The Deeds of the Disturber
Deeds of the Disturber is the fifth in a series of historical mystery novels, written by Elizabeth Peters and featuring fictional sleuth and archaeologist Amelia Peabody. This is the only book in the series which takes place entirely in England, mainly in London in Summer 1896.
 Paperback cover for Deeds of the Disturber | |
| Author | Elizabeth Peters |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Amelia Peabody series mysteries |
| Genre | Historical mystery |
| Publisher | Atheneum Press |
Publication date | 1988 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 289 |
| ISBN | 0-689-11907-0 |
| OCLC | 17264313 |
| 813/.54 19 | |
| LC Class | PS3563.E747 D4 1988 |
| Preceded by | Lion in the Valley |
| Followed by | The Last Camel Died at Noon |
Explanation of the novel's title
The title of the book comes from the ancient Egyptian Hymn to Osiris from the Eighteenth Dynasty: "His sister was his protector / She who drives off the foe / Who foils the deeds of the disturber / By the power of her utterance."
Plot summary
Immediately after their adventure in Lion in the Valley, the Emersons return home to England for the summer of 1896, as is their custom. Upon their arrival, Amelia finds that her despised brother James wants to dump his two children, Percy and Violet, on the Emersons for the summer. Amelia accepts, if only to instill some higher principles in the obviously spoiled children.
Kevin O'Connell enters the story as he reports on a supposed curse on a mummy in the British Museum. He is competing against a fellow journalist, M. Minton, who always seems to "scoop" him, and he pesters the Emersons for their knowledge and expertise on Egyptology and detection. Amelia is surprised when M. Minton is Margaret Minton, a woman reporter.
Cousins Ramses and Percy hate each other on sight. Percy is unpleasant, making trouble for others around him. Violet turns out to be an empty-headed doll who overeats and throws temper tantrums. Ramses' belongings keep ending up in Percy's possession.
The mummy "mystery" begins to take on more sinister portent as a masked figure stalks the Museum, a woman from Emerson's past turns up as the owner of an opium den, and the Emersons (including Ramses) are subjected to the usual attempts at injury and kidnapping. Eventually, Amelia, Emerson, and Inspector Cuff of Scotland Yard find themselves trapped in a cellar which is about to be flooded, with no backup and only Amelia's corset to save them.
Reviews
Kirkus Reviews did not find the shift of setting from digs in Egypt to the British Museum in London, England, an asset to this novel. It "lacks the exoticism that lends credibility to a bizarre plot", and parents Amelia and Emerson are getting to be a bit boring, while their son "Ramses is a real treasure" of a character.[1]
References
- "The Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters". Kirkus Reviews. April 6, 2012 [March 15, 1988]. Retrieved May 9, 2023.