ELIZABETH PETERS – Guardian of the Horizon.

William Morrow, hardcover, March 2004. Reprint paperback: HarperCollins, March 2005.

   In this sequel to The Last Camel Died at Noon, the Emersons, with son Ramses and adopted daughter Nephret, return to the Camel’s lost city, now under the rule of a despot, with the rightful ruler in exile.

   The resourceful Amelia, hotheaded Emerson, courageous but immature Ramses, and the beautiful Nephret are the catalysts in this somewhat stately but entertaining archaeological mystery.

   The characters may be fabricated out of synthetic materials, but their essential decency and resolute genius at improvisation (especially on the part of Amelia) keep the leaky narrative afloat in the midst of the familiar, manufactured perils.

ELIZABETH PETERS – Tomb of the Golden Bird.

William Morrow, hardcover, March 2006. Reprint paperback: Harper, March 2007.

   Amelia’s Egyptologist husband Emerson is stewing over being shut out of the excavation of King Tut’s tomb by Howard Carter and his party.

   He and his family and friends are somewhat diverted by the unexpected (and not welcome) arrival of Emerson’s brother Sethos, involved in some secret government work that puts the family at peril for most of the novel.

   This is a lackluster effort, mainly for diehard Peters’ fans, with all the really interesting stuff (the work on inventorying the fabulous objects in the royal tomb) largely taking place offstage.