A River in the Sky

An Amelia Peabody Murder Mystery

By: Elizabeth Peters

Narrated by: Karen Cass

It's 1910, and archaeologist Amelia Peabody heads for Palenstine hoping to prevent an English adventurer called Morely from causing damage during his search for the vanished treasures of the Temple in Jerusalem.

The War Office fears increasing German influence in Palenstine and insists Morley is working for German intelligence.

In the meantime, her son Ramses is working on a dig at Samaria where he encounters a female German archaeologist, and a mysterious man of unknown nationality and unknown past.

Ramses' curiosity leads him to a startling discovery about the pair.

He must pass the information on to his parents in Jerusalem but can he get there alive?

©2011 Elizabeth Peters (P)2011 Oakhill Publishing Ltd

Critic reviews

"The most potent female force to hit Egypt since Cleopatra." ( Philadelphia Enquirer)

Good story poor narration

To longtime fans of the Amelia Peabody series a warning that this is not "the latest instalment" but is set in 1910, between "Guardian of The Horizon" and "The Falcon at the Portal". This is disconcerting, as if you are already familiar with the personal lives of the younger characters, Ramses and Nefret, David and Lia, in this book it is hard to forget what eventuates later on. The story is typical of the usual strange mystery, this time set in Palestine, and with the usual wonderful by-play between Amelia and Emerson. It is shorter than usual, but a welcome return and another pleasant interlude with our much loved characters. For new readers of the Amelia Peabody books it would be better to start at the beginning of the series with "Crocodile on the Sandbank" and work through in order.

Having become used to the superb narration of Barbara Rosenblat who portrays all of the characters in these books so perfectly and with each having individual distinction, I regret that this narrator, Karen Cass, was very disappointing. She seems to merely "read" the book, often rather fast, and without the special dignity these characters deserve. Amelia sounds like a fussy hen and even sometimes seems to have a lisp, while Emerson sounds like a jolly schoolboy. I believe there is a Barbara Rosenblat version available and hope that audible will include it very soon, as I had to stop listening to this version and return to my hardback book. For this reason only three stars.

For Peabody addicts a must read.

Elizabeth Peters captivates her readers once again. nobody could read the work better than Barbara Rosenblat. Karen Cass's reading in its own right does justice to the text.