| Barbara Mertz | |
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| Born | Barbara Mertz September 29, 1927 |
| Pen name | Barbara Michaels, Elizabeth Peters |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | American |
| Period | 1964 - present |
| Genres | Suspense, Mystery, Thriller |
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www.mpmbooks.com |
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Barbara Mertz (born September 29, 1927) is an American author who writes under the pseudonyms Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels.
Barbara Mertz has a Ph.D from the University of Chicago in Egyptology, studying under John A. Wilson,[1] which she received at the age of 23. She has written two books on ancient Egypt (both of which have been continuously in print since first publication), but has primarily written mystery and suspense novels. She has been a published writer since 1964.
Under the name Barbara Michaels, she writes primarily gothic and supernatural thrillers. The name was chosen by her publisher since she had already published one nonfiction book on ancient Egypt, and the publisher did not want her novels to be confused with her academic work. She publishes her Amelia Peabody series under the name Elizabeth Peters, a nom de plume drawn from the names of her two children.
She is member of the Editorial Advisory Board of KMT, ("A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt"), Egypt Exploration Society and the James Henry Breasted Circle of the Oriental Institute.[2]
Contents |
As of 2010[update], this series contains 19 books; the most recent, A River in the Sky, was published in April 2010. The heroine is an Egyptologist and is married, with one child of her body, Ramses, and two others of her heart: Nefret Forth (3 years older than Ramses) and, later, Sennia (ca. 25 years younger). The stories all relate to the "Golden Age" of Egyptology and nearly all are set in Egypt, the excavations providing the backdrop for the mystery/adventure plots.
The timeline begins in the 1880s with Amelia's decision to see the world as an unexpectedly-wealthy, feminist spinster, and ends with the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922. (Peters has said that additional books in the series will "fill in the blanks" in the chronology—e.g., River is set in 1910.)
additionally: Amelia Peabody's Egypt: A Compendium - Published October 2003
The Vicky Bliss novels follow the adventures of an American professor of art history who keeps getting involved in international crime and a love interest, a charming art thief known as Sir John Smythe. Another Peters novel, The Camelot Caper (1969), while not technically a Vicky Bliss story, features Smythe. The novels can be enjoyed in any order, but the stories are highly sequential in nature and are probably better appreciated if read in order of publication.
This series and the Amelia Peabody series are slightly related: a fictional tomb discovered by Amelia Peabody and her husband plays an important role in Night Train to Memphis, and in The Laughter of Dead Kings it is revealed that John Smythe is related to the Emersons.
Jacqueline Kirby is a librarian with a very large purse and a knack for solving mysteries.
Jacqueline makes her first appearance as an unwilling detective in The Seventh Sinner. Though it was intended as a stand-alone novel, her maturity, quirkiness, and pursuit of romantic relationships made the character stand out, and generated a popular following. The character blossomed with Murders of Richard III and Die For Love, the latter of which featured her wearing increasingly outrageous costumes, and launching on a career as a romance novelist. Jacqueline continued her new career in Naked Once More, writing a sequel to a "famous" prehistoric romance novel.