First, I know this review is late. I had so much going on in February that I failed to finish the book, let alone review it. This was the planned review for that month, however, so I'm marking this one as February's Year of the Historical review. Thank you for understanding. :o)
Title: Crocodile on the Sandbank
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Setting: Egypt, late 1800s
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 
4.8 pearls
4.8 pearls Warnings: None.
Synopsis: Miss Amelia Peabody inherits a sizable fortune upon her father's death. Deciding to travel, she goes to Egypt where she falls in love with archeology and decides to stay. Unfortunately, someone seems intent on harming her, or at the very least, frightening her away.
My two cents: I mentioned in an earlier post that I loved this book when I was only a little over halfway through it. That opinion didn't change. At all. I LOVED this book! The main character, from whose 1st person POV we get the entire story, was so fun and interesting. Very much a spinster at 32, Miss Peabody is a no-nonsense type of woman with no high opinion of her looks and no illusions as to what draws men to her after her father's death. Early in her travels, she rescues Evelyn, a young woman who had been taken in by a charlatan and abandoned. Evelyn's character is opposite Peabody's and I think the two personalities play rather well off each other. It was a believable relationship.
Of course, there is a tiny element of romance present. The ladies meet two archeologists with whom they form a rapport...of sorts. I would have liked to see a little more romance but this book is not categorized as such. It was a very minor part of the storyline. Still, it was a wonderful mystery with enough misdirection to keep the reader second-guessing as to the villain's identity.
Overall, 4.8 pearls. I would recommend this to everyone, mystery readers, romance readers and especially those on the lookout for clean reads.
Title: Crocodile on the Sandbank
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Publisher: Fawcett
Orig. Pub Date: March 1976
Genre: Fiction/Mystery/Historical
(The following is for the current printing.)
ISBN: 0445406518
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 272 pages
List price: $7.99US
Rating: 4.8 pearls
4.8 pearls Warnings: None.
What am I reading for March?
Another oldie, that's for sure. Moonlight Mist by Laura London, an out-of-print traditional Regency from 1979, coincidentally the year I was born. The pic here is a scan of the book I hold in my hands. It has a list price of $1.50, ISBN 0440154644.
I am halfway through this vintage tome and it is definitely what was popular/common in its time. The heroine is very young (17), the hero is a LOT older (over 30), and it is a little unclear as to why either one falls in love with the other. She is a bit of a headstrong brat and he is unfailingly patient. He'd make a very good father, I think. *cheeky grin*
They are married in the beginning, having been caught in a compromising position. I actually thought that particular scene was entertainingly done. But this is as far as my "currently reading" review can really go. The writing is typical of the decade, I believe. The prose can be rather purple at times and the vast age difference is something I seem to run into often in these older publishings. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I'm enjoying the story.
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