Crocodile on the Sandbank: A Discussion

One of the best gifts  is a good book. The trouble is, picking a book for a fellow reader can be tough. It’s hard enough to keep track of what I’ve read, let alone remembering what my sisters, my children and my friends have on their shelves.  One option is to buy new, just-published works. That’s a great idea, but if I take time to read the new book to make sure it is what the recipient would like, it’s not new any more.

So another option is to share great books from the past. One such book, well worth re-reading is Elizabeth Peters’ Crocodile on the Sandbank, first published in 1975.

This delightful historical mystery is the first in Peters’ Egyptian series. Set in the Victorian Era, the novels follow the adventures of the formidable Amelia Peabody, a woman firmly  grounded in the expectations of her day, but so full of self-confidence that she blithely disregards any convention not suited to her own ideas.

Readers first meet Amelia Peabody in Crocodile on the Sandbank. Having inherited  a surprising fortune when her father died, Amelia decides it is high time she travels to all the places her father had studied.  In Rome, she meets, and rescues a young woman, Evelyn.

Together the two women travel to Egypt and eventually arrive at an archeological site where the Radcliffe brothers, Emerson and Walter are working.  While Walter and Evelyn begin falling in love, Amelia and Emerson seem determined to out-shout each other. Meanwhile, several accidents and a wandering mummy threaten Evelyn’s safety.

Told in the witty, sardonic voice of Amelia, who is never wrong and unfailingly ready to act, the story is not only a great mystery, but also a romantic romp into the straight-laced Victorian world. Peters pokes fun at the stereotypes of Victorian England at the same time she present fully rounded, memorable characters.Amelia considers herself the very model of a perfect gentlewoman, the equal, or rather the superior to any man. With her sturdy umbrella and her unfailingly self confidence, Amelia is equally at home  serving tea or fighting villains. And Emerson, blustering, full of life, a character to rival Indiana Jones, is equally lovable.

One thing I really appreciate in historical fiction is accuracy. Peters is a master at showing the British empire in the late 19th century and is a respected Egyptologist in her own right. She weaves details of real people into the narrative and accurately presents the state of museums, artifacts and archeology in Egypt at the turn of the last century. Although her writing never feels like a textbook, I always come away with the satisfaction of having learned a great deal.

There are twenty books about Amelia Peabody, with the most recent and unfortunately last in the series, A Painted Lady, just published. Though the characters age throughout the series, each one works as a stand-alone mystery. So whether your friends and family go in for old books or new, Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody series makes a great gift.