The Painted Queen

An Amelia Peabody Novel of Suspense

De: Elizabeth Peters, Joan Hess

Narrado por: Barbara Rosenblat

Egypt, 1912. Amelia Peabody and her dashing archeologist husband, Radcliffe Emerson, are once again in danger as they search for a priceless stolen bust of legendary Queen Nefertiti and Amelia finds herself the target of assassins in this long-awaited, eagerly anticipated final installment of Elizabeth Peters' best-selling, beloved mystery series.

Arriving in Cairo for another thrilling excavation season, Amelia is relaxing in a well-earned bubble bath in her elegant hotel suite in Cairo when a man with a knife protruding from his back staggers into the bath chamber and utters a single word - "murder" - before collapsing on the tiled floor, dead. Among the few possessions he carried is a sheet of paper with Amelia's name and room number and a curious piece of pasteboard the size of a calling card bearing one word: "Judas". Most peculiarly, the stranger was wearing a gold-rimmed monocle in his left eye.

It quickly becomes apparent that someone saved Amelia from a would-be assassin - someone who is keeping a careful eye on the intrepid Englishwoman. Discovering a terse note clearly meant for Emerson - "where were you?" - pushed under their door, there can be only one answer: the brilliant master of disguise, Sethos.

But neither assassins nor the Genius of Crime will deter Amelia as she and Emerson head to the excavation site at Amarna, where they will witness the discovery of one of the most precious Egyptian artifacts: the iconic Nefertiti bust. In 1345 BC the sculptor Thutmose crafted the piece in tribute to the great beauty of this queen, who was also the chief consort of Pharaoh Akhenaten and stepmother to King Tutankhamun.

For Amelia, this excavation season will prove to be unforgettable. Throughout her journey, a parade of men in monocles will die under suspicious circumstances, fascinating new relics will be unearthed, a diabolical mystery will be solved, and a brilliant criminal will offer his final challenge...and perhaps be unmasked at last.

©2017 MPM Manor, Inc. (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Just did not feel like the Peabody Emersons

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I missed the characters and did enjoy revisiting them. there were errors in the details that jarred

Would you be willing to try another book from Elizabeth Peters and Joan Hess ? Why or why not?

Probably but it is over anyhow

Which scene was your favorite?

Sethos rang true when he grabbed Amelia on the horse

Did The Painted Queen inspire you to do anything?

Nope

Any additional comments?

I appreciate the attempt to finish the novel but I wish some of the facts from other books had been more carefully edited Daoud did not have many wives Kathrine did not know Ramses from birth,Emerson would have never left the shop unguarded so it made the characters less real to me

Better next time

Some kind of magic was missing from this book. It was ok but the characters weren't as true as they were in other books. As much as I love B. Rosenblat she seemed a little tired in this narration.

Wonderful to hear familiar FRIENDS

Time has moved on and does it's work on all of us together. Aging takes place. Barbara Mertz has passed, leaving a treasure for we who loved her creations. Barbara, the narrator has been a wonderful. Her beautiful voice has aged and I am very grateful she has been here at the end. THANK YOU to both BARBARAs. What a great gift I have found and keep close to my heart!!!

How many will there be?

Wow, I can't believe it. The Emersons actually made it through a story of grime, crime, 5 murderous attempts and came out no worse for wear. To complete it all, what are electric fish in the rushes...in the Nile? I'm rereading this set for the umpteenth time and never tire.

Same names, not the same characters.

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

Possibly.

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

I really wanted to like this book. I know it wasn't fully written by Elizabeth Peters and unfortunately it was very obvious. I'm sure she had some large shoes to fill as an author especially for a series of so many books written already, but I feel like the characters were all so UNLIKE themselves! I found myself rolling my eyes and saying she/he would have never done/said that, and that is not right, that's not how that went etc. It lacked so much. I think if you had never heard of the Emersons it would be a good book. I normally check the run time periodically because I don't want the book to end and this time it was so I could see how much longer I had to endure it. I kept thinking I should just stop listening but I did have to find out how the story ended.

What three words best describe Barbara Rosenblat’s voice?

Not like herself. I feel like she was directed to perform differently and even though it was close... she missed the mark on many of my favorite characters this time.

Any additional comments?

Overall, it could be an enjoyable book if you don't mind the differences in the characters.

Poke me in the eye with a chilled salad fork.

If you are going to attempt this story, the story starts in Chapter 4.
Even though the narrater is the same person as in previous storys, she sounds lack-luster in the Painted Queen. Turning the rate to double speed does help.
I loved her previous books, I am so sad for her death. But that does not make the reading any better.

Awesome end to an amazing series

I can't even begin to express my appreciation for this jewel in the crown of the Peabody series. Thank you Ms Hess, this one had to be seriously challenging. You pulled it off.
The narration is awesome. Barbara Rosenblat's audiobook narration is nothing short of amazing,

Love these Characters!

It was sad to hear of Mrs. Peters passing.
These are such wonderful characters and will be greatly missed.
As an avid fan I would love it if Mrs. Hess would continue as the author of this series. She has done a wonderful job on the Painted Queen!

So much fun!

What a wonderful way to say goodbye to Elizabeth and Amelia. Thank you so much to Joan for finishing the story and to Barbara for bringing it to life. I think I'll re-listen to the whole series now...

One of the series best

Loved the story especially the new addition to the family. Strong women characters without resorting to stereotypes.