The Last Camel Died at Noon

The Amelia Peabody Series, Book 6

By: Elizabeth Peters

Narrated by: Susan O'Malley

Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

The last camel is dead, and Egyptologist Amelia Peabody, her dashing husband, Emerson, and precocious son, Ramses, are in dire straits on the sun-scorched desert sands. Months before, back in cool, green England, Viscount Blacktower had approached them to find his son and his son's new bride, who have been missing in war-torn Sudan for over a decade. An enigmatic message scrawled on papyrus and a cryptic map had been delivered to Blacktower, awakening his hope that the couple was still alive.

Neither Amelia nor Emerson believes the message is authentic, but the treasure map proves an irresistible temptation. Now, deep in Nubia's vast wasteland, they discover too late how much treachery is afoot (and on camelback)...and survival depends on Amelia's solving a mystery as old as ancient Egypt and as timeless as greed and revenge.

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

©1991 Elizabeth Peters (P)2000 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"If Indiana Jones were female, a wife and mother who lived in Victorian times, he would be Amelia Peabody Emerson...Combining a fierce affection for her family with indefatigable independence, stalwart Amelia proves once again an immensely likable heroine." (Publishers Weekly)
"Another interest-holding and humorously told Amelia Peabody Victorian suspense tale." (School Library Journal)
"The plot twists and turns....it's delicious." (Washington Times)

Good Story, Painful Narration

I'm an Amelia Peabody junky but I must say that listening to this one read by Susan O'Malley is just plain painful. It's like listenting to a really bad cover of your favorite song - you just want to scream "Stop! You're doing it all wrong!" I think from now on I'll skip any books that aren't available with Barbara Rosenblat as the narrator and read the book the old-fashioned way, just so I don't have to endure listening to another of Susan O'Malley's readings. I'm sure she's well suited to other stories, but to hear Ameila Peabody without a well-bred British accent is just wrong. I'm not sure how the producer could even imaging doing the story without the accents - it just doesn't make any sense. I won't make this mistake again and I hope you don't either! Barbara Rosenblat IS Amelia Peabody!

Wrong Narrator

This is an example of Susan O'Malley having a hard act to follow. Barbara Rosenblatt has read all the prior Amelia books, and frankly Ms. O'Malley's narration was dreadful. She made Amelia and Emerson sound like the Bickersons rather than lovers. I couldn't get through an hour of it. The Last Camel Died at Noon is a wonderful book but make sure you purchase the one narrated by Barbara Rosenblatt. Don't waste your time or money on this one.

Reader ruins story

Great series but the reader is meh- must be read by Barbara Rosenblatt!! She captures the characters perfectly.

In Audio, the Reader makes or breaks

I have all of the "Amelia Peabody" series of mysteries in hard and/or soft copy and many in audio. I'm going to have to read "The Last Camel Died at Noon" rather than listen while I quilt or travel, because the absence of Barbara Rosenblat as reader has made it "un-listenable". I found myself starting and going back because I just couldn't keep interested in the flat reading. Bummer!

Get the Rosenblat narration - this doesn't work!

I accidentally purchased this unabridged version rather than the one read by Barbara Rosenblat. All of the Amelia Peabody books of course are wonderful, but a great deal of the fun in these is her fabulous narration, wonderful accents, and the life she brings to Amelia, Ramses, and all of the other characters (her Egyptian accent is spot on). I have no idea why they would use an American narrator to do the voice of Amelia, a Victorian Englishwoman, but this reader absolutely does not work for me. Audible was very kind to refund my credit to allow me to get the other one.

Amelia with an American accent?

I couldn't listen past the first hour, it was too painful. Who in the world decided to give this to an American reader? Unless it is Barbara Rosenblat, then it is not Amelia Peabody Emerson

Just Awful to Listen to

I am barely through two chapters and have decided to read the actual book. The narrator is horrible. As all the previous reviews agree. And I mean horrible. Her characters are flat and have totally different personalities. If you are a fan of Amelia & Emerson as read by Barbara Rosenblat then by all means skip this narrator.

Love the series - narrator not

Narrator is subpar. Lacks the character voicing which makes fiction enjoyable. I'm sure her style would be fine for non-fiction.

The Last Camel Died at Noon

Susan O'Malley is no Barbara Rosenblat! I am so disappointed with this narrator - she almost ruins the story. The simple difference between the way O'Malley pronounces "Mama" as if Ramsey is from the Texas, and Rosenblat pronounces it with an uppercrust English accent completely changes the flow of the story... Truely there is no comparison.

Terrible Reader

The narrator of an audio book is just as important as the author and content, and this narrator is terrible. Fans of the Amelia Peabody Mysteries know that only Barbara Rosenblat can do justice to these great books. I can't imagine why they veered off course for this one title and had a munchkin read the book.