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, written shortly before Peters's death, represents Peters's realization that her fans just like her works set in Egypt the best. ( )

listened to as audio book. hilarious. love the characters ( )

As always a great, fun read. ( )

The Vicky Bliss novels don't particularly appeal to me, but this one is a keeper because of its amusing connections to the Amelia Peabody books. ( )

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 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. ( )