Crocodile on the Sandbank

⚖The case for it

Victorian Egyptologist Amelia Peabody (proto-feminist, magnificently self-confident, armed with a parasol) investigates what seems to be a living mummy at an archaeological site. Peters' Peabody series combines genuine Egyptological expertise with comedy, romance, and mystery. A joyful antidote to noir grimness.

— the canon

✕The case against

The mystery is the thinnest thing on the dig: you will solve it chapters before Amelia does, somewhere between rounds of banter. Emerson is introduced mid-argument, and anyone who has ever read a book knows they will be engaged by the end. For all Amelia's parasol-first feminism, the Egyptians in her Egypt are porters and picturesque backdrop; the empire holds the camera. Comfort food, expertly seasoned.

— the honest librarian