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’ bestselling, 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 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 was 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 B.C. 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.

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!

One of the series best

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