This story is about a mothers struggle to deal with her son's disease. This isn't some fluff story with a happy ending but rather a true depiction of what this mother struggled with during her son's battle with a heinous disease. She walks you through a very tough journey while keeping the reader fully informed of every emotion and thought that she has. She has opened up her journal to us in order that we may truly understand what a parent goes through when they find that thier child is stricken with AIDS.

The reader will understand that this was written quite some time ago and will see how far we have come in treating the disease and the many side effects that AIDS causes, but still connects with the writer and her son as they wage war against the deadly disease.

Make sure you have plenty of tissues on hand as you will step into thier world and feel every ounce of emotion on every page.

This story of from a mother's point of view of her son dying of AIDS is painful to read. You can feel his pain and her grief. Even worse is knowing before you pick it up that there will be no happy ending. This book gives a little hope, but more than that it gives a face to the disease. Read it you'll love it and I'm sure you'll cry too.

I am surprized that more people have not heard of this book, and read it, no one I have ask has ever heard of it. The only way this book could of had more of an impact is if there had been a wife and a child or children involved, with aids as well. My heart ached reading the turmoil the mother of this boy had to go through. As a mother I know the dreams we have for our children, forgetting the far fetched dreams, just the normal dreams. Then having to adjust to the fact that he is gay, that in itself must be difficult thing, then him having aids seems gut wretching. Then the turmoil of the inner war for the boy, dissappointing his mother and then experiencing the horrible death that aids brings, just for loving someone. This has nothing to do with my personal opinion of homosexuality, but no one could read this book and not walk the road with each of them. This story could change the choices of ones lifestyle,and make them aware of the precautions and consequences.

I read this story shortly after I had been diagnosed as HIV+ in May of 88 not knowing what to do I read it and when I finished I gave it to my Mother to read for her self, while the impact was different for each of us I think it let her know that she was not alone and I felt more compassion for my own Mother and have tried to make this challange easier for her and 15 years later I am still here

By the beginning of 1917, the Great War makes travel across the Mediterranean unsafe. Still, the archeologist Peabody-Emerson family journeys from England to Egypt to begin another season digging up ancient history. However, their arrival at Luxor is accompanied by the word that thieves attacked a royal tomb with one of the criminals left behind dead.

Before the matriarch Amelia Peabody Emerson can fully investigate the crime as she always does, British intelligence draft her son Ramses to work for them. They need Ramses to ascertain whether Ismail Pasha, an individual quickly rising to power in Gaza, is really Sethos his brother and a criminal. Unable to resist, the Peabody brood follows Ramses on his trek to keep him safe and to learn first hand if Sethos has surfaced.

Fans of this series will enjoy this mixing of a World War I espionage tale with a who-done-it. However, historical mystery readers will feel disappointed as the intel mission intrudes on the investigation, which is left dangling while completing the espionage assignment before the family returns to solve the murder. This leaves the audience with two distinct story lines that never merge and a feeling of a novella inset inside a historical amateur sleuth mystery. Elizabeth Peters provides a wonderful look into Egyptology during the encroachment of World War I that along with the fourteenth return of the clan will delight series fans.

Harriet Klausner

I was thrilled when I discovered that there was a new Amelia Peabody available, and wasn't disappointed in the slightest.

Reading The Golden One was like visiting a group of old friends, and the Emerson family is just as intelligent, zany, and enjoyable as ever.

Some have taken exception to the two distinct storylines, but I thought they gave us a fine chance to see a large cast of characters interact, and didn't find it disconcerting (in fact, the only way I was able to put the book down was to pause at before the second and third sections.

Ms. Peters was in top form writing this novel, and I have grown to love Ramses (when he was young and loquacious, I found him trying) and particularly enjoy the narrative he and Nefret give...a nice contrast to Amelia's decidedly opinionated point of view.

The archaeological portions were, as usual, very interesting, though one is forced to wonder why Howard Carter was so put upon in this installment.

I don't regret spending the money for the hardcover, I have found that the Amelia Peabody series is one of the few that I can re-read over and over and still recapture the enjoyment of the first time through. And I got the signed first edition!

I had been pretty dissapointed in Lord of The Silent; I thought that all the interesting loose ends had been tied up at the end of the book. However, the Golden One brings the focus back on our favorite heroine, Amelia Peabody. The plot was delightfully complex and kept me on the edge of my seat. Even with Ramses and Nefret married, the book still had some tension, though I liked the series better before they were married. The book also did not tie up every single problem so we can all expect that the next Amelia Peabody mystery will be as interesting or better. However, I found Sethos' turn for the good a little unrealistic and I wished there was more from the rest of the family. This series is great for anyone who likes good mysteries or has an interest in Egyptology. Elizabeth Peters is a highly competant author who knows her subject and her Amelia Peabdody series is a pleasure to read.

I love the Amelia Peabody series and purchased this volume as soon as it became available. I then, of course, read it straight through and found myself, at 1 AM, done with the book without feeling done. I think there are too many strands left dangling, and I am uncomfortable with "cliffhanger" endings. After all, it isn't as if I can read the next installment any time soon. I also found myself becoming annoyed with a couple of the characters - Nefret and Ramses. For all the talking they do, they seem entirely lacking in communication skills, which, given the literate and verbal context of the previous novels, is so unlikely as to be an apparent ploy on the part of the author (as is, of course, the cliffhanger ending). The lack of archaeological detail was also diappointing. So why 3 stars and not fewer? The internal commentary from Amelia is still incisive, sarcastic, and entertaining and I appreciate each new encounter with her. I find myself wishing that the "children" would all head for the Antipodes...Within the past month I've strongly recommended the series to 3 people whom I thought would enjoy the books as I have. Now I hope that they start at the beginning and not with this volume, because I think they'd never read another if this were the first. (None of this will stop me from anxiously awaiting the next installment, with the profound hope that I'll want to give that 5 stars.)

Much as I love Nefret and Ramses, the Peabody series has always been about Amelia Peabody Emerson and her husband Radcliffe. This newest installment focuses much more (as has been the trend in the last three books) on the "children." I really liked the technique Peters uses of incorporating excerpts from "Manuscript H" and other letters, but this technique dominates the book. Significant developments with the characters of Ramses and Nefret leave the reader feeling like she just got kicked in the stomach. I was so angry, I actually stopped reading in the middle of the book until I could calm down. But after looking at the previous books, the events are heavily foreshadowed, and as much as I don't like what happened, it is more realistic than simplistic happily ever after. This just shows that Peters is not afraid to move away from the expectations of genre fiction. I still love these characters though and enjoyed the book on its merits. I feel certain that Peters intends to resolve the cliffhanger in a satisfactory way. I just hope that Peters returns her focus to Amelia, who deserves a little more attention.

Emerson is beginning to sound a bit like Amelia in his pronouncements to Ramses and David on the key to a successful marriage. Ramses has the same intellectual curiosity & covert activities as when he was five, but now the consequences are not so comical. Amelia's dreams are the comforting thread in her inner monologue; something she would have pooh-poohed as fanciful in the first book. Ramses is even more like Amelia; the intelligent child with an eccentric and scholarly upbringing. Amelia's story began with the social outcast Evelyn, and this latest development seems in that realm again.

Frankly, Nefret has been one of Ms. Peters' weakest characters for me. Nefret has never been consistent; I keep waiting for the unusual background she grew up in to somehow make her more unique. Instead she is shallow, trendy (of her time) and mercurial. I know Ramses finds this adorable, but I found it no surprise when these lightening changes of emotion led to disaster in this book. Every time she perches on Emerson's chairarm and coos, "Professor darling" I keep hoping she'll be an evil plant from the Master Criminal. And thank goodness that awful Horus got what he deserves!

If the mystery and archaeological detail seem familiar, well, it was an insular period, with the sole focus on the artifacts binding most of the characters. Peters' creativity has been to open up the point of view over the last few books, with the additional "manuscript" contributions in third person or letters from Nefret. Yes, we know who the young classical scholar "Lawrence" is. Seriousness escalated in the series for me in the London-centered book, fifth in the series. When Percy first entered the plots and the understanding between Amelia and Ramses became evident. I've read that the next book may be the last. Peters may surprise us again.

As usual this was well written, fast paced and contains a sense of humor and style that is still fresh and charming despite the fact she's written so many Amelia Peabody adventures. The characters live and breath, wonderfully larger than life and yet still real, still honest.

I get the sense that she is exploring the working partnership of Ramses and Nefret, still, but I can already see that they will be distinct from Emerson and Peabody, yet just as wonderful.

That said, I felt there were points where the action had thin plot support (e.g. the attack in Cairo of the Radcliffe Emersons and the early adventures in Thebes of the Ramses Emersons) hence the four stars instead of the five. I've had this sense with a couple of the past books, but never so strongly as with this one. Even if the action seems unsupported it's so well written that you find yourself enjoying it anyway. I scared the cats, laughing so hard at Emerson berating and worrying over Peabody in the same breath.

It is a testament to Ms. Peters' mastery of her craft and understanding of her characters and setting that make those seeming thin places easy to overlook. This is a must read for fans. Newcomers with a taste for mystery and pastiche will definitely enjoy it - it is reasonably easy to follow the history of the characters without having read the previous books.

Elizabeth Peters has created an entire world, full of clever characters, great relationships, and well-thought out plot lines. She's having a bit of trouble keeping them all afloat, and this plot was rather thin, but the book was still entertaining- and satisfying to those interested in the family's goings on and "happy endings."
Finally, the family decides to confide in each other a bit more- their obtuseness reached a frustrating fever pitch in "Thunder". I would wish that MPM keeps with the basic morality of previous books- be Peters, not Michaels. Nefret and Ramses are shaping up quite nicely, and Miss Minton and her friend shouldn't just end up in an on-again, off-again shacking up situation, which wouldn't be true to the series' basic feel.
I also would like to see the interracial romance started in this one bloom, as well. I hope Peters keeps them coming for a long time.

Hooray! Any new book from Elizabeth Peters is always a much anticipated purchase for me. "Lord of the Silent" is a joy after a long year without news about Amelia, Emerson, Ramses, Nefret, and company. I have been reading this series for years and somehow the last few books have only strengthened my love for these characters. This time the characters behave more like themselves, romance reigns, and adventure is always awaiting you on the next page.

"Lord of the Silent" takes place during the height of WWI. The fear of submarines and air attacks are present. The intrigue of spywork keeps everyone busy with secrets. Archaelogy and love for the past, as well as family and friends, are the unifying threads throughout the book.

Yes, Ramses and Nefret are finally married. Yes, Ramses is prone to intrigue and suspense, albeit reluctantly, with a family never far behind him. Yes, Amelia's observations of her world are entertaining. It's all here. And, yes, that other man in Amelia's life does make some appearances with some new developments in their relationship. Big revelations took place in the last book, "He Shall Thunder in the Sky," and now everyone has to readjust to the new dynamics.

I myself enjoyed the new dynamics of Ramses and Nefret's relationship. They have learned about communication and love from wonderful parents and the lessons come out in their new adventures. Romance doesn't disappear just because a wedding has taken place! It never left Amelia and Emerson and it's not leaving the next generation either.

The plot is good, too, but the characters are what always bring me back for more. I would try to describe it, but why spoil the story for you? Snuggle up in your favorite nook or go to the pool with this new book and plan to stay awake for a long, fun, entertaining read.