The Emerson family is once again making its way to Egypt for a season at the archeological dig. This year, Emerson has decided to spend his time thoroughly sifting through all the debris left behind in tombs excavated by less meticulous men than himself. It’s his opinion that the other Egyptologists in the area have been so obsessed with mummies and treasure that they haven’t been paying attention to the finer details, and he intends to set it all straight. While Amelia would rather be climbing through a pyramid, herself, she admires her husband’s dedication to his work and supports his desire to document everything.
The Emersons have taken David in as one of their own, and he, along with Ramses, has spent the summer in the desert with a sheik, a good friend of the family. The boys return taller, browner, and wearing mustaches, a thing which Amelia can’t abide, not only because it looks unkempt, but because it reminds her that these boys aren’t boys any longer. Ramses is now sixteen, and David is roughly the same age. She can’t control the passing of time and it bothers her to think that soon they will be men. Nefret doesn’t seem to notice their new maturity, however, and teases them as she always has.
But Miss Dolly Bellingham has noticed, and she has a crush on Ramses. Bedecked from head to toe with ruffles and lace, she’s the kind of girl that Ramses can’t stand, but she refuses to be turned aside. Asking him to rescue her from some of the most preposterous situations, she has labeled him “her hero” and won’t leave his side.
While excavating a tomb the Emersons were repeatedly warned by various mysterious strangers not to excavate, they uncover a mummy, but not of the sort they are accustomed to. This one died within the last five years, and some investigation reveals it to be the missing wife of Colonel Bellingham, Dolly’s father. She was rumored to have run off with her husband’s employee, but now the discovery sheds new light on why she never returned. Now the Colonel is determined to find the murderer and bring him to justice, and Emerson is equally determined to get back to the dig and get on with business. Leave it to Amelia to solve the whole matter.
Definitely another enthralling mystery from author Elizabeth Peters, you’ll want to add “Seeing a Large Cat” to your collection.
(This book was first published in 1997 and was rereleased in 2003 by Constable and Robinson.)
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