridged version left out so much of what I like about the series that I recorded it, and the next two books, for a friend who likes the series but has a very long commute and no time to read.

If Audible were to get these three books in unabridged format, I'd buy them, even though I've already read them.

Don't buy abridged!

This series to too good to cut :-) I bought the 3 Amelia Peabody books Audible had available only as abridged, and then had to hunt down and purchase the Unabridged versions elsewhere.

"ABRIDGED'!!!!!! WASTED A CREDIT!

Would you try another book from Elizabeth Peters and/or Barbara Rosenblat?

I read this series ages ago and loved it then and thoroughly enjoyed listening to books one through fourteen. However, after spending all that money I find I will have a hole in the series as the next three books are only offered in the abridged form which I can't believe anyone would prefer. Barbara Rosenblat does a great job on these books and Elizabeth Peters is an all time favorite of mine. Her books written under the "nom de plume" Barbara Michaels are very good too. My only compaint is that I do want the WHOLE book anytime I buy a book.

Hold out for unabridged!

Would you try another book from Elizabeth Peters and/or Barbara Rosenblat?

I LOVE the Peabody series (I even have a cat named Peabody). I'm an anthropologist, and enjoy the reality of the period brought out in the books. Peters also allows an insight into the character of some of the famous Egyptologists of the time, like Howard Carter.

If you’ve listened to books by Elizabeth Peters before, how does this one compare?

I've listened to all the previous books in the series, this one fell short by a long shot! I even went back to my paperback copy of this book to re-read so I could flesh out the plot and characters.

What about Barbara Rosenblat’s performance did you like?

LOVE it! Rosenblat really IS Peabody for me.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Lord of the Silent?

If I could play editor, I wouldn't settle for the abridged version. Hold out for the real thing.
I'll read the next two in paperback so I don't miss anything, then go for the remaining unabridged books.