Elizabeth Peters: The Serpent on the Crown (UK 2006)

From the Publisher:
Autumn 1921. The Peabody-Emerson clan are enjoying a fruitful period of excavation in Egypt. But when they hear the alarming tale of a man's mysterious death their digging turns to detecting. His widow is convinced her husband was the victim of a curse and implores the Emersons to find and return the small 'deadly' statue that killed him to the tomb from which it was stolen -- before it claims another life. From bitter experience the Emersons know it would be a serious mistake to start chasing tomb robbers. But Amelia and family soon start to find the curse may be more real than ever imagined...

Elizabeth Peters: The Serpent on the Crown. An Amelia Peabody Murder Mystery. Robinson, ISBN 1845292685 (May, 2006), 495 p., £6.99.

Elizabeth Peters: The Serpent on the Crown (USA 2006)

From the Publisher:
A priceless relic has been delivered to the Emerson home overlooking the Nile. But more than history surrounds this golden likeness of a forgotten king, for it is said early death will befall anyone who possesses it.

The woman who implores the renowned family of archaeologists and adventurers to accept the cursed statue insists the ill-gotten treasure has already killed her husband. Further, she warns, unless it is returned to the tomb from which it was stolen, more will surely die. With the world finally at peace -- and with Egypt's ancient mysteries opened to them once more -- Amelia Peabody and her loved ones are plunged into a storm of secrets, treachery, and murder by a widow's strange story and even stranger request. Each step toward the truth reveals a new peril, suggesting this curse is no mere superstition. And the next victim of the small golden king could be any member of the close-knit clan -- perhaps even Amelia herself.

Elizabeth Peters: The Serpent on the Crown. Avon Books, ISBN 006059179X (April, 2006), 495 p., $9.99.

Elizabeth Peters: The Serpent on the Crown (UK 2005)

From the Publisher:
Autumn 1921. The Peabody-Emerson family are enjoying a fruitful period of excavation in Egypt. But when they hear the alarming tale of a man's mysterious death their digging turns to detecting. His widow is convinced her husband was the victim of a curse and implores the Emersons to find and return the small 'deadly' statue that killed him to the tomb from which it was stolen - before it claims another life. From bitter experience, the Emersons know it would be a serious mistake to start chasing tomb robbers. But Amelia and Co. soon start to find that the curse may be more real than they ever imagined... 'She asks us to come directly to her room. She's afraid to open the door, she says!' Ramses took his mother's arm. With the skill of long practice they wound their way through the procession of camels, donkeys and carriages that filled the street. 'Which room?' Nefret asked, looking up at the long facade of the hotel.... 'The one with the balcony? I'm surprised she didn't.... Oh Good Lord! What's that?' There was no mistaking what it was, despite its distance from the ground. Sunset shone with theatrical intensity on the stone balustrade of the balcony and the form leaning over it. Man-high, shrouded, dead black, it seemed to drink the sun's rays. As they stared in disbelief, the shape slowly bent forward and fell, 40 feet, toward the terrace below.

Elizabeth Peters: The Serpent on the Crown. An Egyptian Murder Mystery featuring Amelia Peabody. Constable, ISBN 1845291638 (April, 2005), 309 p., £16.99.

Elizabeth Peters: The Serpent on the Crown (USA 2005)

From the Publisher:
Once again the incomparable New York Times bestselling master of suspense, Elizabeth Peters, brings an exotic world of adventure, intrigue, and danger to vivid life, in a tale as exciting, mysterious, and powerful as ancient Egypt.

A unique treasure obtained by unscrupulous means, the small gold statuette of an unidentified Egyptian king is a priceless relic from a bygone era. But more than history surrounds the remarkable artifact -- for it is said that early death will come to anyone who possesses it.

Enjoying a world finally at peace, the Emersons have returned to the Valley of the Kings in 1922. With the lengthy ban on their archaeological activities lifted, Amelia Peabody and her family look forward to delving once more into the age-old mysteries buried in Egypt's ever-shifting sands. But a widow's strange story -- and even stranger request -- is about to plunge them into a storm of secrets, treachery, superstition... and murder.

The woman, a well-known author, has come bearing an ill-gotten treasure -- a golden likeness of a forgotten king -- which she claims is cursed. Already, she insists, it has taken the life of her husband, and unless it is returned to the tomb from which it was stolen, more people will die.

Intrigued by the mystery, Amelia and her clan resolve to uncover the secrets of the statue's origins, setting off on a trail that twists and turns in directions they never anticipated -- and, perhaps, toward an old nemesis with unscrupulous new designs. But each step toward the truth seems to reveal another peril, suggesting to the intrepid Amelia that the curse is more than mere superstition. And its next victim might well be her irascible husband, Radcliffe, their beloved son, Ramses, his lovely wife, Nefret... or Amelia Peabody herself.

A novel filled with riveting suspense, pulse-pounding action, and the vibrant life of a fascinating place and time, The Serpent on the Crown is the jewel in the crown of a grand master, the remarkable Elizabeth Peters.

Elizabeth Peters: The Serpent on the Crown. William Morrow, ISBN 0060591781 (April, 2005), 350 p., $25.95.