Amelia Peabody Books in Order

The Amelia Peabody series follows Victorian Englishwoman Amelia Peabody Emerson, heiress, amateur sleuth, and working Egyptologist, in 20 novels from 1884 to the early 1920s. The series begins when Amelia uses her inheritance to travel to Egypt, where she meets the combative archaeologist Radcliffe Emerson whom she marries. Next, she starts working by excavating ancient sites while solving the murders that seem to follow the couple wherever they go to dig dig. Written by Elizabeth Peters, the pen name of American Egyptologist Barbara Mertz, who held a PhD in Egyptology from the University of Chicago, the series is based on real archaeological knowledge and it has has the kinds of details that come from someone who worked in the profession. Elizabeth Peters was named Grand Master by both the Mystery Writers of America (1998) and the Anthony Awards (1986), and the Amelia Peabody series was the work she was most associated with during her career.

The 20-book series is mostly told from Amelia’s wry, opinionated first-person voice and it slowly changes from an archaeological mystery to a family saga as Amelia and Emerson’s son Ramses, and later their ward Nefret, become more important during each new investigation. Each mystery is self-contained, so for that reason they can be read as standalones, but the relationships and family history is part of a larger series background. The final book was completed posthumously by Joan Hess after the author’s death in 2013.

For a complete list of Elizabeth Peters’ books, see Elizabeth Peters Books in Order.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amelia Peabody Series (Books in Order)

1. Crocodile on the Sandbank, 1975
2. The Curse of the Pharaohs, 1981
3. The Mummy Case, 1985
4. Lion In The Valley, 1986
5. The Deeds of the Disturber, 1988
6. The Last Camel Died at Noon, 1991
7. The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog, 1992
8. The Hippopotamus Pool, 1996
9. Seeing a Large Cat, 1997
10. The Ape Who Guards the Balance, 1998
11. The Falcon at the Portal, 1999
12. He Shall Thunder in the Sky, 2000 (also titled He Shall Thunder in the Sky)
13. Lord of the Silent, 2001
14. The Golden One, 2002
15. Children of the Storm, 2003
16. Guardian of the Horizon, 2004
17. The Serpent on the Crown, 2005
18. Tomb of the Golden Bird, 2006
19. A River in the Sky, 2010
20. The Painted Queen, 2017 (with Joan Hess)

Other Amelia Peabody Books

• Amelia Peabody’s Egypt: A Compendium, 2003 (co-edited with Kristen Whitbread)

Reading notes:

• Guardian of the Horizon was published as the 16th book, however, it fits in the storyline as the 11th book, after The Ape Who Guards the Balance.
• A River in the Sky, published as the last Amelia Peabody novel by Elizabeth Peters, fits chronologically between Guardian of the Horizon and The Falcon and the Portal.
• The Painted Queen (#20) was partially completed by Elizabeth Peters before her death in August 2013 and finished by her longtime friend Joan Hess. The manuscript and Peters’ notes were used throughout. It is set in 1912, which places it chronologically between books 11 and 12 in the timeline.
• The companion volume Amelia Peabody’s Egypt: A Compendium is a non-fiction reference book that features the settings, historical context, and characters of the series. It won the Agatha Award for Best Non-Fiction in 2003. It can be read at any point once you’re familiar with the series.

Who Is Amelia Peabody?

Amelia Peabody Emerson is a Victorian Englishwoman who begins the series as a confirmed spinster and scholar. She gets an unexpected inheritance, which allows her to pursue her passion for Egyptology. She is Strong-willed, opinionated, and very confident in her own deductions, even when those deductions are wrong. Usually she investigates the murder cases she comes across with the same logic she used in her archaeological excavations. She often users her parasol as a defensive weapon.

Amelia marries archaeologist Radcliffe Emerson, who is known in Egypt as “Father of Curses” for his disdainful words for incompetent excavators in the early books, and the series follows the Emerson family across dig seasons in Egypt and other parts of the Middle East. As the series progresses, we see their son Ramses growing up and their household becoming bigger and bigger. The earlier books are told in Amelia’s self-aware journal style, and later novels are narrated by other people as well, including sections from Ramses’ point of view.

Where to Start with the Amelia Peabody Series

New to Amelia Peabody? Start here:

• Best starting point for most readers: Crocodile on the Sandbank (book 1). It introduces Amelia, Emerson, and the Egypt setting, and establishes the character relationships that are present throughout the whole series.
• If you want to understand the series’ main idea first: the companion volume Amelia Peabody’s Egypt: A Compendium includes an overview of the series’ settings and characters, but it works best if you are reading it parallel to the series, not as an introduction.
• On publication vs. chronological order: Publication order is the easiest way to start the series. The two books that are out of internal sequence (Guardian of the Horizon and A River in the Sky) don’t interrupt the series, they can easily be read following the publication order.
• The series is best read in full order. Each mystery is self-contained, but there is a main arc related to the family relationships and recurring character that constantly builds across all 20 books. If you pick up a random book in the series as your first, you will understand the mystery the family is solving, but you’ll lose the cumulative effect of watching Ramses grow up and the Emerson family’s relationship.

Related Elizabeth Peters Series

• Elizabeth Peters Books in Order – complete biography of Elizabeth Peters, including all Amelia Peabody books and related works.