The Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters

I LOVE this book series! If you haven't read any of them yet, you could have a treat in store.

The main characters in the books are a husband and wife team of archaeologists who are excavating in Egypt in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They have a son named Ramses (a great character too) and a stepdaughter called Nefret. Not only do I feel as if I know all four, I also seem to know many of the peripheral characters who keep recurring in all the books. The stories are great fun and I also love the characterization and dialogue. I often laugh out loud --- people look at me strangely on the bus!

The first one I read was "The Last Camel Died at Noon" and I think I picked it because I couldn't resist the title! Anyway i was hooked right away and couldn't wait to read more. This is not the first one I'd recommend though, because at that point Ramses is already twelve years old. However, the early books tell how Peabody and Emerson meet and marry, and there are lots of adventures before Ramses even appears on the scene. If you start with the early books you'll get to know the family, which is half the fun.

Although I've read them all several times, I never did collect the early books because at that time I didn't have space for them. So now I pick up the missing ones when I see them. I recently reread every one of the ones I have, because once I read one I get so into their world that I just want to read more and more.

If you like adventures stories like the Indiana Jones series, you'll LOVE these. Elizabeth Peters writes other series too, so be careful you get the right ones. Just look for Amelia's name on the back cover. I'd love to have your comments if you do read them!