Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
HarperCollins
Description
Vicky Bliss, peerless art historian and sleuth, searches for solutions to more than one heinous offense in the ever-shifting sands of Egypt's mysterious Valley of the Kings. When her longtime significant other, John Tregarth, the suave and dangerously charming international art thief, is accused of taking a world-famous, one-of-a-kind historic relic, it is up to Bliss to clear his name.
User reviews
LibraryThing member bunnyjadwiga
I love Vicky Bliss, though this isn't the best of the series. John is not handled well, and Schmidt seems rather wooden in the first part of the book. On the other hand, who can resist Peters and her madcap desert races, people who seem to be something else and possibly are, and of course the
Show More
archaeology. Worth it just for the revelation about Schmidt near the end, the feeling of completion, and the unexpected guest appearance of the author... Show Less
LibraryThing member reannon
Elizabeth Peters is one of the pseudonyms of Barbara Mertz, whose other synonym is Barbara Michaels. Mertz has a PhD in Egyptology, which expliais her fascination with country in many of her books. As Michaels, she writes Gothics. As Elizabeth Peters, she writes 3 series and various stand alones,
Vicky has been involved with a reformed thief, now dealer in antiquities, John. The two of them, along with her wonderful boss Herr Schmidt, have had a variety of adventures. In this volume, the mummy of King Tut has been stolen and too many people think John must have done it. They are forced to find the mummy to clear his name. Vicky, John, and Schmidt are all terrific characters, and the plot is the usual Peters complexity with a strong sense of the ridiculous.
It's nice to have Vicky back! Recommended.
Show More
all of which have in common strong women characters and an equally strong sense of humor. Peters is most known for the Amelia Peabody series, about a family of British archaeologists working in Egypt in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The series is very popular and she has written volumes in that series almost to the exclusion of her other two series and stand alones. One of the other series is the Jacqueline Kirby series about a librarian who becomes a romance writer, and the other is the Vicky Bliss series about an art historian working in a museum in Munich, Germany. I'm quite fond of all three series, and have been missing Jacqueline (she gives us librarians a good name) and Vicky. Now, after a hiatus of several years, this book brings back Vicky Bliss.Vicky has been involved with a reformed thief, now dealer in antiquities, John. The two of them, along with her wonderful boss Herr Schmidt, have had a variety of adventures. In this volume, the mummy of King Tut has been stolen and too many people think John must have done it. They are forced to find the mummy to clear his name. Vicky, John, and Schmidt are all terrific characters, and the plot is the usual Peters complexity with a strong sense of the ridiculous.
It's nice to have Vicky back! Recommended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kpapenfus
Disappointing, to put it kindly. Vicky Bliss deserves better. The bright spots are Peter's dry humor, and a cameo appearance by the author herself. Overall, my impression is that over the course of an excellent career as an author, Peters has actually developed a novel-writing template in Word. In
Show More
order to release a new novel, her publisher enters the name of 3 characters we haven't seen before, hits the refresh button, and sends the results to the printer. In other words, Peters has gotten predicitble. If you need a Peters fix, I'd suggest going back to one of her earlier works. This novel will leave you unsatisfied. Show Less
LibraryThing member jugglingpaynes
This is the first book I've read in Elizabeth Peters' Vicky Bliss series, so I felt a bit like I was coming in at the middle of a conversation. Once I got into the story I enjoyed it immensely. I thoroughly recommend it to fans of Amelia Peabody. Ms. Peters has a wonderful sense of humor that never
Show More
fails to put a smile on my face and suspense that keeps me engaged and reluctant to put the book down. Show Less
LibraryThing member queenisis
This was one of those books where time stops for a little while and nothing in the world matters as much as King Tut's stolen mummy and the fact that John has been accused of stealing it! Peters' writing hasn't grown stale, and her characters are just as fresh and fun as ever. I really recommend
Show More
this sixth book in the Vicky Bliss series. For me, it was a keeper. Show Less
LibraryThing member nolak
Vicky Bliss is hauled off on another search for the missing sarcophogus of King Tut, who has been stolen from his tomb. The book brings the stories of Vicky Bliss and Amelia Peabody together at the end. A fine ending to a long series.
LibraryThing member readinggeek451
The new Vicky Bliss novel. It's been a long wait, but it's worth it.
King Tut's mummy has been stolen from his tomb. Vicky's lover "Sir John Smythe" is the obvious suspect, but he's reformed--hasn't he? Now Vicky and John must find the mummy and clear his name. Friends and adversaries old and new
This has everything one could want in an Elizabeth Peters novel, including some subtle in-jokes and a few surprising revelations.
King Tut's mummy has been stolen from his tomb. Vicky's lover "Sir John Smythe" is the obvious suspect, but he's reformed--hasn't he? Now Vicky and John must find the mummy and clear his name. Friends and adversaries old and new
Show More
help and impede their search. But which is which? And what is John hiding?This has everything one could want in an Elizabeth Peters novel, including some subtle in-jokes and a few surprising revelations.
Show Less
LibraryThing member alice443
A Vicky Bliss mystery. It took me a while to get into because I thought I was going to be reading an Amelia Peabody mystery. I had even more trouble because the Bliss mystery was so modernized it hardly felt like part of her series (maybe I missed some transition books that would have carried me
Show More
along). Nonetheless, the book has touches of Ms. Peters sense of humour so it was an enjoyable read. Show Less
LibraryThing member little_prof
While this may not be the most amazing book MPM has ever written I will always treasure it. It struck me as a thank you to her loyal fans (of which number I humbly count myself). The plot is so outrageous that I absolutely must applaud it. I could accept nothing less from dear Sir John, darling
Show More
Vickie, and adorable Schmidt. No less a personage than the boy pharaoh himself should intrude on the attentions of our worthy protagonists. Plus I just love reading about Herr Professor Doctor Schmidt playing with his cell phone. Show Less
LibraryThing member CeridwynR
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
Show More
for me. And probably at Trojan Gold. Show Less
LibraryThing member CeridwynR
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
Show More
for me. And probably at Trojan Gold. Show Less
LibraryThing member LesaHolstine
I can't believe I waited fourteen years to read this book. I normally like Peters, under this name and Barbara Michaels, but this book was disappointing. It desperately needed editing. It was too drawn out, and too boring.
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
I really enjoyed this installment in the Vicky Bliss series. From the author's introduction (where she explains away the inconsistencies of time with the "current now") to the concluding paragraphs where an explicit connection to the Amelia Peabody series is made and there is a shadowy appearance
Show More
by Ms. Peters herself. It is all lots of fun (and of course there is a very satisfying conclusion to the Vickie-John romance. The mystery is a good one and I enjoyed reuniting with such characters as Schmidt. Show Less
LibraryThing member ut.tecum.loquerer
Vicky, John, and Schmidt are all up to their usual tricks, but I didn't fall in love with this book the way I did Street of 5 Moons or Last Train to Memphis.
(**Spoiler Alert**)
I really hate when authors write themselves into their books, it comes off as so self-indulgent. This example was
(**Spoiler Alert**)
I really hate when authors write themselves into their books, it comes off as so self-indulgent. This example was
Show More
particularly pointless and galling. Show Less
LibraryThing member mirrani
The Laughter of Dead Kings was the first book I’ve read in the Vicky Bliss series and while I thought a few parts of it were rather predictable, I enjoyed the story very much.
Many books in a series such as this one have difficulty including the mention of previous novels, the retelling of each
Many books in a series such as this one have difficulty including the mention of previous novels, the retelling of each
Show More
incident becomes monotones or obnoxious to the point where you think, “Here we go again. Can we just get on with THIS story? That’s what I’m here for.” Such is not the case with this book. I understood that the characters had histories with each other, but the book stood well on its own and the mention of previous adventures had a very natural flow within the action of the “present time” so that I felt myself wanting to know more about the past without being taken fully out of the plot I was currently settled in to. In fact, the only thing that threw me was that everyone seemed to be constantly eating, which was more a point of amusement than anything else. Use these many meals as a way to keep track of the passage of time and you’ll get too caught up in counting and trying to keep track. Just go with it. In the end, that’s what makes a good adventure anyway; the ability to get caught up in the journey. Show Less
LibraryThing member dijan
Good, but I prefer Amelia's adventures
LibraryThing member riverwillow
I love the Amelia Peabody series so was delighted to find this book in my local library. This was a fun, fast read and contained many of Peters trademarks from the Peabody series, and not just through the Egyptian setting. I particularly liked how she linked the two series and, unlike some of the
Show More
other reviewers here, loved Peters larcenous cameo. I'll definitely be checking other books in the series out. Show Less
LibraryThing member Helenliz
June's reading group book. Not sure I'll bother again. Mildly entertaining - a museum type (it's never made exactly clear what she does) gets embroiled in the stealing of King Tut's mummy. Yup, it's that outlandish. She sort of solves it, assisted by an antiques dealer who used to the an antiques
Show More
thief, and who is suspected of having done the deed... Mildly diverting, but it all ends far too neatly, and the loose ends get shoved under the carpet. Show Less
LibraryThing member bunwat
I loved the earlier Vicky Bliss novels a lot. This one I liked, although mostly because I was happy to see all the characters again. Like a slightly dull weekend with some very dear friends. There was one chapter that had me laughing out loud, but for most of the way this just didn't sparkle for me
Still worth reading though, especially if you're fond of Schmidt and Vicky and John.
Show More
the way the earlier ones did. Another reader said all the elements are there but somehow they don't quite work, and I have to agree. Its good, but at its best the Bliss series had the effervescence and brightness of classic romantic comedies. This one doesn't. Quite. Still worth reading though, especially if you're fond of Schmidt and Vicky and John.
Show Less
LibraryThing member EmpressReece
Today is a sad day Im so bummed this was the last book in the series! Im going to miss John & Vicky & Schmidt! I felt like I knew them so well & If i didnt know better, the stories were real & they are too. Lol going to try the other Peters series & hope it compares to this one!
LibraryThing member lquilter
It was nice to see Schmidt in action as best swordsman in Europe, and I liked Feisal and several of the other new characters. But I was disappointed that Vicky herself drove so little of the action -- really, only one little bit, late in the book; otherwise, she took a back seat. John was absent
Show More
for much of the book, and their characteristic banter was also on mute much of the time they were together. So, really, the book was fan service -- and although I would have preferred another substantive entry, I'm a fan, so I appreciated the fan service. Show Less
LibraryThing member DrLed
Synopsis: 'Vicky and her longtime lover John Tregarth, formerly known as high-end thief Sir John Smythe, are dragged into the search for the stolen mummy by their Egyptian friend Feisal, who’s desperate to recover it. Well-known for his expertise in bold thefts, John is high on everyone’s list
Review: What fun! Adventures in the land of the pharaohs with this character are always fun. Glad to see Schmidt in the heat of the action. Really sorry that this is one of Elizabeth Peters's last books.
Show More
of suspects. Even Vicky and her wealthy, eccentric boss Schmidt can’t be certain he isn’t somehow involved. Their efforts to prove John innocent take them to London, Italy and eventually Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, as both thieves and law-enforcement agents eagerly trail them. When the tomb keeper, the only other person who knew about the theft, is found murdered, the sleuths are forced to take Feisal’s cousin Dr. Khifaya, secretary general in charge of antiquities, into their confidence. Soon a ransom note and one of Tut’s hands arrive for Khifaya, whose efforts to deal with the situation on his own are doomed to failure. As Vicky and Schmidt hatch scheme after scheme to recover the mummy, John calmly conducts his own investigation, often disappearing for long periods of time. Despite all the madcap misadventures, good eventually triumphs.'Review: What fun! Adventures in the land of the pharaohs with this character are always fun. Glad to see Schmidt in the heat of the action. Really sorry that this is one of Elizabeth Peters's last books.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Cynara
A sparkling addition (and finale?) to the Vicky Bliss series. It suffers only by comparison to the divine "Night Train to Memphis" and "Trojan Gold", the two previous books; I suppose the series couldn't maintain that emotional pitch indefinitely. Also, this book seems comparatively short, and
I was thrilled to be among Vicky, John, Schmidt (particularly Schmidt) and Feisal again; some other old friends make an appearance as well. As always, Schmidt gets all the best scenes.
Fans of the Amelia Peabody mysteries will be delighted by some references to the series, as well as the promised revelation of the connection between two of Peters' best-loved characters.
Bliss of the finest kind.
Show More
doesn't have as much time to develop the plot and involve the reader's sympathies.I was thrilled to be among Vicky, John, Schmidt (particularly Schmidt) and Feisal again; some other old friends make an appearance as well. As always, Schmidt gets all the best scenes.
Fans of the Amelia Peabody mysteries will be delighted by some references to the series, as well as the promised revelation of the connection between two of Peters' best-loved characters.
Bliss of the finest kind.
Show Less
LibraryThing member themulhern
There were tie-ins with the Amelia Peabody series that I did not recognize as they happened. The plot was incoherent as usual. Still fun, but mawkish. The substantive bits of Egyptology and archaeology that were thrown in were welcome. This book represents Peters's realization that her fans just
Show More
like her works set in Egypt the best. Show Less
Original publication date
2008-08-26
Local notes
Vicky Bliss, 6
DDC/MDS
| Fic Mystery PetersEz |