Amelia Peabody Series: Sleuthing and Archeology by Elizabeth Peters

Crocodile on the Sandbank (1975)
The Curse of the Pharaohs (1981)
The Mummy Case (1985)
Lion in the Valley (1986)
The Deeds of the Disturber (1988)
The Last Camel Died at Noon (1991)
The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog (1992)
The Hippopotamus Pool (1996)
Seeing a Large Cat (1997)
The Ape Who Guards the Balance (1998)
Guardian of the Horizon (2004)
A River in the Sky (2010)
The Falcon at the Portal (1999)
The Painted Queen (2017 – completed by Joan Hess)
He Shall Thunder in the Sky (2000)
Lord of the Silent (2001)
The Golden One (2002)
Children of the Storm (2003)
The Serpent on the Crown (2005)
Tomb of the Golden Bird (2006)

Amelia Peabody Books in Publication Order

Crocodile on the Sandbank (1975)
The Curse of the Pharaohs (1981)
The Mummy Case (1985)
Lion in the Valley (1986)
The Deeds of the Disturber (1988)
The Last Camel Died at Noon (1991)
The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog (1992)
The Hippopotamus Pool (1996)
Seeing a Large Cat (1997)
The Ape Who Guards the Balance (1998)
The Falcon at the Portal (1999)
He Shall Thunder in the Sky (2000)
Lord of the Silent (2001)
The Golden One (2002)
Children of the Storm (2003)
Guardian of the Horizon (2004)
The Serpent on the Crown (2005)
Tomb of the Golden Bird (2006)
A River in the Sky (2010)
The Painted Queen (2017 – completed by Joan Hess)

The Story of Amelia Peabody

The series follows Egyptologist Amelia Peabody resolving mysteries during the Victorian era. The books span a thirty-nine-year period from 1884 to 1923.

Here is the blurb from the mass paperback edition of Crocodile on the Sandbank:

Amelia Peabody, that indomitable product of the Victorian age, embarks on her debut Egyptian adventure armed with unshakable self-confidence, a journal to record her thoughts, and, of course, a sturdy umbrella.

On her way to Cairo, Amelia rescues young Evelyn Barton-Forbes, who has been abandoned by her scoundrel lover. Together the two women sail up the Nile to an archeological site run by the Emerson brothers-the irascible but dashing Radcliffe and the amiable Walter.

Soon their little party is increased by one-one mummy that is, and a singularly lively example of the species. Strange visitations, suspicious accidents, and a botched kidnapping convince Amelia that there is a plot afoot to harm Evelyn.

Now Amelia finds herself up against an unknown enemy–and perilous forces that threaten to make her first Egyptian trip also her last . . .

More about the Amelia Peabody series

How many books are there in the Amelia Peabody series?

The Amelia Peabody series is a series of twenty historical mystery novels. And if you want to know more about it, there also is one non-fiction companion volume written by Egyptologist Barbara Mertz.

Does the Amelia Peabody series need to be read in order?

With the exception of Guardian of the Horizon, the first eighteen books in the series were written in chronological order. The idea was to go to the events surrounding the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. It was accomplished.

After that, the series didn’t end immediately and Elizabeth Peters started to fill in the gaps between certain books–there were sometimes several years between books to fill! That’s why some of the last books published are set earlier.

As the series is now ended, it’s better to read everything in chronological order, but you really can read them in the order you want as each novel mostly works as a standalone.

Has the Amelia Peabody book series ended?

The series ended with the author’s death. Her last book, the twentieth novel in the series, The Painted Queen, was completed by mystery writer Joan Hess, with assistance from Egyptologist Salma Ikram.

The inspiration behind Amelia Peabody’s stories

The books in the Amelia Peabody series are full of real-life characters, including Egyptologs like including Howard Carter, William Flinders Petrie, Gaston Maspero, George A. Reisner, and E. A. Wallis Budge. Their archaeological achievements were attributed to the Emerson-Peabodys.

Also, Amelia was partly inspired by a Victorian novelist, travel writer, and Egyptologist called Amelia Edwards–she wrote A Thousand Miles up the Nile, a best-selling book in 1873. Amelia was also semi-autobiographical for Peters.

Is there an adaptation of the Amelia Peabody books series?

A few years back, there were talks of an Amelia Peabody TV series. But nothing came of it, yet. So, no adaptation of the book series for now.

About the author of the Amelia Peabody series

Who is Elizabeth Peters?

Elizabeth Peters is one of the pseudonyms used by Egyptologist Barbara Mertz (1927-2013)–the other was Barbara Michaels.

Mertz graduated from the University of Chicago with a Ph.D. in Egyptology in 1952 and subsequently authored two books on ancient Egypt. But she’s mostly known as an author of mystery and suspense novels.

Barbara Mertz wrote gothic and supernatural thrillers as Barbara Michaels (like the Georgetown Trilogy), and mysteries as Elizabeth Peters (a pseudonym based on the names of her children).

What has Barbara Mertz written beyond the Amelia Peabody series?

Beyond the Amelia Peabody series, Barbara Mertz is known for the Vicky Bliss novels telling the adventures of an American professor of art history who’s getting involved with an international crime with the art thief known as Sir John Smythe; and for the Jacqueline Kirby novels about a middle-aged librarian solving crimes.

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In need of more historical mystery novels? Meet Molly Murphy, an Irish immigrant woman working as a private detective in turn-of-the-century New York City.