The ape who guards the balance Book

London 1906: Amelia Peabody Emerson has become involved in the Women's Social and Political Union. She is looking forward to chaining herself to the fence of 10 Downing Street and being arrested for protesting for the right to vote. Something strange happens and she discovers that an MP notorious for being anti-woman suffrage has invited a friend to come to his home to present a petition. Therefore, Amelia is not entirely surprised when the police report the MP and his staff were tied up and impersonated while his collection of antiquities was stolen. This can only be the work of one man-The Master Criminal himself-Sethos. It seems he is alive and well with a new network in Europe. How could this be? Does this mean their upcoming dig in Luxor will be uneventful? Hardly. Amelia is abducted before she even leaves for Egypt and Emerson fears Sethos is after his wife again. In Egypt, Ramses and David meet a devious antiquities dealer who sells them an ancient scroll of the dead which sets off a chain reaction of events that may or may not be connected to the mysterious happenings back in London before their departure. No one is going to take any chances this time. The only hope of thwarting the criminal/s is to stick together. They can only do this with full cooperation and trust on all sides, which only works when the adults treat the children like the adults they now are. Meanwhile, Emerson is seriously annoyed when he is denied yet again a permit to dig for tombs and an amateur dilettante is allowed to ruin a potentially important site!

Some characters refuse to leave a reader even long after the book is finished. Amelia Peabody Emerson is one of those characters. I often find myself thinking "What would Amelia say to that? What would Amelia do?" and "Emerson would blow a gasket!" or "Emerson would be so excited to learn..." So naturally, I needed to pick up their adventures once again. The book title confused me, not being familiar with this particular Egyptian myth. It refers to the god Thoth, a divine scribe, who waits for the heart of the dead to be weighed on a scale and judged. He then records its fate. Thoth is usually represented as having the head of an ibis, but also appears as a baboon or ape with the balancing scales. In this novel, the ape that guards the balance is a symbol of an emerging women's rights organization in Egypt.

This story incorporates a lot of religious teachings from Ancient Egyptian stories to the Koran to the Christian Bible. The point is to show how the Peabody Emersons reconcile the different beliefs and how each family member has their own personal idea of faith (or none at all). I found it all a bit confusing and unnecessary to the plot. I also found Amelia to be a little more sanctimonious than usual. She can't help being a woman of her time and place and it gives her a certain amount of prejudice than she usually reserves for bossing around the "natives." This time her beliefs affect her family. I lost some admiration for her because of it.

The only other thing I really didn't like about the story was the teen angst. Ramses is 19 now, a man by Egyptian standards. Nefret has come of age and inherited a fortune and a rebellious attitude from her foster brothers. As is typical with an older generation, they refuse to admit their babies are grown up and capable of handling serious situations and understanding everything that is happening around them. The young adults are rebellious, lovesick and have secrets of their own. I didn't like the parts of the book that were not told by Amelia. The switch in viewpoint is a bit jarring and the young people annoyed me. Ramses especially did not appeal to me. I could have done without his strong emotions. Then there's another romantic subplot that took everyone by surprise. It's not very believable or interesting.

However, I couldn't put the book down. I kept getting interrupted and distracted by the rest of the household (which is why I usually stay up all night reading because it's the only uninterrupted quiet time I have). The disruptions prevented me from fully understanding everything that happened in the story so I need to reread parts of it. The plot contained enough suspense and red herrings that I didn't know how to connect the dots. I connected the dots to the villain after Amelia realized who it must be. I suspected another person and was surprised at their motivation for hanging around the Peabody Emersons. I did not suspect THAT at all! The conclusion was a little too neat and tidy to want to immediately read the next book in the series. That will have to wait for spring break or next winter's break. The research is top notch as always but I wish there was a timeline to understand which dynasty corresponds to how many years before Common Era and a cheat sheet of the Egyptian pharaohs, family members and deities. I have to read an e-book next time so I can look up references as I read.

I love Amelia and Emerson so much. They're so fleshed out and believable. They live inside my head perceptually. I adore their loving relationship. I like that they're still romantic and in love after all these years. They had better be after what they went through! They still want to be intimate. Emerson is gruff as always but he loves his family and would do anything to protect them. It's clear Nefret is a Daddy's girl! I didn't like how she uses typical feminine wiles to get what she wants, even if it's for a good reason. Most of her behavior represents the "New Woman" of the 20th century: physically fit, fearless and free. Her reform efforts are admirable and the debate and discussion is one that is relevant today. Amelia wants to be a New Woman but is held back by her Victorian morals. Ramses is possibly even more annoying than he was as a 7 year old. He's a know-it-all like his parents and very angsty. David is the only one of the children who didn't annoy me at some point, for most of the novel anyway.

Almost all the characters have been met before. Cyrus Vandergelt makes a few appearances, along with his wife Katherine. I didn't remember her at all but I remember the American cowboy type Cyrus. He still has a big heart and open, friendly nature. The newest characters are Ned, a novice archeologist in the pay of Theodore M. Davis, a rich dilettante Egyptologist. Ned is a nervous type and every time he was on page I cringed because he couldn't stand up to Emerson's temper and it wasn't his fault proper procedure wasn't followed. Davis is a British chap of the old school "jolly good, what ho" and all that. (er apparently he's American but sounds British). He knows nothing about Egypt and cares nothing for actual scholarship. I can empathize with Emerson. (If I were a man of that time, I would probably be a lot like Emerson).

Read this series if you like humorous mysteries, Ancient Egypt and Victorian/Edwardian unconventional suffragette heroines. Don't start here though! Read them in order.

Content:
Lots of curses and not from Emerson, but his children! They toss off the D-word a lot. The "children" are also asserting their independence by drinking and smoking.
The Emerson-Peabodys/Peabody-Emersons (depending on the book) drink a lot of whisky-for medicinal purposes you know!