The Painted Queen

Listed in the Decorative Arts category on Art In Fiction, The Painted Queen (2017) by Elizabeth Peters and Joan Hess is set during the golden age of Egyptian archaeology. Egypt, 1912: Amelia Peabody and her archeologist husband, Radcliffe Emerson, are once again in danger as they search for a priceless, stolen bust of legendary Queen Nefertiti, and Amelia finds herself the target of assassins. Arriving in Cairo for another thrilling excavation season, Amelia is relaxing in a well-earned bubble bath in her elegant hotel suite in Cairo when a man with knife protruding from his back staggers into the bath chamber and utters a single word—"Murder"—before collapsing on the tiled floor, dead. Most peculiarly, the stranger was wearing a gold-rimmed monocle in his left eye. It quickly becomes apparent that someone saved Amelia from a would-be assassin—someone who is keeping a careful eye on the intrepid Englishwoman. Discovering a terse note pushed under their door, Radcliffe and Amelia realize there can be only one answer: the brilliant master of disguise, Sethos. But nothing will deter Amelia as she and Emerson head to the excavation site at Amarna, where they will witness the discovery of one of the most precious Egyptian artifacts: the iconic Nefertiti bust. For Amelia, this excavation season will prove to be unforgettable. Throughout her journey, a parade of men in monocles will die under suspicious circumstances, fascinating new relics will be unearthed, a diabolical mystery will be solved, and a brilliant criminal will offer his final challenge . . . and perhaps be unmasked at last. “Amelia Peabody, the bossy archaeologist in Elizabeth Peters’s romantic adventures set in Egypt, makes a perfect companion for a cruise up the Nile.” -- New York Times Joan Hess was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and earned a BA in art from the U of A, and a MS in early childhood development from Long Island University. She is the author of the Claire Malloy series, the Maggod y series and the Theo Bloomer Mysteries . Elizabeth Peters, whose New York Times best-selling novels are often set against historical backdrops, earned a Ph.D. in Egyptology at the University of Chicago. She also writes best-selling books under the pseudonym Barbara Michaels. She lives in Frederick, Maryland. Buy Now from Amazon Buy Now from Bookshop