“Peabody, my darling Peabody — what a perfectly splendid time we are going to have!”

Crocodile on the Sandbank is the first novel in the Amelia Peabody historical mystery series. Set in 1880’s, the book follows the strong-willed and intelligent heroine Amelia as she leaves her native England to study Egypt’s ancient ruins. Along the way Amelia meets a number of memorable characters and together the group navigates perilous avalanches, life-threatening disease, and supernatural mummies. I loved Amelia’s strong, commanding voice and hilarious comments as she narrates her adventures (and tries to describe her feelings for Mr. Radcliffe Emerson). Crocodile on the Sandbank is a fun, enjoyable read and a series worth following. 

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: 16 religious exclamations, 4 mild obscenities

Violence/Gore: Reports of violence involving torture and warfare; a character hurts his arm during a rockslide; scenes of violence include a character who is shot, two characters fistfight, and a character is strangled and loses consciousness. 

Sex/Nudity:  A few incidents of kissing; several direct and indirect sexual references and reported accounts of sexual activity. 

Mature Subject Matter:

Death of a family member.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Characters smoke and drink; a character is described as “drunk”.