Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Jackal's Head by Elizabeth Peters



I thought I owned and had read every Elizabeth Peters book out there. But I somehow missed this one! This is one of her many stand-alone romantic adventures. I love them all! I think this one must be one of her earliest (it was written in 1968) --before Amelia Peabody certainly--because this one is very reminiscent of the Emerson/Peabody series.

Althea Tomlinson ("Tommy") goes back to Egypt to attempt to clear the name of her dead father. Little does she realize that she is walking into a very messy situation.

This book wasn't quite as flawlessly crafted as Elizabeth Peters' later novels. Her hero is pretty rough--we don't even start to like him until towards the end of the book. Tommy herself isn't as clearly characterized as Elizabeth Peters' other heroines. Still, it was thoroughly enjoyable. Elizabeth Peters, an Egyptologist herself, always makes Egypt come alive in her books. She's one of my very favorite authors.

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