Crocodile on the Sandbank

The Amelia Peabody Series, Book 1

By: Elizabeth Peters

Narrated by: Susan O'Malley

Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Meet Egyptologist Amelia Peabody in the first mystery in the Victorian-era, New York Times-bestselling series.

"If Indiana Jones were female, a wife, and a mother who lived in Victorian times, he would be Amelia Peabody Emerson."—Publishers Weekly

Amelia Peabody, that indomitable product of the Victorian age, embarks on her first Egyptian adventure armed with unshakable self-confidence, a journal to record her thoughts, and, of course, a sturdy umbrella. On her way, Amelia rescues young Evelyn Barton-Forbes, who has been “ruined” and abandoned on the streets of Rome by her rascally lover. With a typical disregard for convention, Amelia promptly hires her fellow countrywoman as a companion and takes her to Cairo.

Eluding Evelyn’s former lover, who wants her back, and Evelyn’s cousin Lord Ellesmere, who wishes to marry her, the two women sail up the Nile to an archaeological site that is home to a rather lively mummy. Soon strange visitations, suspicious accidents, and a botched kidnapping convince Amelia that there is a plot afoot to harm Evelyn.

Don't miss the rest of the Amelia Peabody series.

©1975 Elizabeth Peters (P)2002 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"The indomitable Amelia Peabody carries the listener along as easily as she carries her umbrella." (AudioFile)

Crocodile on the Sandbank

This is a wonderful book. There is a problem, however. Barbara Rosenblatt should be the narrator. She was the first voice to give life to Amelia Peabody. To listen to another, less talented reader, who gives very little differentiation to the characters is very unsatisfying.
I prefer a reader who is easy to listen to. This means I don't have to listen with such utter intensity to differentiate one character from another. Barbara Rosenblatt is so good at this that listening to her is a relaxing experience. One immediately knows Amelia and her wonderful British womanness from her husband Emerson or her son Ramses.
Get Barbara Rosenblatt as the narrator!

Have always loved Amelia (but not ms o'malley)

I, too, am familiar with both readers of these stories. And I've ordered other books she narrated before I realised that I really don't enjoy her reading voice.

As for Amelia, it may seem that she bashes men, but she is highly intelligent in an era when women were expected to be stupid. When mem treat her like an idiot, she tends to reciprocate in kind. When she is in the company of men who don't patronize her, she meets them as equals... which doesn't mean she doesn't argue with them, just that the arguements aren't one sided.

I greatly enjoyed the Egyptology involved in the books, the more so since Peters has a degree (can't remember if it's masters or doctoral) in Egyptology. She is also Barbara Michaels, many of who's books are also available here, if you prefer a contemporary setting.

light fiction that doesn't insult reader

Thank you, Audible, for the "addictive series" starter sale! I had given up on finding a series of light historical fiction to leaven my listening diet after trying many, including Stephanie Barron, Lauren Willing, Ken Follett, Amanda Quick, etc. In those cases, one was enough, and in other cases, books were either painfully written with boring charaters; others approached softcore porn. $4.95 tempted me to try again--to me, Amelia Peabody is a winner.

Although the plot was predictable, "Croc on the Sandbank" had good dialogue with, as advertised, an "indomitable" heroine. Both features are strong enough to make a listener smile and escape 21st century for a few hours respite. It's not primarily a "whodunnit" as much as Mary Poppins for adults. One drawback: although the narrator seemed very capable and the voice in this novel would be appropriate for Dorothy Parker or a 1920s American flapper, O'Malley's un-British accent was out of place for Amelia Peabody. I will download other titles in the series, but with Rosenblat as narrator. (And I would download other books narrated by Susan O'Malley, as long as she is not speaking for a late Victorian force of nature.)

So - if you are buying with a credit, I'd strongly recommend the more expensive Rosenblat version of "Croc" - otherwise the regular price of the O'Malley version makes that one more attractive, as long as you aren't thrown by the absence of a Brit accent for Amelia and friends.

I have to agree with the Barbara Rosenblat fans!

This is one of my favorite books and I have read it over a dozen times. It's a classic - adventure, mystery, humor and wonderful dialogue. Having heard both of the book's narrators (Barbara Rosenblat and Susan O'Malley) and I have to agree - search AUDIBLE until you find Barbara Rosenblat's reading - that goes for all of the books in this series.

Outstanding!

This is one of the best books I have listened to in years. It was my first Elizabeth Peters book. I started with this one to see if I would enjoy the Amelia Peabody series. Obviously, I can hardly wait to hear more. I was a bit hesitant to pick this one after reading the negative reviews of the narrator, but I personally thought she was outstanding. The characters in this book are superb and the ending extremely satisfying. Thank you Ms. Peters!

It just doesn't get any better than this.

This is the first novel to feature Ms. Peters's Egyptological heroine, Amelia Peabody. It is truly delightful. Although it introduces a recurring character, this book is a treat on it's own--you don't have to commit to the whole series in order to enjoy it (although after you enjoy it, you will be unable to resist the next one.... and the next....). If you like mystery, romance, adventure, and/or humor, you cannot do better than this book. Nor can I imagine a better narrator for the book than Susan O'Malley. The pacing is excellent, the reading is clear, the characters' voices are distinct without being annoying, and the humor of the writing comes through perfectly.

Elizabeth Peters is a fine writer whose books are smart, funny, well-structured, and beautifully written. Her best books (like those of Georgette Heyer, Mary Stewart, Dorothy Sayers, and a handful of others) follow in the steps of P.G. Wodehouse and Jane Austen, proving that reading can be light and enjoyable without sacrificing quality or even delicate social satire. And this book is indisputably one of her best.

Silly, aimless male-bashing drivel

After reading the glowing reviews of this and other Elizabeth Peters novels I figured I'd give one a try. I gave up when I got halfway through and there was still no sign of a plot.

Here's what I got out of it: Amelia Peabody, an old crotchety male-hating busy-body, takes young Evelyn under her crusty wing after Evelyn is kicked to the curb by the fellow for whom she left her husband.

Apparently, Evelyn is like a dog in heat as every male with whom she comes in contact wants to propose marriage. Virtually every man they meet is a rude, boorish fool who wants to take advantage of one of them in some way. But Peabody proves too clever for any of them! She wields her parasol like a billy club as she heaps insults onto those one dimensional male characters who dare oppose her will.

Must be a chick thing... ;)

Delightful to listen to!

I love Elizabeth Peters! I remember when this book first came out. It begged to be read aloud! This is great romantic suspense and also has lots of interesting facts about Ancient Egypt!

O'Mally my pick for the early Amelia books

I've read all the books from the series and did not start reading the audiobooks until after Thunder in the Sky was issued. I originally got the O'Mally audiobooks from audible.com then I got some of the Rosenblat audiobooks from the library, prior to audible getting them. It's nice that Rosenblat has the authentic English accents, but I prefer the energy that O'Mally gives to her readings. I particularly love her portrayal of the feisty Emerson, particularly this book and The Deeds of the Disturber. Also the tongue in cheek tone of O'Mally's delivery suits the tone of the early Amelia books well. So I have decided to stick to O'Mally for the early books and Rosenblat for the later. I think both narrators do Amelia well.

I've changed my mind and am now really enjoying

I initially was disappointed in this version of a favorite book but have come to really like it. After listening to it more I have come to fully appreciate Susan O'Malley's work. It's effective and being a little more low-key than Barbara Rosenblat's style is actually a nice change of pace when wanted.

Would you try another book from Elizabeth Peters and/or Susan O'Malley?
I had assumed that the reader would be Barbara Rosenblat, who is the perfect voice for this series. Only after purchasing did I find out that it had a different narrator. While Susan O'Malley is fine, she just can't much Barbara, and I'm very disappointed and will have to track down the version by Barbara Rosenblat elsewhere.

What other book might you compare Crocodile on the Sandbank to and why?
These are fun, fun books. I can't think of other series like these -- Egyptology, Victorian Romance, mystery.

Would you be willing to try another one of Susan O'Malley’s performances?
No.

Any additional comments?
I'm disappointed.