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At last the Great War is over and the Emersons (ALL of them) are reunited in Egypt for their biggest projects yet. Emerson can’t wait to have all hands helping with the temple site, while the scholars want to translate papyri and Cyrus Vandergelt needs help preserving the Queens� treasure. With all that is happening, random events seem unrelated: Ramses makes an unusual new � er� acquaintance making Nefret seethe with jealousy; Hassan has become a holy man; Selim and Daoud are beset with accidents and a new friend has a very nasty sort of caretaker. Sethos wants Amelia to find his estranged daughter Maryam so father and daughter can reconcile and reunite. Then Abdullah admonishes Amelia and issues a dire warning about a web of evil being spun around them. Can Amelia put the clues together before it is too late?

This is another incredible Amelia Peabody mystery. The mystery kept me guessing even though I did pick up on some of the clues Amelia missed and something was on the tip of my brain. It makes sense from a realistic perspective that Amelia would be so busy with domestic matters she would miss the clues. Sometimes she’s a little too astute to be real. However, as a character, she usually figures something is going on and with their past history, she should have known better. The evil villain is so diabolical but actually very clever. There’s plenty of humor to balance out the story as well, most of which is provided by the third generation of Emersons. I am surprised the nature vs. nurture debate doesn’t come up here. This was a time when people were preoccupied with eugenics and went around measuring skulls and all that weird stuff. I thought it would when discussing Sethos and Maryam. Some of the characters slightly suspect Sethos is not reformed and his daughter takes after her father but thankfully that is as far as that debate goes.

As much as I enjoyed the mystery, I didn’t enjoy the characters as much as I usually do. Amelia is extra “managing� here and annoys Emerson (and me). Emerson is super cranky, losing his temper left and right at people who do not deserve it. He is incredibly rude to Walter and even curses in front of Sennia. By the last half of the novel, they revert back to their usual behavior patterns. I was dismayed at how changed Walter and Evelyn are. Yes they are elderly for their time but being used to Emerson and Amelia, who are older, it came as a shock. Walter is a bit too meek and too much of an old man already. I believe the loss of their son in the war has aged them more than Amelia realized from their letters. David and Lia are as lovely as ever but their children are rather annoying. I am heartbroken that Dolly is becoming a proper English gentleman and Evvie is horrid. I hate most children, especially children in books and Evvie is no exception. Sennia has grown up a lot and seems to have gotten over her crush on Ramses. She’s hardly in the story. Gargery is in the story a bit more but not as much as he would like to be. His rivalry with Fatima provides some humor in the story.

Sethos seems to have reformed. He’s actually serious about being a family man now! He still possesses his bizarre trademark sense of humor and may not be as reformed as Amelia thinks he is or his beloved Margaret would like. His concern for Maryam is touching. What does he think he will do with her? Maryam, last known as Molly, is a young adult now and is found in the most unlikely place. I did not expect THAT. I expected something else. She kept me guessing until the end.

Some of the story is told from the point-of-view of Ramses and Nefret. Ramses has changed so much! He’s more open and emotional now. Nefret has changed too and not in a good way. Now she’s the one who is brooding and jealous. Skip this next sentence if you don’t wish to be spoiled about their story. (view spoiler)[Ramses and Nefret are now doting parents of twins! Charlotte “Charla� and David John “Davy� are over two and very close. Ramses frets because they don’t yet speak intelligible language, let alone English. Charla is a little flirt and while not as horrid as Evvie, still rather bratty. Davy seems better behaved and more of a typical toddler. The last scene made me laugh but it’s preposterous! (hide spoiler)]

I love Selim and Daoud more than ever. They get to play much larger roles here. Selim’s fascination with the motorcar, aeroplane and other mechanics makes the story funny.

The new characters here are Justin Fitzroyce, his grandmother and his caretaker, Francois. Mrs. Fitzroyce is a grand, but senile, old lady. She seems quite protective of her grandson and is horrid to her companion. She’s very very Victorian English gentry. Her grandson Justin must be in his early teens but has the mental capacity of someone much younger. He is downright weird and gives me the creeps. I know people with intellectual disabilities but none quite like Justin. He seems to be prone to fits so perhaps his seizures have damaged his brain. His caretaker, Francois, is built like a thug, acts like a villain and gets on the wrong side of the Emerson men. Why on earth is he a fitting companion for Justin? Finally, we have the mysterious woman dressed as the goddess Hathor. Who is she and what does she want?

I’m sad to be coming to the end of the series soon. Amelia and Emerson are very much real people who live forever having adventure after adventure.