''Lord of the Silent'' (2001) is the 13th in a series of

historical mystery The historical mystery or historical whodunit is a subgenre of two literary genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves th ...

novels, written by

Elizabeth Peters Barbara Louise Mertz (September 29, 1927 – August 8, 2013) was an American author who wrote under her own name as well as under the pseudonyms Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels. In 1952, she received a PhD in Egyptology from the Univers ...

and featuring fictional sleuth and archaeologist

Amelia Peabody Amelia Peabody Emerson is the protagonist of the Amelia Peabody series, a series of historical mystery novels written by author Elizabeth Peters (a pseudonym of Egyptologist Barbara Mertz, 1927–2013). Peabody is married to Egyptologist Radcl ...

Plot introduction

In this installment, which takes place during the 1915–1916 season, newlyweds Ramses and

Nefret Emerson The Amelia Peabody series of historical mystery novels is written by Elizabeth Peters, set in Victorian Egypt among a family of eccentric archaeologists. Note that, as with most character lists, the descriptions herein necessarily contain numerou ...

spend their time living on their family's dahabeeyah on the Nile, while the rest of the group remains at the house near Giza, where their excavations continue. Between the antics of Ramses' former associates in the smuggling trade, the reappearance of the Master Criminal, and yet another unknown adversary with a rich find, little time is permitted for romance...but of course, the younger Emersons make the most of it.

Explanation of the novel's title

The title of the book refers to Amon-Re: :"Amon, King of the Gods, Lord of the Silent / who comes at the voice of the poor ... who gives bread to him who has none ... father of the orphan, husband of the widow ... though the servant offends him, he is merciful." (Composite from various prayers, from the front matter of ''Lord of the Silent'')

Plot introduction

Explanation of the novel's title

See also