The Serpent on the Crown

The Amelia Peabody Series, Book 17

By: Elizabeth Peters

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling master of suspense, Elizabeth Peters, brings an exotic world of adventure, intrigue, and danger to vivid life, in a tale as powerful as ancient Egypt.

The Emersons have returned to the Valley of the Kings in 1922 and Amelia Peabody and her family look forward to delving once more into the age-old mysteries buried in Egypt's ever-shifting sands. But a widow's strange story, and even stranger request, is about to plunge them into a storm of secrets, treachery, and murder.

The woman, a well-known author, has come bearing an ill-gotten treasure, a golden likeness of a forgotten king, which she claims is cursed. She insists it has taken the life of her husband and unless it is returned to the tomb from which it was stolen, more people will die.

Amelia and her clan resolve to uncover the secrets of the statue's origins, setting off on a trail that twists and turns in directions they never anticipated, and, perhaps, toward an old nemesis with unscrupulous new designs. But each step toward the truth seems to reveal another peril, suggesting to the intrepid Amelia that the curse is more than mere superstition. And its next victim might well be a beloved family member...or Amelia Peabody herself.

A novel filled with riveting suspense, pulse-pounding action, and the vibrant life of a fascinating place and time, The Serpent on the Crown is the jewel in the crown of a grand master, the remarkable Elizabeth Peters.

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

©2005 Elizabeth Peters (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

• 2005 Audie Award Winner, Mystery

"Peters injects plenty of humorous banter, lots of bluster from Emerson, and enough coy swipes at Victorian propriety to keep the story lively....A pleasant addition to the long-running series." (Booklist)

The Serpent on the Crown

Such Fun!!! The best part was the reader tho, she gives different voices for all the characters and has such excellent expression.

Solid if not terribly memorable entry

This episode plays an important role in setting up why Howard Carter gets to trump Emerson in the future, but more importantly, it proves why you can't help but adore Daoud.

Another Winner in a Great Series

I am a huge fan of the Amelia Peabody series and this one kept me entertained from beginning to end. I often walk and listen to books and this one encouraged me to walk farther than usual to keep listening. I just wish there were many, many more in the series!

Delightful.

The story, characters and dialogue were superb, as usual. The narrator, Barbara Rosenblatt, is, hands down, the BEST narrator of them all, and there are some really good ones. With Barbara, the listener never has to be told who's speaking because every voice is unique. I hadn't listened to an Amelia story for awhile, and enjoyed every minute of it.

Great read! &Enjoyable to hear Barbara Rosenblat!

Me. Rosenblat is a great reader. she makes different voices for each character and has done a good job carrying the voice over each book in the series. The Amelia Peabody series is an enjoyable series building up a set of rich characters who seem become old friends for this reader. Series is a historical fiction about Egyptology during the 1880-1922 timeframe and is combined with detective-type story lines.
Great read! All 20 books.

Sound issues

The audio on this is mangled at times. With less than a half a second separating the end of a chapter to the next or one sentence to the next, it sounds garbled. Most of it is fine and you can understand what's being said, but more care should have been taken with a great book like this.

The book itself (plot, characters, etc.) is fantastic and fits well with the series.

Not as tight as past efforts

I enjoyed this but not as much as past books. Plot and writing not as tight.

the characters

the final words of some chapters are cut off, otherwise a great story and series

One of the best readers EVER!

As always, Mrs. Emerson is a blast to hang out with. Over and above the rich textural style of our beloved author, the characterizations of Barbara Rosenblat make this listen so much fun!!! Ms. Rosenblat is one of the true STARS of this medium. TWO THUMBS UP.

Hurrahs

Three cheers for Elizabeth Peters for a charming, interesting and
cativating story. Equally exorbitant hurrahs for the reader, Barbara
Rosenblat. Certainly she too, is a cut above. Highly reccomended.