Crocodile on the Sandbank

The Amelia Peabody Series, Book 1

By: Elizabeth Peters

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

Amelia Peabody inherited two things from her father: a considerable fortune and an unbendable will. The first allowed her to indulge in her life's passion. Without the second, the mummy's curse would have made corpses of them all.Don't miss the rest of the Amelia Peabody series. You can also check out more of our Most Addictive Series.©2004 Elizabeth Peters (P)2004 Recorded Books

Nice break from the usual-

I am a hardcore mystery fan, usually attracted to the detective or forensic genre. But having read a review of this book (non-audio version) on an e-list, I thought I would check it out.

Amelia Peabody has a wry, dry sense of humor and a sarcastic nature that made me wish she was a next-door neighbor I could call and have a chat. The reader, Barbara Rosenblat I believe, did an outstanding job reading this book and with her range of character voices she uses, she really did make the entire thing come alive. I found myself looking for excuses to make car trips, simply so I could listen to more of this book, and I have to say, I was disappointed when it ended. I will be looking for the other titles in the series.

What amazed me the most was that thought I am a fan of a much more hardcore mystery, I really did enjoy this. There was a lot of historical "Egyptology" information that I found fascinating. There was also a romantic element I enjoyed. Yet had the book been described to me as a romantic/historical mystery, I probably never would have chosen it. What initially got me interested was that it was described as a "humorous mystery" and it is that as well.

If you are looking to expand your horizons a bit or just to break out of a rut, I can highly recommend this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Great Entertainment

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I laughed outloud several times, prompting my husband to look at me like I was crazy. Amelia is the most endearing woman. I feel like the Emersons are part of my family now.

One of my favorite series! Love it!

Old friends and characters that never grow old! I put this on to get the taste of a stressful read out of my system. I listen to them over and over. Some of the best spent credits ever.

OK, but not great

Listening to this book sent me to the Classics and Non-fiction sections of Audible! It made me hungry for better writing and more likeable characters. Amelia came across as too self assured (shall we say...arrogant?) and Evelyn like Sweet Polly Purebred, her appearance (her hair in particular) described ad nauseum with various forms of the word "pretty".
The narration was well done. The story itself was the disappointment. Not awful...not great...just OK.

So glad I discovered this series

I love it when I discover a great new series and this is the first in a wonderful (new to me) series. Amelia Peabody is quite a character, a young Englishwoman (late 1800s) who is quite full of herself, has just inherited her father's fortune and goes to Egypt for an adventure. She rescues another young Englishwoman, they meet two handsome young Englishmen and the plot thickens. There is all kinds of intrigue, murder and mystery involved, lots of strange characters and a glimpse into Egypt run by the British. I enjoyed the reader's narration of this book. Her voices were excellent and she kept up the pace of the book. But best of all I thoroughly enjoyed the humor, wit and the whole crazy plot of the first book in this series. It may take me awhile but I want to listen to all of the Amelia Peabody books. Very enjoyable!

Fun Romp Down the Nile

There's nothing more fun than a romp down the Nile, searching lost tombs while being chased by a mummy! Just like everyone else, I'm going to say that I loved the interaction between Peabody, the ever wise busy body, and Emerson, the curmudeonly archeologist.

My only problem with this book was that the protagonist sounded much older than her 32 years. Perhaps that was the result of the narrator's voice. I struggled (and was distracted) by that inequity.

Perhaps my other problem was that I was preoccupied and had trouble focusing on the story. I was constantly missing things and having to rewind. I may have to read it again someday. Nah! I'll just read the next book in the series.

My Favourite Historical Female Detective

Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody series has given me hours of listening pleasure. Her characterisation is fabulous and Barbara Rosenblat has become one of my favourite narrators.

I Love Amelia Peabody Emerson!

Where does Crocodile on the Sandbank rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I love this book! The writing, and especially the character Amelia Peabody remind me so much of another favorite character, Tish, created by Mary Roberts Rinehart. I listen to this book - and its sisters in the series - EVERY year. Never tire of Elizabeth Peters' Peabody; like visiting with a dear friend.

What did you like best about this story?

I like the thorough, accurate and detailed descriptions of Egypt of the time period, as well as the social mores affecting Amelia Peabody and the other characters.

What does Barbara Rosenblat bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Listening to Barbara Rosenblat read this book launched her to the tied No. 1 spot of narrators in my list of favorites (Jim Dale is the other No. 1). I've even begun listening to other series simply because Barbara Rosenblat is the narrator.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

"Perfectly splendid."

Any additional comments?

I have all the books in this series, and often check to see if Elizabeth Peters is publishing a new "Peabody" for me to read.

Pretty Darn Good

This book was a little slow but the main character was an interesting, powerful woman for her time.

Better than me

I absolutely loved this reading! I can give it no higher praise than to say that Barbara Rosenblatt does Amelia Peabody better than I could have.