A river in the sky

Format:

Book (regular print)

Title:

A river in the sky

Author:

Peters, Elizabeth, 1927-2013.

ISBN:

9780061945731

Edition:

1st HarperLuxe ed.

Publication Information:

Physical Description:

446 pages (large print) ; 23 cm

Series title(s):

Amelia Peabody series ;

Number in series:

BK. 19.

General Note:

Originally published: New York : William Morrow, 2010.

"Larger print"--Page 4 of cover

Summary:

August 1910. Amelia Peabody and her husband, Emerson, are relaxing at home in Kent. But adventure beckons when Major George Morley asks them to join an expedition to Palestine, where he is determined to unearth the legendary Ark of the Covenant. Always skeptical, Emerson refuses until requests from the War Office and Buckingham Palace persuade him to reconsider by insisting the Morley is a German agent intent on stirring up trouble. Amelia and Emerson follow Morley to Jerusalem and hope to reunite with their son, Ramses, working north of the holy city. But before they can meet, Ramses learns of a deadly plot, information he must pass on to his parents - if he can get to them alive.

Personal Subject:

Peabody, Amelia (Fictitious character)-Fiction.

Emerson, Radcliffe (Fictitious character)-Fiction.

Emerson, Radcliffe (Fictitious character) (OCoLC)fst01739947

Peabody, Amelia (Fictitious character) (OCoLC)fst01055757

Corporate Subject:

Temple of Jerusalem (Jerusalem) -- Fiction.

Temple of Jerusalem (Jerusalem) (OCoLC)fst00630855

Subject(s):

Temple of Jerusalem (Jerusalem) -- Fiction.

Women archaeologists -- Fiction.

Archaeologists -- Fiction.

Egyptologists -- Fiction.

Large type books.

Emerson, Radcliffe (Fictitious character) -- Fiction.

Palestine -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Palestine -- Fiction.

Middle East -- Palestine.

Genre:

Large type books.

Detective and mystery fiction.

Fiction.

Historical fiction.

Adventure fiction.

Detective and mystery stories.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Monmouth Public Library	LP Fic Peters, E. 2010	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Silver Falls Library	LP MYS PETERS	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

"Between Amelia Peabody and Indiana Jones, it's Amelia--in wit and daring--by a landslide."

--New York Times Book Review

Intrepid archaeologist and superior sleuth Amelia Peabody returns in A River in the Sky. In this breathtaking new adventure, New York Times bestselling Grand Master Elizabeth Peters transports the indomitable Amelia and her family, the Emersons, from their usual milieu, early twentieth-century Egypt, to an exciting--and dangerous--new locale: Palestine! A tale full of atmosphere, intrigue, and thrills, A River in the Sky is further proof that "Peters has few rivals" (Houston Chronicle).

Author Notes

Barbara Mertz was born on September 29, 1927 in Astoria, Illinois. She received a bachelor's degree in 1947, a master's degree in 1950 and doctorate in Egyptology in 1952 from the University of Chicago. She wrote a few books using her real name including Temples, Tombs and Hieroglyphs (1964), Red Land, Black Land (1966), and Two Thousand Years in Rome (1968). She also wrote under the pen names Barbara Michaels and Elizabeth Peters.

She made her fiction debut, The Master of Blacktower, under the name Barbara Michaels in 1966. She wrote over two dozen novels using this pen name including Sons of the Wolf, Someone in the House, Vanish with the Rose, Dancing Floor, and Other Worlds.

Her debut novel under the pen name Elizabeth Peters was The Jackal's Head in 1968. She also wrote the Amelia Peabody series and Vicky Bliss Mystery series using this name. She died on August 8, 2013 at the age of 85.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (4)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Set in 1910, the delightful 19th Amelia Peabody novel from bestseller Peters (after Tomb of the Golden Bird) takes Amelia and her husband, Emerson, to Palestine, where an English adventurer, George Morley, is planning to excavate Jerusalem's Temple Mount in search of the Ark of the Covenant. Gen. David Spencer, the director of Military Operations in London, suspects Morley, an amateur archeologist at best, of spying for the Germans, whose influence has been growing in the Middle East. Spencer wants Egyptologists Amelia and Emerson to stop Morley from undertaking a project sure to offend the three religious groups that consider the temple site holy. Meanwhile, son Ramses embarks on a treacherous journey to convey to his parents important information learned from two travelers he meets while on a dig in Samaria. Once again, MWA Grandmaster Peters uses vivid settings, sharp characterizations, and deft dialogue to transport the reader to another time and place. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Kirkus Review

The Peabody dynasty finds danger in 1910 Palestine. While Ramses Peabody toils on a dig near Jerusalem, his parents, Amelia and Emerson, together with their adopted daughter Nefret and David, the Egyptian boy they've taken in, are relaxing in England until Emerson is approached by the government to sort out a problem with Mr. Morley, a treasure hunter who's secured permission from the corrupt Ottoman Empire to excavate near the Temple Mount. The enterprise would be guaranteed to cause trouble with members of the three major religious groups who hold the area sacred even if Morley weren't suspected of being a German spy at a time when Germany is trying to gain influence in the volatile area. Soon enough, Morley departs, deserting his colleague, the Reverend Panagopolous, who seems to be a mentally disturbed religious fanatic. Meanwhile, back in Palestine, Ramses is kidnapped when he learns too much about the German archaeologist Madame von Eine and her mysterious companion Mansur. His family arrives in Palestine, where they have permission to dig near Morley, expecting Ramses to join them. When he fails to appear, David sneaks off to find him. Indefatigable Amelia wastes no time organizing both the dig and the effort to find Ramses and David. Though the family receives help from a shadowy group known as the Sons of Abraham, they all face grave danger before their mission can be accomplished. Fans should welcome an installment significantly less convoluted than most of Amelia's adventures (Tomb of the Golden Bird, 2007, etc.). Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Peters, named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1998, writes wildly popular historical mysteries about British archaeologist Amelia Peabody, who is pulled into adventures by her well-muscled (this is mentioned quite a bit) Egyptologist husband and their wayfaring son, Ramses, an Egyptian grammarian who is forever being kidnapped, pursued, or lost in tombs. Since Peters is writing today, it's difficult to tell if her overblown style (she really does say things like muscles rippled across the breadth of his chest ) is a nod to the period (around the turn of the last century), her own send-up of romance novels, or her baroque style. What is unfortunate is that Peters, who has a doctorate in Egyptology from the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute, doesn't do more to give readers the benefit of her broad background, other than to have the couple constantly going to Egypt on various quests that remain at the level of Raiders of the Lost Ark simplicity. In the latest Peters, the year is 1910, Ramses has disappeared yet again on a dig, and a mysterious adventurer who might be a German spy invites the Emersons (Amelia goes with) to Jerusalem on a hunt for the Ark of the Covenant. The novel moves between Amelia's first-person narration and Ramses' point of view (undercutting suspense over his fate). Peters' fans, of course, find plenty to enjoy from the characters alone. This one's for them.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2010 Booklist

Library Journal Review

Quelling a riot at the Temple Mount and chasing a villain through an ancient tunnel are the latest adventures of the Emerson family, as they detour to Palestine in 1910 when a mysterious German archaeologist, Frau Von Eine, and her Muslim partner, Mansur, kidnap son Ramses, who is working in Palestine. Ameila Peabody and husband Radcliffe, meanwhile, investigate amateur archaeologist Morley, who has ties to the villains. Much of the book centers around the search for Ramses and his escape. Descriptions of the history, culture, archaeology, and landscape impart significance and realism while educating the reader. Still, the plot is hazy, and the importance of the artifact, deemed so significant by the villains, is not sufficiently explained. Multiple shifts from "Manuscript H," which recounts Ramses's activities, to Amelia's first-person narrative may confuse readers. Verdict The plot is less riveting than many Peters mysteries, but series fans will enjoy sharing another adventure with the forthright Amelia, powerful Radcliffe, and quick-thinking Ramses. Fans should note that this is out of chronological order from the rest of the saga. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/09.]-Sally Bickley, Del Mar Coll. Lib., Corpus Christi, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.