[.ca] Falcon at the Portal (ISBN 1841191108)

From Amazon.com:
"'Really,' I thought in mounting exasperation, 'there never was a household in which so many people felt free to offer their unsolicited opinions!'" This, of course, is the eminent Egyptologist and dedicated crime solver Amelia Peabody, setting the stage and the tone (an updated Oscar Wildean irony) for Elizabeth Peters's 11th book. And it's true that there are no shrinking violets in this particular household, from the redoubtable Amelia and her hot-tempered archaeologist husband Emerson (his native diggers call him the Father of Curses), to their dashing, unpredictable son Ramses (born Walter). Also, let's not forget their lovely ward, Nefret (rescued from a desert tribe several books back), and their butler, Gargery, "who wields a cudgel as handily as he carves a roast." As she has so many times before, Peters presents us with this quaint--even campy--little group of people, plops them down in an exotic Egyptian setting, and then surprises us by involving them in a story of great strength and emotion. It's 1911, and David Todros, a young Egyptian who has just married into the Peabody family, is suspected of dealing in forged antiquities, possibly to help support a rising nationalist movement. Amelia, Emerson, Ramses, and Nefret all take various actions to help David, and there are serious, dangerous consequences for everyone involved. Despite the melodramatic setting and the theatrical language, Peters's story is--as always--modern, believable, and exciting. Other books in the Peabody series available in paperback are The Ape Who Guards the Balance, The Crocodile on the Sandbank, The Curse of the Pharaohs, and The Hippopotamus Pool. --Dick Adler

Disappointed:
I have never liked the character of Nefret. I wish it had never been introduced to the Peabody series. I hope the future books are better than this one.

Cliffhanger!:
what an incredibly suspenseful cliffhanger! Couldn't stand the ending (though the rest of the story was great!) because of all of the loose ends. I guess it just gives Peters another book to tie it all together in! Great book, leaves you hanging, but altogether another Peter's mystery caught in the folds of Egyptology.

Amelia does it again!:
The amazing and bullheaded Amelia is back. But of even greater significance, so is her son Ramses and ward Nefret. As usual this book entertains the reader, but there is even more intrigue when Ramses is getting in on the act. If you loved the other Peabody mysteries, this one will have you enthralled as well.

A different sort of novel:
Falcon at the Portal was a new type of Amelia Peabody book for me. Very different to others in the series I have read, I did feel somewhat let down by it. The mystery storyline we have come to expect is, in this book, only incidental. Family drama is what Peters has given us instead. In the hands of a less accomplished writer, I would be tempted to call it melodrama. The difficulty for me is, The Deeds of the Disturber is the most recent book in the series I have read before this; so what may make sense in the context of the whole series came out of nowhere for me. The two-star rating is partly because, as well written as Falcon at the Portal is, this book is not what I've come to expect either from Peters or from her series. The book opens with the wedding of Amelia's niece Lia to Egyptian family friend David - and the revelation that David is suspected of trading in stolen antiquities. This gives the whole Emerson clan a new mystery to look into when they travel to Egypt for their annual archaeological dig. The usual roll-call of old friends and new characters appears once the action shifts to Egypt - and one of them ends up dead at the bottom of the shaft in the pyramid the Emersons are excavating. So between the need to clear David's name and the need to explain the fate of the murder victim, there is a great deal of scope for Amelia's usual feisty investigations, backed up by Emerson's temperamental but kind-hearted assistance. But sadly, Peters provides little of this. The bulk of the book is actually taken up with the romantic drama between Ramses, Amelia and Emerson's son, and Nefret, their ward. Ramses has loved Nefret for years, and seems finally to have won her heart - until circumstances intervene, when Nefret repudiates Ramses and takes precipitate action, the repercussions of which will be felt for a long time to come. I did not like the impulsive and unreasonable Nefret. I have never liked Ramses. Peters' treatment of him comes dangerously close to hagiography, and I find all his noble suffering tedious. That said, I might feel differently had I read the other books that introduce Nefret and deal with Ramses as an adult. I read the Amelia Peabody series for mystery and adventure, and especially for Amelia and Emerson. I'm not really interested in their children and all their carryings-on, and so I would be very glad for the series to return to its original focus. However, this is a matter of personal taste. Others like different things from the series, and Falcon at the Portal is undeniably a well-written book, with some powerful scenes. So if you want a family drama with all your favourite characters, you may be satisfied by this - but you will have to read Thunder in the Sky afterwards. If you want a proper mystery novel, you should perhaps look elsewhere.

-The Falcon at the Portal:
While I've only read three of the Amelia Peabody Mystery's by Peters' (and totally enjoyed each one) this paticular book left me with a sour taste for the book series. The situation with Nefret and Ramases is sad. And Nefret is made out to be well to lack of a better term a "Hussy". I want to read the next book in the series but I don't want to be let down again. I hope that the mystery and allure of "The Ape that Gaurds the Balance" my favorite in this series so far comes back in the next book. After all it's the mystery that is what brought me to these books and well maybe the romantic life of Amelia.