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akenny614's review against another edition
5.0
OMG so good! Just what I needed to recharge my reading fervor.
seshat59's review against another edition
5.0
In which the indomitable Amelia Peabody conquers the amnesia trope.
I've always been a little--and quite unjustly--biased against The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog. Mostly, in my hasty youth, I was upset because both Ramses and Nefret are left in England, and thus the focus is primarily on Amelia and Emerson. But every time I reread it, it proves me wrong. It's really an excellent book, and I clearly remember having this same mental revelation whenever I last reread this, ten plus years ago. I love how MPM (Mertz-Peters-Michaels, for the uninitiated) takes traditional romance/sensational tropes and then dominates them. The amnesia trope is so overdone and usually so eye-roll-inducing, but as usual, MPM finesses it and uses the trope to help spice up Amelia and Emerson's romance.
The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog opens with the Nefret Issue. Having returned to England and her inherited society, how will--can she adapt? Well, being Nefret, she plans to immerse herself in her education so as to best adapt and camouflage her upbringing. She suggests that she remain back in England during that winter's archaeological season, and Ramses of course volunteers to remain with her -- entirely for educational purposes, of course. Thus, Amelia and Emerson are alone once again, but thirteen years into marriage, even their passion has dimmed with familiarity -- or else, it has for this book's plot device. In contrast to most other novels, Amelia is so focused on recreating the honeymoon feeling that she isn't the paranoid one, and it's Emerson who suspects there are Foul Things Afoot, especially after a masquerade party goes awry. Some Villain has put the pieces together about Lost Oasis and wants to kidnap an Emerson (in Egypt or England) to find his own way to this fabled City of Gold.
Emerson is the one to be captured, and a blow to the head robs him of his memory -- not only of the Lost Oasis but of Amelia herself and their relationship. With the rather shoddy advice of a vacationing psychotherapist, Amelia decides not to force her relationship and allow Emerson to heal on his own -- rather than "shocking" his psyche with the force of her ardor. Thus, they're allowed to recreate their argumentative courtship a la The Crocodile on the Sandbank. The previous portions of the novel have the couple excavating in Meidum and the Valley of the Kings, but once Emerson loses his memory, it's back to Amarna, just as when they first met.
This book also sees various characters from previous books return: Cyrus Vandergelt, Karl von Bork, Kevin O'Connell, and everyone's favorite Master Criminal. I LOVED Sethos's role in this book. I won't spoil it, but of course a criminal of his intelligence and imagination would be wooed by the tales of the Lost Oasis. When and how he turns up is just... maginifique.
Furthermore, the archaeology and the atmosphere both shine. Once again, the reader is fully transported to Egypt and a corresponding archaeological dig.
And don't be fooled by Ramses' absence. His correspondence is fantastic, and interspersed as it is throughout the book, it's wonderfully humorous. His absence is almost as great as his presence, at least through MPM's handling.
And finally, The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog marks the last book prior to the beginning of the Quartet, and I'm very excited to head into the books where Ramses matures, at last. Onwards!
And as usual, two enjoyable/miscellaneous quotes to conclude:
"Some scholars, I regret to say, concoct fantastic theories from inadequate evidence, but I have never been prone to this weakness..." I completely concur, Amelia. Things haven't changed much in Egyptology in 120 years -- especially as the quest for Nefertiti's tomb continues, from Amelia's fictitious adventures to this very day in Egyptological news.
"I had not expected [Nefret] would actively enjoy herself at first. Society takes a great deal of getting used." Amen.
I've always been a little--and quite unjustly--biased against The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog. Mostly, in my hasty youth, I was upset because both Ramses and Nefret are left in England, and thus the focus is primarily on Amelia and Emerson. But every time I reread it, it proves me wrong. It's really an excellent book, and I clearly remember having this same mental revelation whenever I last reread this, ten plus years ago. I love how MPM (Mertz-Peters-Michaels, for the uninitiated) takes traditional romance/sensational tropes and then dominates them. The amnesia trope is so overdone and usually so eye-roll-inducing, but as usual, MPM finesses it and uses the trope to help spice up Amelia and Emerson's romance.
The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog opens with the Nefret Issue. Having returned to England and her inherited society, how will--can she adapt? Well, being Nefret, she plans to immerse herself in her education so as to best adapt and camouflage her upbringing. She suggests that she remain back in England during that winter's archaeological season, and Ramses of course volunteers to remain with her -- entirely for educational purposes, of course. Thus, Amelia and Emerson are alone once again, but thirteen years into marriage, even their passion has dimmed with familiarity -- or else, it has for this book's plot device. In contrast to most other novels, Amelia is so focused on recreating the honeymoon feeling that she isn't the paranoid one, and it's Emerson who suspects there are Foul Things Afoot, especially after a masquerade party goes awry. Some Villain has put the pieces together about Lost Oasis and wants to kidnap an Emerson (in Egypt or England) to find his own way to this fabled City of Gold.
Emerson is the one to be captured, and a blow to the head robs him of his memory -- not only of the Lost Oasis but of Amelia herself and their relationship. With the rather shoddy advice of a vacationing psychotherapist, Amelia decides not to force her relationship and allow Emerson to heal on his own -- rather than "shocking" his psyche with the force of her ardor. Thus, they're allowed to recreate their argumentative courtship a la The Crocodile on the Sandbank. The previous portions of the novel have the couple excavating in Meidum and the Valley of the Kings, but once Emerson loses his memory, it's back to Amarna, just as when they first met.
This book also sees various characters from previous books return: Cyrus Vandergelt, Karl von Bork, Kevin O'Connell, and everyone's favorite Master Criminal. I LOVED Sethos's role in this book. I won't spoil it, but of course a criminal of his intelligence and imagination would be wooed by the tales of the Lost Oasis. When and how he turns up is just... maginifique.
Furthermore, the archaeology and the atmosphere both shine. Once again, the reader is fully transported to Egypt and a corresponding archaeological dig.
And don't be fooled by Ramses' absence. His correspondence is fantastic, and interspersed as it is throughout the book, it's wonderfully humorous. His absence is almost as great as his presence, at least through MPM's handling.
And finally, The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog marks the last book prior to the beginning of the Quartet, and I'm very excited to head into the books where Ramses matures, at last. Onwards!
And as usual, two enjoyable/miscellaneous quotes to conclude:
"Some scholars, I regret to say, concoct fantastic theories from inadequate evidence, but I have never been prone to this weakness..." I completely concur, Amelia. Things haven't changed much in Egyptology in 120 years -- especially as the quest for Nefertiti's tomb continues, from Amelia's fictitious adventures to this very day in Egyptological news.
"I had not expected [Nefret] would actively enjoy herself at first. Society takes a great deal of getting used." Amen.
ellelainey's review against another edition
4.0
I love Amelia, Radcliffe and the Master Criminal.
I think the Master Criminal is the best adversary you could ask for in a murder mystery/whodunit. His relationship with Amelia is fantastic, and the jealousy Radcliffe exhibits towards that relationship is even better.
I hate including spoilers because I see my review as helping others to decide if they want to read the book or not. My suggestion you MUST read at least one Amelia Peabody book in your lifetime. Start with Crocodile on the Sandbank and if you don't fall in love with Amelia and Radcliffe by the end of that book, you will not get the rest of the series.
I think the Master Criminal is the best adversary you could ask for in a murder mystery/whodunit. His relationship with Amelia is fantastic, and the jealousy Radcliffe exhibits towards that relationship is even better.
I hate including spoilers because I see my review as helping others to decide if they want to read the book or not. My suggestion you MUST read at least one Amelia Peabody book in your lifetime. Start with Crocodile on the Sandbank and if you don't fall in love with Amelia and Radcliffe by the end of that book, you will not get the rest of the series.
idicalini's review against another edition
5.0
Another great book! I don't think I've ever been this far into a series before, but I'm thoroughly enjoying the experience!
eososray's review against another edition
2.0
This series is so hit and miss for me. This is one of the misses. I just couldn't stand the whole amnesia part of the story.
hilaryjsc's review against another edition
4.0
As much fun as a peak 1980s soap opera plot. Like, Luke and Laura level fun.
becksus's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Amnesia as a plot device works surprisingly well! Though it did have me annoyed at times.
laurenjodi's review against another edition
4.0
The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog
4 Stars
Amelia and Emerson, sans their son, Ramses, and ward, Nefret, travel to Egypt in search of Nefertiti's tomb. To Amelia's utter horror, Emerson is not only kidnapped but also loses his memories of their life together. In order to recover his past and revitalize their marriage, the couple returns to Amarna. However, a dangerous enemy is on their trail and will stop at nothing to complete their nefarious agenda
Series note: While the mystery itself is standalone, there are numerous references to events and characters from books 1, 2 and 3.
To begin with, the amnesia trope works well within the storyline as it adds an element of tension to an otherwise lackluster mystery. The investigation into the culprit behind Emerson's kidnapping takes a backseat to both the Egyptology/archeology of the setting and the rekindling of Amelia and Emerson's love-hate relationship. Their bickering and one-upmanship are as much of a highlight now as in the first book.
As said, the mystery itself is quite mundane, and the villain is predictable mainly due to heavy foreshadowing and a lack of other suspects. That said, there is an excellent twist at the end that may make future installments very interesting.
In terms of the audiobook narration, it took a few chapters, but Barbara Rosenblatt ultimately grew on me. There is no doubt that her distinct voices and diverse accents are significantly better than those of Susan O'Malley (whose work on the series ended with the previous book); nevertheless, she does have a tendency to swallow audibly every once in a while, although this was not often and it did not detract from the telling.
Overall, despite some rambling passages here and there, Amelia and Emerson's latest adventure is entertaining overall.
4 Stars
Amelia and Emerson, sans their son, Ramses, and ward, Nefret, travel to Egypt in search of Nefertiti's tomb. To Amelia's utter horror, Emerson is not only kidnapped but also loses his memories of their life together. In order to recover his past and revitalize their marriage, the couple returns to Amarna. However, a dangerous enemy is on their trail and will stop at nothing to complete their nefarious agenda
Series note: While the mystery itself is standalone, there are numerous references to events and characters from books 1, 2 and 3.
To begin with, the amnesia trope works well within the storyline as it adds an element of tension to an otherwise lackluster mystery. The investigation into the culprit behind Emerson's kidnapping takes a backseat to both the Egyptology/archeology of the setting and the rekindling of Amelia and Emerson's love-hate relationship. Their bickering and one-upmanship are as much of a highlight now as in the first book.
As said, the mystery itself is quite mundane, and the villain is predictable mainly due to heavy foreshadowing and a lack of other suspects. That said, there is an excellent twist at the end that may make future installments very interesting.
In terms of the audiobook narration, it took a few chapters, but Barbara Rosenblatt ultimately grew on me. There is no doubt that her distinct voices and diverse accents are significantly better than those of Susan O'Malley (whose work on the series ended with the previous book); nevertheless, she does have a tendency to swallow audibly every once in a while, although this was not often and it did not detract from the telling.
Overall, despite some rambling passages here and there, Amelia and Emerson's latest adventure is entertaining overall.