The Deeds of the Disturber

In this fifth installment of the Amelia Peabody series, the protagonist returns from her archaeological digs in Egypt to face a murder mystery in Victorian London. A body is discovered in the Egyptian wing of the British Museum, with the press and public convinced the death was caused by a curse from a recently donated mummy. Amelia, accompanied by her husband and their dog, must navigate the museum's political intrigues and the sensationalist media to uncover the true culprit before she becomes the next target.

Elizabeth Peters blends the conventions of the classic whodunit with the specific textures of late-nineteenth-century Egyptology. The narrative voice is witty and conversational, balancing the tension of the investigation with the domestic dynamics of the Emerson household and the absurdities of the academic and journalistic worlds. The story highlights the intersection of modern archaeology and popular superstition, using the setting of the British Museum to explore themes of cultural appropriation and the public's fascination with the exotic.

Description adapted from Open Library ↗.