The Amelia Peabody Series, by Elizabeth Peters

Mysteries are a genre that I almost exclusively read on audiobook, both because they're easy to find in that format, and because I rarely feel like wasting my precious real-book time on them. This isn't because I don't like mysteries, but because they're casual reading by definition, and there's too many less-casual books that I can't find on audio. (Mysteries over, say, 75 years old may not fit into this category :-p if you've survived that long, you're Literature)

Overview
The Amelia Peabody series focuses around it's namesake, an Egyptologist with a knack for getting mixed up in all kinds of mysterious dealings. The books are told in the form of memoirs, and we get plenty of delightful (although occasionally tedious) commentary from the dear lady. The first book opens with the death of Amelia's father, who she'd been caring for in his old age. She inherits his considerable fortune and finds herself to be a spinster (30ish, I think?) without obligations or occupation. On a tour of the world, she meets a destitute but high-born young lady named Evelyn in the Roman forum, and they proceed to Egypt, where Amelia falls head-over-heels for the Giza pyramids. A bit later in the book, over the course of a tidy little mystery involving a mummy and an unexpected fortune, she falls head-over-heels for the hot-headed and extremely handsome Egyptologist Radcliffe Emerson. (fortunately, his first name is very rarely used)

Amelia marries Emerson, and Evelyn conveniently marries his younger brother. The series covers the next thirty-five years of the Emerson family's adventures. (currently, at least. I'm not sure if Peters is planning to write more.) I love this series dearly; I started listening to the books when I was in junior high and still enjoy re-reading the books every now and then.

Recommended for: Anyone, although women would probably enjoy it more that guys because Amelia's narrative style often reads like a romance (although mockingly so, which is half the fun)

Audiobook Comments: This series is brilliantly read by Barbara Rosenblat, who not only manages to make the characters come alive, but changes their voices appropriately as time passes. Her range of accents is also impressive, considering the many nationalities represented by Egypt's archaeological community. (I absolutely love her American accents!) One of the books included an interview with Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Rosenblat, and about half way through the voice of Emerson intrudes with some snarky comment or other--it took me a minute to remember that it was only Barbara having fun, and not an actual third party to the conversation!
Parental Worries: If your child is old enough to read these books, they're probably fine. Dubious subjects are often mentioned, (Emerson and Amelia are very fond of one another) but Amelia manages to side-step and euphemise them in true Victorian style. Re-reading the books now that I'm older reminds me of watching kids' movies for a second time and discovering the subtle jokes for the parents' benefit that I never caught as a kid.

Ramblings (Spoiler Threat: Low)
The series is very character-driven, so I might as well take the time to describe a few:

Amelia is tons of fun. She's relentlessly competent, stern but soft-hearted, and doesn't let anything stand in her way, least of all the female stereotypes of Victorian England. She lacks any sense of self-analysis, which is somewhat refreshing and often amusing. Despite her criticism of elaborate narrative styles, she consistently waxes poetic over subjects particularly dear to her heart, especially Egypt and her husband. As an example of her eccentricities, her favorite weapon is a steel-shafted parasol, which she always carries with her. This is not only useful for smiting evil-doers, but also for making a gentle (or not so gentle) point in less-hazardous situations.

Emerson is Amelia's perfect match. He's loud, belligerent and short-tempered, but even more soft-hearted than Amelia. He has an endearing habit of suspecting every man they meet to be secretly lusting after his wife, despite her frank and unflattering assessment of her own physical charms. He's also an excellent Egyptologist, and is always the last one to be dragged into mystery investigations, preferring to actually do his work.

Emerson and Amelia's only child is Ramses, (born Walter Peabody Emerson, but his swarthy complexion and regal demeanor reminds everyone of an ancient pharaoh) and he is probably my favorite character in the series. He starts out as a precocious toddler with a ridiculous vocabulary, and manages to survive childhood despite his best attempts to find any mortal peril available. (Amelia objects to the word precocious at one point, but only because it is nowhere near strong enough) He grows into a splendid combination of Indiana Jones meets James Bond, minus the womanizing and with a touch of the Byronic hero. Ramses is one of the few characters besides Amelia that get a chance to narrate every now and then, since his adventures become a staple of the plot in later books and his mother is oblivious of many of his comings and goings. His vocal changes from babe-in-arms to adventurous youngling to suave English gentleman are one of Rosenblat's greatest masterpieces.
In fact, the contributions of Ramses and his cohorts (adopted sister Nefret and best friend David) rescue the books from becoming repetitive (always a danger with long-running mystery series), and gives it a second wind halfway through. Between their romantic angst and encounters with the Cairo underworld, I barely remember the mysteries they manage to solve in the meantime.