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Readers of Elizabeth Peters know her best for the award-winning Amelia Peabody series, in which she combines a strong sense of humor with a charming female sleuth whose adventures are centered in the Valley of the Kings, as is THE LAUGHTER OF DEAD KINGS. This time, however, Peters focuses on brainy Vicky Bliss, assistant curator of Munich's National Museum. In her sixth and final book in the Vicky Bliss series (the last being the 1994 NIGHT TRAIN TO MEMPHIS), Peters seeks to send Bliss on one more grand adventure, this time to clear the name of her love interest, John Tregarth, a London antiques dealer (aka Sir John Smythe, art thief), as well as to tie up some lose ends in the series, most notably the relation of Tregaarth to the Peabody/Emerson family. The novel begins when Bliss's friend, Feisal, the Inspector of Antiquities for Upper Egypt, shows up with the bad news of a recent theft. The crime has all the markings of the work of Vicky's significant other. Her only hope to clear his name is to set out, with Tregarth and her boss, the charming Anton Z Schmidt, to find out who is truly behind the theft of one of Egypt's most prized possessions. Along the journey, doubt is further cast on Tregarth, who always seems to be disappearing from the scene for some secret rendezvous. Yet Bliss and Schmidt are steadfast in their support of John Tregarth. Most enjoyable are the scenes set in the Valley of the Kings, where monuments are used as mysterious meeting points. In addition, the author's trademark sense of humor that distinguished the Amelia Peabody series has not deserted her in THE LAUGHTER OF DEAD KINGS. What may be more disappointing to some loyal readers, however, is the lack of real romance in the novel between John and Vicky; in fact, so little of John Tregarth's personality comes through that the casual reader may walk away wondering just what it is Vicky Bliss sees in him. Instead, the leading man of this mystery novel appears to be the strange but lovable Herr Doktor Anton Schmidt who eases the way with his charm, boxed lunches, and luxurious provisions. As the mystery heightens, and the stakes increase, it is Schmidt with his sword fighting prowess and endless circuit of friends and acquaintances who nearly completes the mission singlehandedly. There is much to like in any Elizabeth Peters novel, and THE LAUGHTER OF DEAD KINGS is no exception. With its slow pace and lack of a strong feeling of romantic tension between John Tregarth and Vicky Bliss, however, this may not be the ending that diehard readers had been waiting for. Luckily, Anton Z Schmidt is along to save the day.
Reviewed by Christine Zibas, September 2008
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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