the Mummy Case: An Amelia Peabody Mystery by Elizabeth Peters

I am so madly in love with this addictive, crack-like series right now. It is perfect. It is absolutely perfect. It works on three different levels: is surfacely adventuresome and fun(though splendidly clever and exceedingly well written), invokes a brilliant parody of the adventure sagas of the day and sets itself in the way of its own irony. On one hand Amelia rails against sentimentality and melodrama and, on the other, she leaps into it headfirst: in her illustrious narrative and the convoluted mystery-murder-plots that thread through the series. All of my hyperbolic skills (see previous accolades) surface when I think about how much I WANT TO GO TO EGYPT! WANT TO MARRY RADCLIFFE EMERSON! WANT TO MAKE ME UNDERLINE EVERY CLEVER LINE IN THE BOOK ( which, basically, makes me want to underline the whole book: so I gave up on this fruitless endeavor)

Following Crocodile in the Sandbank, and the ridiculously wonderful The Pharoah’s Curse, The Mummy Case finds Amelia Peabody Emerson, parasol-wielding, detective-extraordinaire, and ( according to her fine self) sure to have her name enshrined next to her esteemed husband for centuries, and her delightful robust and growly Egyptologist, Radcliffe Emerson back doing what they do best: another Season in Egypt. ‘Cept they didn’t get the pyramids they wanted, their servant John is doing a less-than-stellar job at guarding young (and frustratingly precocious)Ramses ( the Emerson’s insanely smart and ten-steps-ahead-of-you! young son) and there is little privacy for their favourite pastime… ( next to excavation *ahem* ) so Emerson’s shirts are surprisingly well-buttoned and an annoying Coptic religious group ( not to mention the near footsteps of a Master Criminal ) preys on their nerves. Throw in a German baroness’ missing mummy case( heck! Even a missing mummy) and Amelia is at the ready: parasol steady and fire-wit aplomb.

God, I LOVE HER! Romantically, this series is top-notch. It is so refreshing to observe fervor and passion in a couple who have been married near a decade. They are as in love and smitten with each other as the first time they met. In fact, their whirlwind courtship never ceases. A marriage of equals ( for Amelia would settle for nothing less): "Marriage, in my view”, she writes, “ should be a balanced stalemate between equal adversaries." I love her. Love him. Love Ramses. Love their shoddy pyramid ( they didn’t get Dahshoor; but they will next time!!) Loved the criminal and Amelia’s waterproof matches. The whole thing is a rollercoaster of ridiculous fun! READ THIS NOW! Just drop everything and read it now.

(I was half hour late for a party ‘cause I couldn’t stop reading)