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Vicky Bliss #6
The Laughter of Dead Kings
Who stole the mummy of King Tut? The brazen crime bears the earmarks of one Sir John Smythe, the international art thief. In fact, John Tregarth is the longtime significant other of Vicky Bliss. Innocent, he vows to clear his name by hunting down the true criminal.
Vicky loses faith. But her boss, Munich Museum director Anton Z. Schmidt, "the finest swordsman in Europe", pays their luxurious way from London to Munich then Cairo, also to defend his own reputation. Once Schmidt deflects his new paramour Suzi, who only wants his body to spy on John, the entourage swells with the Egyptian officials responsible, cousins - wealthy Ashraf and poorer Feisel - plus mummy-expert mistress Saida.
The Arab security guard, then a female middleman, both turn up dead. Dead hands, from her and from Tut, separately accompany notes, his is a ransom demand for millions. Kidnappers, murderers, and danger dog their way.
Vicky loses faith. But her boss, Munich Museum director Anton Z. Schmidt, "the finest swordsman in Europe", pays their luxurious way from London to Munich then Cairo, also to defend his own reputation. Once Schmidt deflects his new paramour Suzi, who only wants his body to spy on John, the entourage swells with the Egyptian officials responsible, cousins - wealthy Ashraf and poorer Feisel - plus mummy-expert mistress Saida.
The Arab security guard, then a female middleman, both turn up dead. Dead hands, from her and from Tut, separately accompany notes, his is a ransom demand for millions. Kidnappers, murderers, and danger dog their way.
324 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
152 people are currently reading
1487 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Peters
179 books3,297 followersElizabeth Peters is a pen name of Barbara Mertz. She also wrote as Barbara Michaels as well as her own name. Born and brought up in Illinois, she earned her Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago. Mertz was named Grand Master at the inaugural Anthony Awards in 1986 and Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America at the Edgar Awards in 1998. She lived in a historic farmhouse in Frederick, western Maryland until her death.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 448 reviews
March 21, 2023
Von Elizabeth Peters habe ich vor Jahren schon mal etwas gelesen, da mir der Bezug zu Ägypten schon damals sehr gefallen hat. Auch heute interessiert mich Ägypten immer noch sehr, und da fiel mir dann dieses Buch in die Hände.
Es hat mir sehr gut gefallen, wenn es auch irgendwie anders war als erwartet. Es war durchaus spannend, aber interessanter war für mich eigentlich der Wortwitz. Die Dialoge und Gespräche der Protagonisten waren zum Teil recht bissig und die Charaktere ziemlich schräg. Das mochte ich sehr.
Aber auch das Grundthema - der Diebstahl der Mumie - konnte mich fesseln.
Es hat mir sehr gut gefallen, wenn es auch irgendwie anders war als erwartet. Es war durchaus spannend, aber interessanter war für mich eigentlich der Wortwitz. Die Dialoge und Gespräche der Protagonisten waren zum Teil recht bissig und die Charaktere ziemlich schräg. Das mochte ich sehr.
Aber auch das Grundthema - der Diebstahl der Mumie - konnte mich fesseln.
October 15, 2008
I had high hopes for The Laughter of Dead Kings, the sixth and final installment of Elizabeth Peters' Vicky Bliss series. I've loved the Vicky books almost as much as I've loved the Amelia Peabodies--and indeed, I'd been deeply charmed to learn as of Book 5 that the two series are in fact set in the same universe. With great anticipation, I'd looked forward to seeing how that connection would be strengthened in Book 6. However, for me at least, Laughter ultimately disappoints.
One issue is one which Peters herself addresses in an introduction to the book: i.e., the fact that the Vicky books have always been set in "present time", and yet, this book is coming out many years after the last one. Peters has chosen to move "present time" forward to reflect actual present time, and gloss over the discrepancy this causes with the prior books. I cannot fault her for advising readers not to fret too much about that; nevertheless, it did jar for me to read about Vicky and Schmidt carrying around cell phones and sending text messages, when no such technology had been at their disposal before. Moreover, one of the characters in the plot appears to have aged considerably since his prior appearance in the series--and he's the only one to have aged noticeably at all. This makes for an overall inconsistent picture of exactly how much time should have elapsed since Book 5, and it's just jarring in general.
More importantly, though, is the issue I noticed during the last few Amelia Peabodies: to wit, Ms. Peters' traditional vivacious style seems to be lacking in her most recent works. I had hoped that this was perhaps a symptom of the Amelia Peabodies running out of steam, but alas, no, I get the same vibe in this book as well. All the proper characters are present, and they're saying the proper things... and yet, the flair that made me such a longstanding fan of this author just doesn't seem to be here.
It's sad, too, because the tie-in with the Amelia Peabodies didn't have nearly as much dramatic interest as I'd hoped in the plot; it turns out to be merely a coincidental side detail, where I'd hoped it would contribute significantly to the action. We do get some nice brief callbacks to Amelia and her family, and even a tie-in with the conceit of how the Emersons' adventures became "a series of novels" (aheh). But it didn't add nearly enough interest for me to the plot overall.
All in all not really a satisfying conclusion to the series, although I will give it points for a nice romantic resolution for Vicky and John, and for a pretty decent resolution as well to the overall crisis at hand. Two stars.
One issue is one which Peters herself addresses in an introduction to the book: i.e., the fact that the Vicky books have always been set in "present time", and yet, this book is coming out many years after the last one. Peters has chosen to move "present time" forward to reflect actual present time, and gloss over the discrepancy this causes with the prior books. I cannot fault her for advising readers not to fret too much about that; nevertheless, it did jar for me to read about Vicky and Schmidt carrying around cell phones and sending text messages, when no such technology had been at their disposal before. Moreover, one of the characters in the plot appears to have aged considerably since his prior appearance in the series--and he's the only one to have aged noticeably at all. This makes for an overall inconsistent picture of exactly how much time should have elapsed since Book 5, and it's just jarring in general.
More importantly, though, is the issue I noticed during the last few Amelia Peabodies: to wit, Ms. Peters' traditional vivacious style seems to be lacking in her most recent works. I had hoped that this was perhaps a symptom of the Amelia Peabodies running out of steam, but alas, no, I get the same vibe in this book as well. All the proper characters are present, and they're saying the proper things... and yet, the flair that made me such a longstanding fan of this author just doesn't seem to be here.
It's sad, too, because the tie-in with the Amelia Peabodies didn't have nearly as much dramatic interest as I'd hoped in the plot; it turns out to be merely a coincidental side detail, where I'd hoped it would contribute significantly to the action. We do get some nice brief callbacks to Amelia and her family, and even a tie-in with the conceit of how the Emersons' adventures became "a series of novels" (aheh). But it didn't add nearly enough interest for me to the plot overall.
All in all not really a satisfying conclusion to the series, although I will give it points for a nice romantic resolution for Vicky and John, and for a pretty decent resolution as well to the overall crisis at hand. Two stars.
December 31, 2018
NOOOOOO. Who let me finish this series??? I am so sad now. I tried to draw this out, but eventually it got to the point where I HAD to see what happened.
One of my favorite thing about series is getting to these later books where the relationships are more settled and you (hopefully) love the characters ever so much. So I liked this book a lot for that.
Re-read December 2018
One of my favorite thing about series is getting to these later books where the relationships are more settled and you (hopefully) love the characters ever so much. So I liked this book a lot for that.
Re-read December 2018
August 30, 2008
I was looking forward to this book so excitedly and for so long, that it wouldn't have been surprising if I'd raised my expectations too high and found myself disappointed once I'd finally read it. I hadn't, and I wasn't. I loved reading this book the way I have loved reading every book starring Vicky and John, because Elizabeth Peters has done such a good job of making me know and love and care deeply about her characters.
Even after more than ten years, Peters still writes those characters perfectly. She also recreated their world (albeit a modern version of it) and their lives down to the details--the thrillingly epic, the hilariously mundane, and the way that the larger-than-life has become routine for them while the frustrations of daily life can be often be dramatic--that we enjoy so much. She recreated Vicky's voice equally well. As always, there are one liners and bits of repartee that make me laugh out loud and want to bookmark the pages where they live, there are impassioned and touching declarations, and there are those thoughts that Vicky shares about life that I identify with so wholly.
The book is not perfect, of course. There are times when the pacing slows a bit, and there are a couple of instances of repetitiveness that some readers have put down to bad editing. However, this book is written in the first person; we hear what Vicky thinks. I don't think that it even calls for a serious suspension of disbelief to suppose that a subject of thought might occur to someone twice over a period of several days.
Some readers of mysteries may be troubled to find that they can identify characters or pick out some of the bad guys before their revelation to the sleuths--but for this series, in which there are recurring heroes and villains, this is in many ways a game that is played with the readers. Some of the revelations in this book have been speculated about and discussed by many fans for some time, but it was still a pleasure to find them out for certain.
Although I read this book in fewer than 24 hours, the pace of my reading did slow down near the end, because I realized that with every page I read, there was one fewer new page of Vicky. I knew I could only read new pages once, and that the remaining pages might be the last new pages of Vicky ever. Despite the sadness of that thought, I still thoroughly enjoyed all the pages, especially the last two or three, which not only made me grin, as they did Vicky, "a big, silly grin," but made me laugh and made me exult (if such a thing is possible).
This is not my favorite Vicky--that will always be Night Train to Memphis--and it may not be the best (although I'm not sure I could determine which one is), but it fits right into the series without a problem, and if it is the last one, although I shall miss the characters dreadfully, it is a fitting end.
A favorite quote, from p. 229
Even after more than ten years, Peters still writes those characters perfectly. She also recreated their world (albeit a modern version of it) and their lives down to the details--the thrillingly epic, the hilariously mundane, and the way that the larger-than-life has become routine for them while the frustrations of daily life can be often be dramatic--that we enjoy so much. She recreated Vicky's voice equally well. As always, there are one liners and bits of repartee that make me laugh out loud and want to bookmark the pages where they live, there are impassioned and touching declarations, and there are those thoughts that Vicky shares about life that I identify with so wholly.
The book is not perfect, of course. There are times when the pacing slows a bit, and there are a couple of instances of repetitiveness that some readers have put down to bad editing. However, this book is written in the first person; we hear what Vicky thinks. I don't think that it even calls for a serious suspension of disbelief to suppose that a subject of thought might occur to someone twice over a period of several days.
Some readers of mysteries may be troubled to find that they can identify characters or pick out some of the bad guys before their revelation to the sleuths--but for this series, in which there are recurring heroes and villains, this is in many ways a game that is played with the readers. Some of the revelations in this book have been speculated about and discussed by many fans for some time, but it was still a pleasure to find them out for certain.
Although I read this book in fewer than 24 hours, the pace of my reading did slow down near the end, because I realized that with every page I read, there was one fewer new page of Vicky. I knew I could only read new pages once, and that the remaining pages might be the last new pages of Vicky ever. Despite the sadness of that thought, I still thoroughly enjoyed all the pages, especially the last two or three, which not only made me grin, as they did Vicky, "a big, silly grin," but made me laugh and made me exult (if such a thing is possible).
This is not my favorite Vicky--that will always be Night Train to Memphis--and it may not be the best (although I'm not sure I could determine which one is), but it fits right into the series without a problem, and if it is the last one, although I shall miss the characters dreadfully, it is a fitting end.
A favorite quote, from p. 229
Only Schmidt, the bloody romantic, spoke up in John's defense. "I will not believe it until he admits it." He considered the statement and then added, "Perhaps not even then."
July 25, 2023
2019: Read again and I really could just play this one on a loop. Lovable.
2017: Re-read, this time on audio, and Barbara Rosenblat and keen attention to the story has led me to raise my star rating. There were so many more careful references to previous books that I didn't catch when reading with my eyes! And reading two terrible romances during this re-read really reminded me of the miracle of Peters' writing, where affection and romance and humor are so deep in the characterization that the zaniness is reasonable. I still think this suffers a bit from too easily matching the previous Vicky book (I kept waiting for scenes that I finally realized weren't in this one.). Overall, though, this isn't bad. I may have to pick up Vicky from the beginning again.
2012 review, 3 stars:Re-read. again. I admit to some serious love for the Vicky Bliss series, and I really enjoyed this cherry-on-top (although I think Night Train to Memphis was just a darn good ending to the series.) I didn't need more, not even to explain how John is related to the Peabody-Emersons. Peters takes some time at the beginning to explain that the series isn't fixed in time so we should just ignore all that previous stuff like The Street of Five Moons talking about the recent introduction of color tv to Italy, yet now it's past 2000 - but I couldn't find the old Vicky in a new world of cell phones and no Gerda. She got older even if Peters was trying to make her about the same age, and something was missing - overt sexism in the world, a sense that a professional woman really still needs a romance and that guy-who-insistently-protects stuff, maybe? Lovely mayhem and chasing, and Peters doesn't really write a bad book, but this was reminiscent of her last book written as Barbara Michaels - her heart didn't seem to be in it. Too bad, because the opening scene with John collapsing into a chair at the discovery that Vicky is crocheting a baby cap was absolutely the old VB magic. Wish she'd left the nonsensically in the 70s/80s and ignored the internet. Extra points for having suddenly become out of date so soon after publication due to revolution in Egypt...
2017: Re-read, this time on audio, and Barbara Rosenblat and keen attention to the story has led me to raise my star rating. There were so many more careful references to previous books that I didn't catch when reading with my eyes! And reading two terrible romances during this re-read really reminded me of the miracle of Peters' writing, where affection and romance and humor are so deep in the characterization that the zaniness is reasonable. I still think this suffers a bit from too easily matching the previous Vicky book (I kept waiting for scenes that I finally realized weren't in this one.). Overall, though, this isn't bad. I may have to pick up Vicky from the beginning again.
2012 review, 3 stars:Re-read. again. I admit to some serious love for the Vicky Bliss series, and I really enjoyed this cherry-on-top (although I think Night Train to Memphis was just a darn good ending to the series.) I didn't need more, not even to explain how John is related to the Peabody-Emersons. Peters takes some time at the beginning to explain that the series isn't fixed in time so we should just ignore all that previous stuff like The Street of Five Moons talking about the recent introduction of color tv to Italy, yet now it's past 2000 - but I couldn't find the old Vicky in a new world of cell phones and no Gerda. She got older even if Peters was trying to make her about the same age, and something was missing - overt sexism in the world, a sense that a professional woman really still needs a romance and that guy-who-insistently-protects stuff, maybe? Lovely mayhem and chasing, and Peters doesn't really write a bad book, but this was reminiscent of her last book written as Barbara Michaels - her heart didn't seem to be in it. Too bad, because the opening scene with John collapsing into a chair at the discovery that Vicky is crocheting a baby cap was absolutely the old VB magic. Wish she'd left the nonsensically in the 70s/80s and ignored the internet. Extra points for having suddenly become out of date so soon after publication due to revolution in Egypt...
September 21, 2008
I'm a sucker for any E. Peters, especially those featuring either Amelia Peabody or Vicky Bliss. And this one took Vicky into Amelia territory, having her scope out a murder mystery/antiquities theft in Egypt.
So all the ingredients for a good romp are here, and they're effective: Sir John Smythe, er, Tregarth, nobly muttering pithy sentiments and then disappearing. Anton Schmidt, munching whatever pastry he can find and exuding confidence aplenty. Feisal, gorgeous and oddly ineffective, but nonetheless an integral character. And Suzi (remember her from Night Train to Memphis?), blonde, beautiful, and a complete nuisance.
Plus a missing mummy, a severed hand, and an oddly familiar elderly lady clutching a rather large purse. And no, it is not Jaqueline Kirby (though that would have been very interesting indeed).
It feels like Peters is wrapping things up; she already has something like 70+ volumes to her name, and the last Amelia Peabody book felt like a last one. This, too, had a feeling of finality. These aren't great literature, but they are fun, and in a world where fun seems to evaporate, it's just what we need. So here's hoping this isn't a last, or at least that it isn't the sign of an end.
So all the ingredients for a good romp are here, and they're effective: Sir John Smythe, er, Tregarth, nobly muttering pithy sentiments and then disappearing. Anton Schmidt, munching whatever pastry he can find and exuding confidence aplenty. Feisal, gorgeous and oddly ineffective, but nonetheless an integral character. And Suzi (remember her from Night Train to Memphis?), blonde, beautiful, and a complete nuisance.
Plus a missing mummy, a severed hand, and an oddly familiar elderly lady clutching a rather large purse. And no, it is not Jaqueline Kirby (though that would have been very interesting indeed).
It feels like Peters is wrapping things up; she already has something like 70+ volumes to her name, and the last Amelia Peabody book felt like a last one. This, too, had a feeling of finality. These aren't great literature, but they are fun, and in a world where fun seems to evaporate, it's just what we need. So here's hoping this isn't a last, or at least that it isn't the sign of an end.
July 7, 2017
Don't you hate it when you've waited for something for years, and it turns out...disappointing? Peters' last book about art historian sleuth Vicky Bliss was published fourteen years ago, and since then, I and lots of others have been waiting for another one, while Peters continued to write more Amelia Peabody Emerson novels instead. (Not that I have anything against Amelia, but I think there are maybe more novels in that series than there need to be.)
The Laughter of Dead Kings isn't all bad, by any means. It was lovely to see Vicky, her lover and art-thief-turned-honest John, and her enthusiastic and rotund boss, Schmidt (who has a wonderful action scene near the end); the dialogue is still sharp, and I appreciated the return to Egypt, the setting of the last book. But the plot takes an awfully long time to get going; the first three-quarters of the book are simply slow. The last quarter, though, is much better paced and exciting, particularly in the aforementioned scene with Schmidt, and Peters does answer the long-open question of whether and how these books relate to the Amelia books, which is satisfying. I just wish she'd come up with a rather better beginning.
The Laughter of Dead Kings isn't all bad, by any means. It was lovely to see Vicky, her lover and art-thief-turned-honest John, and her enthusiastic and rotund boss, Schmidt (who has a wonderful action scene near the end); the dialogue is still sharp, and I appreciated the return to Egypt, the setting of the last book. But the plot takes an awfully long time to get going; the first three-quarters of the book are simply slow. The last quarter, though, is much better paced and exciting, particularly in the aforementioned scene with Schmidt, and Peters does answer the long-open question of whether and how these books relate to the Amelia books, which is satisfying. I just wish she'd come up with a rather better beginning.
January 22, 2010
I read this book out of sequence because I had it on hand and I needed a bit of "fluff" reading as a respite from the more serious books I had been reading recently. I really wish I had waited until I had a chance to read "Night Train to Memphis." There were numerous references here to happenings in that book, and I think I would have enjoyed "Laughter" more if I had more fully understood those references.
Still, it was an okay read. Time spent with an Elizabeth Peters mystery is never time wasted. They are always light and amusing and hardly ever boring, although this one came about as close as any I've read.
I enjoy the characters of Vicky Bliss, John (formerly Smythe) Tregarth, and Anton Schmidt and the interplay between them, but by the latter parts of this book, it seemed that the plot had run out of steam and Peters had run out of ideas. She wrote herself and references to her other famous characters, Amelia, Emerson, and Ramses, into this book. It turns out that John is actually a descendant of Amelia and Emerson. This seemed a bit of an awkward stretch to me.
Anyway, the plot involves the theft of King Tut's mummy and the implication that John may have returned to his former profession and be somehow involved. Our intrepid trio sets out to catch the thieves, get Tut back, and clear John's name. Various other characters and complications are introduced, but you just know that things will turn out all right in the end. They always do in a Peters mystery.
Still, it was an okay read. Time spent with an Elizabeth Peters mystery is never time wasted. They are always light and amusing and hardly ever boring, although this one came about as close as any I've read.
I enjoy the characters of Vicky Bliss, John (formerly Smythe) Tregarth, and Anton Schmidt and the interplay between them, but by the latter parts of this book, it seemed that the plot had run out of steam and Peters had run out of ideas. She wrote herself and references to her other famous characters, Amelia, Emerson, and Ramses, into this book. It turns out that John is actually a descendant of Amelia and Emerson. This seemed a bit of an awkward stretch to me.
Anyway, the plot involves the theft of King Tut's mummy and the implication that John may have returned to his former profession and be somehow involved. Our intrepid trio sets out to catch the thieves, get Tut back, and clear John's name. Various other characters and complications are introduced, but you just know that things will turn out all right in the end. They always do in a Peters mystery.
February 10, 2017
While I enjoyed the tension and conflict between Vicky and John in Night Train to Memphis, I just didn't enjoy all the deception, backstabbing, lies and slight of hand that I got in The Laughter of Dead Kings. That was a shame because this is the final book in the Vicky Bliss series and instead of going out on a high note, it went out with a blah.
Schmidt's so-called honey actually gets him to betray Vicky and John, John just can't seem to tell the truth if his life depends on it - and although he falls into shit at times, he comes out smelling like the proverbial rose! I didn't really enjoy the artifact hunt this time round either, and would rather have stayed away from Egypt as it didn't turn out so well for our intrepid adventurers last time.
Pity there wasn't another book after this that got it right.
Schmidt's so-called honey actually gets him to betray Vicky and John, John just can't seem to tell the truth if his life depends on it - and although he falls into shit at times, he comes out smelling like the proverbial rose! I didn't really enjoy the artifact hunt this time round either, and would rather have stayed away from Egypt as it didn't turn out so well for our intrepid adventurers last time.
Pity there wasn't another book after this that got it right.
November 27, 2022
**** spoilers are marked. **** ON OFF
**** Do not disappear spoilers****
#6 Vicky Bliss tells about an absurd abduction of King Tut's mummy from the desert gravesite.
OFF
Hungry Vicky's attitude "I'll pay him back" p 103 is critical, whining, complaining, "unfair and selfish" p 320. In England, Berlin and Cairo, plump Schmidt leads them to eat continually. My appetite grows too.
Egyptian officials responsible, cousins wealthy Ashraf and poorer Feisel with his mummy-expert mistress Saida, swell the entourage. This is fault common to books late in series. Thus, cast accumulates and disperses rather than shifts focus.
May be first time author connects to Amelia Peabody series, saying John is Peabody-Emerson "descended from younger granddaughter p 322. Who is "younger"? Not "youngest"?
OFF
John's London shop is left in the hands of his embezzling weak shadow of a cousin Alan.
OFF
Comic relief is silly old Schmidt. Yet he is physically brilliant defender and intellectually astute. (He disappoints by taking the handicapped queue p 119.)
Meanwhile, series heroine Vicky annoys. She sings off-key, grumbles for sustenance, ignores concern and warnings intended to prevent attacks or kidnappings. She blames and criticizes instead of planning and acting, to exonerate or rescue victim
ON OFF from kidnappers. Maybe her befuddled reactions waking up to trouble are realistic?
A trail of conspicuous clues pull a reader onward. Me at least. Despite erratic plot, harping backwards, quarrelsome camaraderie. Maybe (giving or needing?) more depth in minor characters.
(My favorite childhood museum galleries were dinosaurs and pyramids. Still fascinate. As pre-schooler, I happily spelled Tyrannosaurus and hieroglyphics.)
Repartée, violence and sex are understated. X-rated adult for some, and severed hands though after death. In a more poetic than exposing direction, Vicky in diaphanous nighty, wafts on "dragon-fly wings" p 108.
Peters' murder mysteries thrill. Even a nightmare-prone reader. Even late at night.
Sprinkles of humor tickle. Except where too much "American pop culture" needs explanation.
J: "Why isn't the damned taxi moving?"
V: "Maybe because you haven't told him where you want to go" p 164.
S:"Where's Johnny?" (as in TV late-night Carson) p 167.
Occasional untranslated German phrases might bother some. Refresher reminders for me. Skim.
**** My spoilers are marked. ****
**** Do NOT disappear spoiler marks. ****
**** Do not disappear spoilers****
#6 Vicky Bliss tells about an absurd abduction of King Tut's mummy from the desert gravesite.
OFF
Hungry Vicky's attitude "I'll pay him back" p 103 is critical, whining, complaining, "unfair and selfish" p 320. In England, Berlin and Cairo, plump Schmidt leads them to eat continually. My appetite grows too.
Egyptian officials responsible, cousins wealthy Ashraf and poorer Feisel with his mummy-expert mistress Saida, swell the entourage. This is fault common to books late in series. Thus, cast accumulates and disperses rather than shifts focus.
May be first time author connects to Amelia Peabody series, saying John is Peabody-Emerson "descended from younger granddaughter p 322. Who is "younger"? Not "youngest"?
OFF
John's London shop is left in the hands of his embezzling weak shadow of a cousin Alan.
OFF
Comic relief is silly old Schmidt. Yet he is physically brilliant defender and intellectually astute. (He disappoints by taking the handicapped queue p 119.)
Meanwhile, series heroine Vicky annoys. She sings off-key, grumbles for sustenance, ignores concern and warnings intended to prevent attacks or kidnappings. She blames and criticizes instead of planning and acting, to exonerate or rescue victim
ON OFF from kidnappers. Maybe her befuddled reactions waking up to trouble are realistic?
A trail of conspicuous clues pull a reader onward. Me at least. Despite erratic plot, harping backwards, quarrelsome camaraderie. Maybe (giving or needing?) more depth in minor characters.
(My favorite childhood museum galleries were dinosaurs and pyramids. Still fascinate. As pre-schooler, I happily spelled Tyrannosaurus and hieroglyphics.)
Repartée, violence and sex are understated. X-rated adult for some, and severed hands though after death. In a more poetic than exposing direction, Vicky in diaphanous nighty, wafts on "dragon-fly wings" p 108.
Peters' murder mysteries thrill. Even a nightmare-prone reader. Even late at night.
Sprinkles of humor tickle. Except where too much "American pop culture" needs explanation.
J: "Why isn't the damned taxi moving?"
V: "Maybe because you haven't told him where you want to go" p 164.
S:"Where's Johnny?" (as in TV late-night Carson) p 167.
Occasional untranslated German phrases might bother some. Refresher reminders for me. Skim.
**** My spoilers are marked. ****
**** Do NOT disappear spoiler marks. ****
September 5, 2010
This book is really difficult for me to review, for a couple of reasons. First off, there is the fact that, for me at least,even a mediocre Elizabeth Peters (or Barbara Michaels, her other nom de plume) is better than most of the rest. She really is that good, especially when she's writing about her beloved Egypt, where most of this novel is set. Secondly, although I know I didn't like this as much as the other Vicky Bliss novels,* I have a hard time putting my finger on why. It's been a long time since I read Street of the Five Moons or A Silhouette in Scarlet--heck, even the latest installment, Night Train to Memphis, came out 16 years ago and is hardly fresh in my mind. I just have this feeling that the banter between Vicki and John was more satisfying in the past. That said, The Laughter of Dead Kings is a fun adventure and a quick read, and I enjoyed spending time with Vicky and John again, even if it wasn't the same as before. I'd really give this one 3 1/2 stars.
The charm of the early John and Vicky novels was that they were on opposite sides of the law, yet had an undeniable chemistry and a rapport that can't be beat. Now that John Smythe has become "John Tregarth" (as Kim lets out a satisfied "Aha!"**), and settled down as a (mostly) reputable antiquities dealer, for me some of the magic is gone. However, despite retiring from his life of crime, when King Tut's mummy goes missing, John is the most obvious suspect, and he and Vicky travel to the Middle East to find the real culprit and recover the mummy. The mystery is solid, but not surprising, and suffers a bit from John's prolonged absence through the middle of the book (as, naturally, does the John/Vicky banter).
I did enjoy reading The Laughter of Dead Kings, and there were a few things in particular I really liked. First off, there was Schmidt. He has been around even longer than John, serving as comic relief since Borrower of the Night. But here he really comes into his own, starting out morose, and moving through cute and inconvenient to completely awesome at the end. I liked the other supporting characters as well, especially Saida and Feisal, and was amused by the portrayal of Ashraf Khifaya (an analog for Zahi Hawass, the real head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities). Peters also has a bit of fun with the fourth wall towards the end, which I won't spoil for you now, but which Amelia Peabody fans will appreciate.
Overall, The Laughter of Dead Kings was not my favorite Vicky book, but it's still a fun read. If you've enjoyed the Amelia Peabody series, but haven't tried Vicky Bliss yet, give her a try!
*I seem to recall not being crazy about Trojan Gold, either, and given the subject matter, you'd think I would. Then again, it has been a few years, and I might be forgetting.
**Read The Camelot Caper and you'll know what I mean.
The charm of the early John and Vicky novels was that they were on opposite sides of the law, yet had an undeniable chemistry and a rapport that can't be beat. Now that John Smythe has become "John Tregarth" (as Kim lets out a satisfied "Aha!"**), and settled down as a (mostly) reputable antiquities dealer, for me some of the magic is gone. However, despite retiring from his life of crime, when King Tut's mummy goes missing, John is the most obvious suspect, and he and Vicky travel to the Middle East to find the real culprit and recover the mummy. The mystery is solid, but not surprising, and suffers a bit from John's prolonged absence through the middle of the book (as, naturally, does the John/Vicky banter).
I did enjoy reading The Laughter of Dead Kings, and there were a few things in particular I really liked. First off, there was Schmidt. He has been around even longer than John, serving as comic relief since Borrower of the Night. But here he really comes into his own, starting out morose, and moving through cute and inconvenient to completely awesome at the end. I liked the other supporting characters as well, especially Saida and Feisal, and was amused by the portrayal of Ashraf Khifaya (an analog for Zahi Hawass, the real head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities). Peters also has a bit of fun with the fourth wall towards the end, which I won't spoil for you now, but which Amelia Peabody fans will appreciate.
Overall, The Laughter of Dead Kings was not my favorite Vicky book, but it's still a fun read. If you've enjoyed the Amelia Peabody series, but haven't tried Vicky Bliss yet, give her a try!
*I seem to recall not being crazy about Trojan Gold, either, and given the subject matter, you'd think I would. Then again, it has been a few years, and I might be forgetting.
**Read The Camelot Caper and you'll know what I mean.
December 3, 2009
A perfectly acceptable book, not great literature, but I was not expecting great literature. I do, however, have one complaint. The book opens with a forward from the author, noting that she has been writing about the character for about 40 years, and while the character does not age in real time, she is always set in the time in which the book was written. Which is to say that the heroine ranges in age from say 30 to 35, but the books written in the 70s are in the 70s and this book is written in the 200-whatever it was the year the book was written. Therefore, the author notes, the characters have all of the technology that we have nowadays, even though the character has not aged. "Deal with it and do not write me complaining letters," the author says. "In the world of my novel, I am God." (That is not actually an exact quote. It is a paraphrase.) Fine, fair enough, I say. But here is the thing: if the heroine is in her early 30s, she is probably not going to talk about the ways in which technology has changed life, with the cellphones and the internet, etc, in the way that someone older would. Sure, I remember life before cellphones. I was 25 when I first got one. But I accept them as far more normal than the character does. The author can keep her heroine ageless, even as history moves forward, but if she is going to write of a woman in her early 30s in the contemporary era, the woman's voice needs to be convincing.
Sorry, I am tired and not articulate, but I hope you get my drift....
Sorry, I am tired and not articulate, but I hope you get my drift....
March 4, 2010
It's a beautiful title. Too bad the rest of the book doesn't pan out.
Elizabeth Peters has written outstanding, gripping novels (her ouevre got me through the summer I was stuck at home recovering from jaw surgery), but this isn't one of them. You'd think the theft of Tuthankamen from his tomb should make a great story with hero detectives dogging violent tomb-robber masterminds. In fact, this story reads more as if it were really a criminal investigation, with lots of downtime, pointless interviews with shadowy middle-men, and no leads through most of the book. Except the detectives aren't professional investigators. Why the robbed Egyptians choose a former art thief (John), his museum girlfriend (Vicky), and her rotund boss to investigate the crime, instead of unleashing the forces of the world's criminal investigation bureaus, isn't clear, especially when agents from said bureaus keep turning up anyway. And why should we care what they find, when they don't seem to care at all? When Tut's dismembered hand is sent with a ransom note, Vicky points out that she'd much rather rescue a living person from danger than a corpse dead thousands of years. An investigator tracking the trio across continents confesses that she's only trying to catch John at his old tricks, and wouldn't mind at all if the mummy is ripped to pieces.
The best part of the book is the very first chapter, in which John pales at the sight of Vicky knitting a baby cap. That part, at least, is terror we can all understand.
Elizabeth Peters has written outstanding, gripping novels (her ouevre got me through the summer I was stuck at home recovering from jaw surgery), but this isn't one of them. You'd think the theft of Tuthankamen from his tomb should make a great story with hero detectives dogging violent tomb-robber masterminds. In fact, this story reads more as if it were really a criminal investigation, with lots of downtime, pointless interviews with shadowy middle-men, and no leads through most of the book. Except the detectives aren't professional investigators. Why the robbed Egyptians choose a former art thief (John), his museum girlfriend (Vicky), and her rotund boss to investigate the crime, instead of unleashing the forces of the world's criminal investigation bureaus, isn't clear, especially when agents from said bureaus keep turning up anyway. And why should we care what they find, when they don't seem to care at all? When Tut's dismembered hand is sent with a ransom note, Vicky points out that she'd much rather rescue a living person from danger than a corpse dead thousands of years. An investigator tracking the trio across continents confesses that she's only trying to catch John at his old tricks, and wouldn't mind at all if the mummy is ripped to pieces.
The best part of the book is the very first chapter, in which John pales at the sight of Vicky knitting a baby cap. That part, at least, is terror we can all understand.
September 10, 2017
I thought I had read this before--I've read so many Elizabeth Peters novels, I got it confused with another. This was definitely a first read.
First of all, it was an audiobook, and Barbara Rosenblat is a masterful vocal actress. I would listen to any book she performed. I will say that for this book, her performance was the main reason I stuck it out to the end.
Typical of the author (real name Barbara Mertz), the novel had energetic, quirky characters, lots of history providing exotic or dark and spooky settings, and plays on words to remind you we're just here to have fun. All the stuff I love in her books. The novel also had an intriguing premise--the theft of a famous mummy.
This was the last of the Vicky Bliss novels and all of the previous series characters were present, I think mainly by way of curtain call. The problem was that for a few of the minor ones, I didn't fully recall who they were. The author didn't help me place them in my memory ("It was our old friend so-in-so," with no indication of who so-in-so was). So, the ones I didn't remember just blurred together. The story didn't need them--they only confused scenes by being there. Another problem was that the book just seemed to go on and on, with the characters moving from one hotel room or house to the next where they'd eat, drink, and rehash how dire everything was, yet produce few clues or new information. The book desperately needed editing and tightening.
Still in all, I enjoyed most of it. And if you're a fan of Elizabeth Peters books, the last chapter was worth it.
First of all, it was an audiobook, and Barbara Rosenblat is a masterful vocal actress. I would listen to any book she performed. I will say that for this book, her performance was the main reason I stuck it out to the end.
Typical of the author (real name Barbara Mertz), the novel had energetic, quirky characters, lots of history providing exotic or dark and spooky settings, and plays on words to remind you we're just here to have fun. All the stuff I love in her books. The novel also had an intriguing premise--the theft of a famous mummy.
This was the last of the Vicky Bliss novels and all of the previous series characters were present, I think mainly by way of curtain call. The problem was that for a few of the minor ones, I didn't fully recall who they were. The author didn't help me place them in my memory ("It was our old friend so-in-so," with no indication of who so-in-so was). So, the ones I didn't remember just blurred together. The story didn't need them--they only confused scenes by being there. Another problem was that the book just seemed to go on and on, with the characters moving from one hotel room or house to the next where they'd eat, drink, and rehash how dire everything was, yet produce few clues or new information. The book desperately needed editing and tightening.
Still in all, I enjoyed most of it. And if you're a fan of Elizabeth Peters books, the last chapter was worth it.
June 3, 2021
I’ve never been anywhere near as fond of Elizabeth Peters’ Vicky Bliss mystery series as I am of her Amelia Peabody series. However, when this, the last in the Vicky Bliss series came out, I was quite eager to read it as there were supposedly links to the Amelia Peabody series, with an Egyptian thread in it. I reviewed the print version when it first came out at All About Romance and gave it a B-. I wrote:
“Laughter of Dead Kings is the long-awaited final episode in Elizabeth Peters’ Vicky Bliss series. While I found it to be an enjoyable read, my appreciation must be placed within the context of being a longtime fan of Ms. Peters’ Amelia Peabody series, as well as a more recent fan of this one…”
For more of my review go here: https://allaboutromance.com/book-revi...
I haven’t reread the book since, but decided to do a reread in audio when I noticed it was available. I would stick with the B- grade for the plot, so will give it four stars here. However, while I love the narrator’s work for the Amelia Peabody series, I found her rendering of Vicky annoying throughout a great deal of the story. I’ll stick with my B- grade overall, primarily for the story, but would give the narration at best a C, and perhaps lower. If you haven't finished the Vicky Bliss series, I'd definitely suggest reading this in print rather than audio.
Second reread finished on 06/03/21: I'll stick with my grade. I do love a lot of what happens in the last two chapters!
“Laughter of Dead Kings is the long-awaited final episode in Elizabeth Peters’ Vicky Bliss series. While I found it to be an enjoyable read, my appreciation must be placed within the context of being a longtime fan of Ms. Peters’ Amelia Peabody series, as well as a more recent fan of this one…”
For more of my review go here: https://allaboutromance.com/book-revi...
I haven’t reread the book since, but decided to do a reread in audio when I noticed it was available. I would stick with the B- grade for the plot, so will give it four stars here. However, while I love the narrator’s work for the Amelia Peabody series, I found her rendering of Vicky annoying throughout a great deal of the story. I’ll stick with my B- grade overall, primarily for the story, but would give the narration at best a C, and perhaps lower. If you haven't finished the Vicky Bliss series, I'd definitely suggest reading this in print rather than audio.
Second reread finished on 06/03/21: I'll stick with my grade. I do love a lot of what happens in the last two chapters!
January 29, 2009
I picked up this book because I am a great fan of Elizabeth Peters' novels about Amelia Peabody and thought this was another in the series … only I did not read the small print at the bottom, which says it is a Vicky Bliss novel of suspense. Vicky Bliss, it turns out in the last few pages of the book, is romantically involved with a dashing rogue who is a descendant of Amelia, and this apparently is one of a series that includes at least five prior novels about the same couple. This time they are involved in a madcap chase to find out who stole King Tutankhamon out of his tomb and is demanding $4,000,000 in ransom, before the public at large gets wind of it, while half of Cairo is chasing them, under the impression that the thief is no other than John Tregarth, Vicky's significant other (and who is no other than "Sir John Smythe," who used to do exactly this sort of thing before he repented and went straight, for the love of Vicky)-a thought which keeps crossing Vicky's mind as well. The humor here mostly has to do with the characters involved, especially Vicky's incredibly impossible boss, who turns out to have a secret past of his own. I found it a fun read, but I would have preferred the humor of another Amelia Peabody story.
March 24, 2011
Vicky Bliss, art historian and museum curator turned amateur detective, is back in the 6th and final adventure of this series. When her romantic interest, reformed art-thief and supposedly-respectable dealer John Tregarth is accused of stealing Tutankhamen's mummy, the crew gets pulled into finding the real perpetrators. But has John really reformed? Or will he leave Vicky in the lurch once again?
I like all of Elizabeth Peters' books (and love the Amelia Peabody books, which start with Crocodile on the Sandbank) and while not my favorite, I've enjoyed Vicky's adventures, which I've read out of order and over a course of several years. Which is to say, this is not a series that has to be read in order, but this is not the volume to start with. It's not as funny or clever as some of the others, and the mystery leaves a lot to be desired. What Peters is good at is creating funny and slightly snarky heroes who make gentle fun of the mystery/adventure/romance melodrama that they are in, while still totally clinging to those genres. At its best, this makes Peters' books fun and lighthearted reads, but when they fall flat it just gets tiresome. A decent book, nothing special. But this is an author whose other works are well worth investigating.
February 27, 2020
Yeah, okay, I can't make up my mind on this book. I hated it the first time. The second read I thought I was crazy to have hated it the first time. This read? I dunno.
I do still love the idea of Schimdt actually being the best swordsman in Europe, though something definitely felt off about this installment. It could have been the narration, which I normally love, but going right into it from the previous book it was super obvious how differently she was voicing some of the characters--Feisal, especially. And I had somehow totally forgotten that !
Anyway, I'm still not sure whether I really want to consider this as part of the original series or not. The first five I love so much, and this one just came along so much later! But I definitely don't think it's as terrible as I did at first.
Guess I'll just have to read it again someday and maybe I'll figure it out then!
I do still love the idea of Schimdt actually being the best swordsman in Europe, though something definitely felt off about this installment. It could have been the narration, which I normally love, but going right into it from the previous book it was super obvious how differently she was voicing some of the characters--Feisal, especially. And I had somehow totally forgotten that !
Anyway, I'm still not sure whether I really want to consider this as part of the original series or not. The first five I love so much, and this one just came along so much later! But I definitely don't think it's as terrible as I did at first.
Guess I'll just have to read it again someday and maybe I'll figure it out then!
December 5, 2020
The last of the series.
You grow even more fond of Schmitt, you wonder a bit about John's alliances as usual, Vicky is her usual fairly irascible self and we have friends and enemies showing up to create all sorts of help.
Spoiler alert. The author makes fun of herself and authors of her ilk again. It's quite entertaining though not a major plot point. I love writers who don't take themselves too seriously and I certainly appreciate them when one grows tired of being beaten over the head by selfimportant egos.
Vicky and gang gather together to get John out of a situation where it seems he has masterminded a crime that has his style oozing from its pores. (Hmmm that was an odd mixed metaphor...)
It's a good series wrap up and enjoyable read.
You grow even more fond of Schmitt, you wonder a bit about John's alliances as usual, Vicky is her usual fairly irascible self and we have friends and enemies showing up to create all sorts of help.
Spoiler alert. The author makes fun of herself and authors of her ilk again. It's quite entertaining though not a major plot point. I love writers who don't take themselves too seriously and I certainly appreciate them when one grows tired of being beaten over the head by selfimportant egos.
Vicky and gang gather together to get John out of a situation where it seems he has masterminded a crime that has his style oozing from its pores. (Hmmm that was an odd mixed metaphor...)
It's a good series wrap up and enjoyable read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2009
I've always loved the Vicky Bliss novels. Now I have no idea why. This one isn't well written and it lacks the sparkling banter of the others. Plus there's an egregious authorial self-insertion and overall it feels like something to make money. This series definitely ended at Night Train to Memphis for me. And probably at Trojan Gold.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2017
I think I would have liked this more if the story wasn't in a contemporary setting. A lot of the charm of the previous novels was missing.
August 11, 2020
Sadly disappointed. Just doesn't have the spark I expected. It's still good but just not the standard I expect.
May 4, 2021
The sixth adventure of Vicky Bliss takes place about a year after the previous one (Night Train to Memphis) and once again is set mostly in Egypt. Someone has stolen the mummy of Tutankhamen, and Vicky’s boyfriend, dodgy antique dealer John, is chief suspect. I personally enjoyed this one more than Night Train to Memphis, it is less sentimental and more humorous, and John’s tiresome mother only appears very briefly. I didn’t care much for the bit where the author inserts herself into the story, but it is quite short and we soon get back to the main plot again. Vicky’s boss Professor Schmidt is as amusing as ever, and displays some unexpected talents. It is all very entertaining.
January 24, 2020
It's been at least a decade since I cracked open an Elizabeth Peters book, so it's a tribute to her character-building that Vicky, John, and Schmitt were all still clear in my mind. I also really appreciated her clever linkage between this book and her Amelia Peabody series.
On the other hand, I did get a bit bored in places. That might just be me --- I don't read mysteries anymore, so the maze of characters thrown in as red herrings drags a bit.
Still, a fun read.
On the other hand, I did get a bit bored in places. That might just be me --- I don't read mysteries anymore, so the maze of characters thrown in as red herrings drags a bit.
Still, a fun read.
February 24, 2020
Reading this for the second time after reading the Amelia Peabody books was much better. I missed a lot the first time - where the diaries that the Amelia Peabody series is based on came from, Elizabeth Peters making a cameo appearance and other Peabody related references. I enjoyed seeing Feisal make another appearance and Schmidt was at his best in this book, his sword fight was excellent!
May 17, 2020
Entertaining. Perhaps what I loved most of all is Schmidt shows that he is competent and has a really big surprise for everyone which saves the day. I'm not sure if she meant this to be the last of the series--there are a few details that could have been wrapped up--but it ends in a place that will make readers of the series at least content.
February 2, 2024
Great conclusion to this wonderful, witty series.
December 10, 2017
Elizabeth Peters never disappoints! This was a satisfying read, with a good mystery and conclusion. The surprising little twist at the end was delightful and unexpected. Though not my favorite series from this author, it has given me more time with the writing of Ms. Peters.
July 6, 2021
She wrote herself into the book! A decades long meta joke in the making.
June 10, 2010
Vicky Bliss is back. The Laughter of Dead Kings is the sixth book in the Vicky Bliss series. Vicky and her beau John Tregarth find themselves swept back into another mystery involving the theft of Tutankhamon’s mummy. Their good friend Feisel, whom readers met in Night Train to Memphis (book 5), comes to John because he suspects that John had something to do with the theft or knows the persons that did. Feisel wants to keep the news of the missing mummy quiet and out of the public eye. He enlists the help of John and Vicky to help him find the mummy.
The first Vicky Bliss book was written in present day 1973. The laughter of Dead Kings is written in present day 2008. As you can see 35 years has past between these books and yet Vicky has aged only a few years. This is the problem with books spanning such a wide range of years. Not only does technology change, but attitudes and ideas do as well. Vicky in the first book came across as a modern woman who was a bit of a feminist. Now immerse that same woman in modern day 2008 and she comes across as a little old fashioned. Now, I am not necessarily saying this is a bad thing. It’s just that the speech and mannerisms of the characters are more suited for a book written 30 years ago than today.
After taking into consideration the change of decade, I felt like I was revisiting with old friends. It was nice to see the whole gang again, most notably John and Schmidt. The mystery was in typical Elizabeth Peter’s style. It wasn’t too terrible intricate, but it was enough to hold my attention. It seems to me this book was written for fans as closure to Vicky and John’s relationship and also to appease those fans who were clamoring for one more story. I think Peters accomplished those goals with mediocre aplomb. For those readers who haven’t read a Vicky Bliss mystery before, I don’t recommend starting with this one. Instead try Borrower of the Night, the first Vicky Bliss book.
The first Vicky Bliss book was written in present day 1973. The laughter of Dead Kings is written in present day 2008. As you can see 35 years has past between these books and yet Vicky has aged only a few years. This is the problem with books spanning such a wide range of years. Not only does technology change, but attitudes and ideas do as well. Vicky in the first book came across as a modern woman who was a bit of a feminist. Now immerse that same woman in modern day 2008 and she comes across as a little old fashioned. Now, I am not necessarily saying this is a bad thing. It’s just that the speech and mannerisms of the characters are more suited for a book written 30 years ago than today.
After taking into consideration the change of decade, I felt like I was revisiting with old friends. It was nice to see the whole gang again, most notably John and Schmidt. The mystery was in typical Elizabeth Peter’s style. It wasn’t too terrible intricate, but it was enough to hold my attention. It seems to me this book was written for fans as closure to Vicky and John’s relationship and also to appease those fans who were clamoring for one more story. I think Peters accomplished those goals with mediocre aplomb. For those readers who haven’t read a Vicky Bliss mystery before, I don’t recommend starting with this one. Instead try Borrower of the Night, the first Vicky Bliss book.
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