Children of the Storm is a historical mystery novel by Elizabeth Peters (penname of Barbara Mertz), first published in 2003. It's the fifteenth book in the Amelia Peabody series and is set in 1919-1920.
World War One is over and the Emerson family can return to Egypt. Amelia, now a grandmother, hopes that she'll have a quiet year for once. Her hopes are dashed by a series of strange events, ranging from pranks to near-fatal accidents.
Contains examples of:
- Avenging the Villain: This turns out to be the goal of the villain, Justin(e) — she's out to avenge the death of her mother Bertha, Sethos' old associate, and unwittingly (as she doesn't mention him) that of her father Leopold Vincey, who was the villain of The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog.
- Baby's First Words: In Children of the Storm, Ramses and Nefret's twins Charlotte and David John's first words (in proper English, at least) are actually sentences. Charlotte asks "Is de lady dead?" revealing how Justine had been scaring her, and David John asks to be called by his full name and asks his mother what subject she would like to discuss. Having dealt with Ramses' lisp and verbosity, Amelia sits down and asks for a drink.
- Cutlass Between the Teeth: Discussed when the group is planning their attack on the Isis, and Ramses wonders if they should do this when they arrive. Amelia's reply:"That has always struck me as an impractical procedure," I said. "One would have to have extremely hard teeth and strong jaw muscles, and even then an involuntary movement might easily result in the loss of teeth and jaw."
- Despite her skepticism, Amelia later expresses regret that she couldn't have a cutlass between her teeth when she boarded the Isis. As she puts it, "Ah, well, one cannot have everything."
- Disguised in Drag: Throughout much of Children of the Storm, the Emersons meet a boy named Justin. In the last few chapters, it's revealed he's actually a woman, the daughter of Leopold Vincey (the villain from The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog) and Bertha (who was a villain in the same book, along with The Hippopotamus Pool and The Ape Who Guards the Balance), and older half-sister of Maryam.
- First Gray Hair: Amelia started discovering her first gray hair, over and over, around about World War I, as discussed in Children of the Storm. Every time she spots one, she dyes it from a little bottle that she keeps dead secret (or did until her brother-in-law needed to make an emergency disguise in a later book).
- I Need a Freaking Drink: This is Amelia's reaction at the very end of the book when Ramses and Nefret's twins Charlotte and David John speak proper English for the first time, in the form of full sentences.
- Taking You with Me: In the climax, Justin locks herself in her quarters onboard the Isis and lights the dynamite that she's rigged the boat with, trying to kill the Emersons and their allies at the cost of her own life.
- Would Hurt a Child: Justin(e) and her henchmen have been holding Maryam's son (and Sethos' grandson) hostage to force her to work with them.
