Charlotte and Thomas Pitt
historical mystery
Series · historical mystery
Amelia Peabody
The Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters has 20 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Crocodile on the Sandbank (1975).
- Books
- 20 books
- First published
- 1975
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: Crocodile on the Sandbank (1975) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Crocodile on the Sandbank
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Crocodile on the Sandbank - Book 2:
The Curse of the Pharaohs
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Curse of the Pharaohs - Book 3:
The Mummy Case
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Mummy Case - Book 4:
Lion in the Valley
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Lion in the Valley - Book 5:
The Deeds of the Disturber
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Deeds of the Disturber - Book 6:
The Last Camel Died at Noon
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Last Camel Died at Noon - Book 7:
The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog - Book 8:
The Hippopotamus Pool
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Hippopotamus Pool - Book 9:
Seeing a Large Cat
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Seeing a Large Cat - Book 10:
The Ape Who Guards the Balance
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Ape Who Guards the Balance - Book 11:
The Falcon at the Portal
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Falcon at the Portal - Book 12:
He Shall Thunder in the Sky
Alternative text for cover: Cover of He Shall Thunder in the Sky - Book 13:
Lord of the Silent
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Lord of the Silent - Book 14:
The Golden One
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Golden One - Book 15:
Children of the Storm
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Children of the Storm - Book 16:
Guardian of the Horizon
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Guardian of the Horizon - Book 17:
The Serpent on the Crown
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Serpent on the Crown - Book 18:
Tomb of the Golden Bird
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Tomb of the Golden Bird - Book 19:
A River in the Sky
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A River in the Sky - Book 20:
The Painted Queen
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Painted Queen
About the Amelia Peabody series
Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody novels follow a formidable Victorian Egyptologist and amateur detective through four decades of archaeological digs, family drama, and murder along the Nile. Amelia Peabody Emerson — sharp-tongued, parasol-wielding, utterly unwilling to accept the limits Victorian and Edwardian society placed on women — meets her match and husband, the brilliant, foul-mouthed archaeologist Radcliffe Emerson, in the first book, and the series follows their marriage, their excavations of real Egyptian sites, and their growing family (son Ramses becomes a major character and narrator in his own right) from 1884 into the 1920s.
The appeal is the voice: Amelia's dry, self-satisfied first-person narration — she is never wrong, is often wrong, and never notices — carries genuinely well-researched Egyptology (Peters, writing as Barbara Mertz, held a PhD in the subject) alongside classic country-house-mystery plotting transplanted to archaeological camps, tombs, and the streets of Cairo. It's equal parts detective fiction, marriage comedy, and adventure novel, with a genuinely epic sense of a family growing up against the backdrop of Egypt's golden age of excavation, right up to the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb.
Twenty novels long and complete, it's the series for readers who want a witty, romantic, crime-solving marriage at the center of a real-history adventure — comparable to Anne Perry's Victorian mysteries but funnier, and set against Egypt rather than London.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Amelia Peabody series?
Twenty novels, from Crocodile on the Sandbank (1975) to The Painted Queen (2017).
What order should I read Amelia Peabody in?
Publication order, starting with Crocodile on the Sandbank. Two books — Guardian of the Horizon and A River in the Sky — are written as flashback interludes rather than direct continuations, but reputable reading-order guides disagree on exactly where they belong internally, so publication order remains the safest path through the series.
Is the Amelia Peabody series finished?
Yes. Elizabeth Peters (the pen name of Egyptologist Barbara Mertz) died in 2013 having largely completed a twentieth novel; author Joan Hess finished it from her notes, and it was published in 2017 as The Painted Queen.
Do I need to know about Egyptology to enjoy this series?
No. Peters folds real archaeological history into the story accessibly, and Amelia's narration is written for a general reader rather than a specialist -- no prior knowledge of ancient Egypt is assumed.
Is Ramses a main character?
Yes, increasingly so. The Emersons' son Ramses is introduced as a child in early books and becomes a major point-of-view character and eventually a co-protagonist as the series progresses into his adulthood.
If you like the Amelia Peabody series
- 32books
- 24books
William Monk
historical mystery
- 18books
Maisie Dobbs
historical mystery
- 21books
The Christmas Novellas
historical mystery
- 13books
Inspector George Felse
historical mystery
- 4books
Edwardian Murder Mysteries
historical mystery
- 7books
Matthew Shardlake
historical mystery
- 4books
Hannah Vogel
historical mystery
Reading order last verified .