The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog

by Elizabeth Peters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amelia Peabody's life is presently seeming to follow the story line of an ancient Egyptian fairy tale about a prince who was doomed to die by the crocodile , the snake or the dog. A young princess from another kingdom fell in love with him, married him, learned of the prophecy and determined that she would save him from his fate. The ending of the fairytale has been lost to the dusts of the desert, but Amelia plans to work on this tale and then finds she is living it.

She and Emerson, having left the children in England begin to find themselves in danger almost from the moment they arrive at Shepheards Hotel. There are a few attempts at kidnapping both of them before one is successfully accomplished and Emerson is spirited away after having been subdued by a cudgel to the head. Thus the adventure begins and  it is filled with excitement, treachery, betrayal murder and more.

Amarna

This time the duo are working at Amarna when the great Pharaoh Akhenaten lived with his beautiful wife Nefertiti.  The tomb of Nefertiti is what they are looking for but they are also trying to keep secret the ancient oasis where they  escaped from on their last dig.

Peabody armed with her parasol and pistol are a match for any villain. I began reading this series and then began listening to  it as narrated by Barbara Rosenblat who does such a wonderful job that all the characters come alive. She does a marvelous job of capturing the essence of both Peabody and Emerson that these characters take on additional dimension that eluded me in the written versions.  I was never a person who really enjoyed audio versions but this experience with Barbara Rosenblat has made me a true fan.