Elizabeth Peters books

Elizabeth Peters was the pen name of Egyptologist Barbara Mertz, who wrote mystery novels for over four decades. She is best known for the Amelia Peabody series and published 105 books from 1966 to 2018.

Amelia Peabody Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Crocodile on the Sandbank 1975 Buy
Misterio en Egipto 1975 N/A
The Curse of the Pharaohs 1981 Buy
The Mummy Case 1985 Buy
Lion in the Valley 1986 Buy
The Deeds of the Disturber 1988 Buy
The Last Camel Died at Noon 1991 Buy
The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog 1992 Buy
The Hippopotamus Pool 1996 Buy
Seeing a Large Cat 1997 Buy
The Ape Who Guards the Balance 1998 Buy
The Falcon at the Portal 1999 Buy
He Shall Thunder in the Sky 2000 Buy
Lord of the Silent 2001 Buy
The Golden One 2002 Buy
Children of the Storm 2003 Buy
Guardian of the Horizon 2004 Buy
The Serpent on the Crown 2005 Buy
Tomb of the Golden Bird 2006 Buy
A River in the Sky 2010 Buy
Someone in the House 1981 Buy
Black Rainbow 1982 Buy
Amelia Peabody Omnibus 2012 Buy
The Painted Queen 2014 Buy

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Malice Domestic 1 1992 Buy
Historical Whodunits 1993 Buy
More Malice Domestic 1997 Buy
AZ Murder Goes… Artful 1997 Buy

Barbara Mertz Short Story Collections

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Locked Tomb Mystery: And Other Stories 2018 Buy

Georgetown Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Ammie, Come Home 1968 Buy
Shattered Silk 1986 Buy
Stitches in Time 1995 Buy

Jacqueline Kirby Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Seventh Sinner 1972 Buy
The Murders of Richard III 1974 Buy
Die for Love 1984 Buy
Naked Once More 1989 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Temples, Tombs & Hieroglyphs 1978 Buy
Amelia Peabody’s Egypt 2003 Buy

Short Story Collections

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Mystery Stories 2018 N/A
The Locked Tomb Mystery: And Other Stories 2018 Buy

Someone in the House Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Master of Blacktower 1966 Buy
Sons of the Wolf 1967 Buy
The Jackal’s Head 1968 Buy
Prince of Darkness 1969 Buy
The Dark on the Other Side 1970 Buy
The Dead Sea Cipher 1970 Buy
The Crying Child 1971 Buy
The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits 1971 Buy
Greygallows 1972 Buy
Witch 1973 Buy
House of Many Shadows 1974 Buy
The Sea King’s Daughter 1975 Buy
Legend in Green Velvet 1976 Buy
Patriot’s Dream 1976 Buy
Devil May Care 1977 Buy
Wings of the Falcon 1977 Buy
Wait for What Will Come 1978 Buy
Summer of the Dragon 1979 Buy
The Walker in Shadows 1979 Buy
The Love Talker 1980 Buy
The Wizard’s Daughter 1980 Buy
The Copenhagen Connection 1982 Buy
Here I Stay 1983 Buy
The Grey Beginning 1984 Buy
Be Buried in the Rain 1985 Buy
Search the Shadows 1987 Buy
Smoke and Mirrors 1989 Buy
Into the Darkness 1990 Buy
Vanish with the Rose 1992 Buy
Houses of Stone 1993 Buy
The Dancing Floor 1997 Buy
Other Worlds 1999 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Jackal’s Head 1968 Buy
Prince of Darkness 1969 Buy
The Dead Sea Cipher 1970 Buy
The Dark on the Other Side 1970 Buy
The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits 1971 Buy
The Crying Child 1971 Buy
Greygallows 1972 Buy
Witch 1973 Buy
House of Many Shadows 1974 Buy
The Sea King’s Daughter 1975 Buy
Legend in Green Velvet 1976 Buy
Devil May Care 1977 Buy
Summer of the Dragon 1979 Buy
The Walker in Shadows 1979 Buy
The Love Talker 1980 Buy
The Wizard’s Daughter 1980 Buy
The Copenhagen Connection 1982 Buy
Here I Stay 1983 Buy
The Grey Beginning 1984 Buy
Be Buried in the Rain 1985 Buy
Smoke and Mirrors 1989 Buy
Into the Darkness 1990 Buy
Vanish with the Rose 1992 Buy
Houses of Stone 1993 Buy
The Dancing Floor 1997 Buy
Other Worlds 1999 Buy

Vicky Bliss Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Camelot Caper 1969 Buy
Borrower of the Night 1973 Buy
Street of the Five Moons 1978 Buy
Silhouette in Scarlet 1983 Buy
Trojan Gold 1987 Buy
Night Train to Memphis 1994 Buy
The Laughter of Dead Kings 2008 Buy

Elizabeth Peters was born Barbara Louise Gross Mertz in Canton, Illinois, in 1927. She earned a PhD in Egyptology from the University of Chicago in 1952, one of the first American women to do so. Her academic background in ancient Egypt became the foundation for her most popular fiction, particularly the Amelia Peabody mysteries. She also wrote gothic and romantic suspense under the name Barbara Michaels, and published Egyptology non-fiction as Barbara Mertz.

Her best-known work is the Amelia Peabody series, which follows a Victorian archaeologist and her husband Emerson as they solve crimes during excavation seasons in Egypt. The series ran from 1975 to 2014, with the final book completed posthumously by Joan Hess. Peters also wrote the Vicky Bliss series about a tall, wisecracking art historian in Munich, and the Jacqueline Kirby mysteries featuring a librarian turned romance novelist. She received the Agatha Award, the Anthony Award, and was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1998. She died in 2013 at her home in Frederick, Maryland.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Elizabeth Peters written?

Elizabeth Peters has written 105 books across ten series.

What was Elizabeth Peters's first book?

Elizabeth Peters’s first book is The Master of Blacktower, published in 1966.

What is the relationship between Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels?

Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels were both pen names of Barbara Louise Gross Mertz (1927-2013). She used the Peters name for her mystery novels and the Michaels name for gothic and romantic suspense. She also published Egyptology non-fiction under her real name.

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