Customer Reviews

Laughter of Dead Kings (Vicky Bliss, No. 6)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a VERY GOOD book in my opinion, which is what a book review, (again in my opinion) should be. Do I think it is Ms. Mertz-Michaels-Peters greatest book...no I would award that distinction to either Ammie Come Home (Michaels) or Devil May Care (Peters) The Love Talker (Peters) or maybe Summer of the Dragon or Legend in Green Velvet(also written as Peters). Ammie still scares me into sleeping with the lights on and these Peters books will always send me into spasms of laughter. But Laugher of Dead Kings is still a fitting contribution to and sadly probably the last of the Vicky Bliss series and does exactly what I had hoped it would do!

My advice to new readers of these books to not read this as a stand alone. To really appreciate this book, a reader needs to know the characters, both in the Bliss books and the Emerson-Peabody books.
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In my opinion John is behaving more and more like his ancestor Ramses Emerson as this book progresses. My one quibble is that I would have loved to have seen more made of the relationship reveal between the two series, although after having the honor of meeting Ms. Mertz-Michaels-Peters and talking to her briefly about this point, I'm not surprised at the way this scene was written. What I would most enjoy reading is another Amelia book that would introduce loyal readers to the ancestress of John, Ramses' (as yet unborn in the last Amelia book)youngest daughter and complete the arc between the series.

I am thrilled, and bored my family to death talking about, the hints that there might be additional Amelia books coming from the author with the 'large hat' and her ownership of the three family journals. And to complete this very long book review, I also recommend the Joan Hess book 'Mummy Dearest' as the hints and ties to the Amelia books were fun.

To warn you in advance of potential bias on my part, the Vicky Bliss series has been beloved to me for the better part of ten years, and I had long since given up on a new novel. So this was a treat. Taken as a stand-alone book, The Laughter of Dead Kings is probably not quite on the same level as some of its predecessors, but then I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who hasn't read the previous novels, or Night Train to Memphis at a bare minimum. (And in all fairness, that was a tough act to follow.) Peters doesn't spend an extensive amount of time reintroducing characters, locations, etc., and a newcomer would be quite lost. On the other hand, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who is familiar with Vicky and company-- but it's unlikely that they would need my urging. I can, however, assure them that it's entirely worth it.

This is an honest-to-goodness Vicky, complete with lighthearted first-person narration, improbable occurrences, charming anti-heroes, and a certain amount of blundering. Peters writes with her usual panache and manages to avoid the pitfall of some of her other works (particularly the later Amelia Peabodys) in keeping the story tidy and to the point. If anything, it leaves you wishing for just a little bit more... but of course that's a hallmark of the best.

All the characters are as charming and convincing as ever, despite the fact that they have been mercilessly dragged into the modern era of cell phones and instant messaging, and a few of Peters' very deliberately placed revelations had me grinning. Great stuff. Sadly, both the tone and the events strongly implied that she is wrapping up the series, but then, "one is all any of us can count on." And this "one more" was just about right.

When "Night Train to Memphis" was published in 1994, I eagerly awaited the next installment in the Vicky Bliss/John Smythe series. As year after year went by, I came to the sad conclusion that there would never be another novel.

You can imagine how delighted I was when I learned that there would be a new book in the series. I bought "Laughter of Dead Kings" the very day it came out. The sixth entry in this series was wonderful, albeit not as good as some of the other books in the series, particularly "Street of Five Moons" and the lovely "Trojan Gold." John and Vicky were wonderful, but Anton Z. Schmidt -- ah, the clever and debonair Schmidt -- was better than ever! I know John is supposed to be the love interest, but it's Schmidt who is my hero. I've fallen in love!

With so much suspense, cleverness, laughs, and twists and turns, "Laughter of Dead Kings" was definitely worth the wait!

The "Inspector of Antiquities for all Upper Egypt" Feisal arrives at the Munich National Museum to visits assistant curator American expatriate Vicky Bliss. She welcomes her friend who has come so far since THE NIGHT TRAIN TO MEMPHIS caper, but is shocked to see him so far from his beloved Egypt and coming to Germany without telling her. He asks to see her lover antiquities dealer John Tregarth.

Feisal informs John and Vicky that someone stole King Tut's mummy from the tomb in the Valley of Kings pyramid. Based on evidence, the Egyptian police believe strongly that notorious art thief Sir John Smythe is the thief. Stunned as Tregarth was once Smythe, but no longer steals anything; they begin investigating knowing they will risk Egypt to find the real culprit and return Tut to his resting place

After too long a wait, Elizabeth Peters fans will welcome the return of the statuesque amateur sleuth who along with her British lover and their Egyptian friend try to prove Sir Smythe is retired and someone else is imitating his M.O. The story line is fun to follow as the connection to Amelia Peabody is obvious with the tour of Egypt that follows in her historical footsteps, which in many ways dominates the plot over the investigation. Readers will enjoy the blissful return of Vicky and John as they struggle to stay alive and out of jail long enough to prove his innocence.

Harriet Klausner

It pains me to report that Laughter of Dead Kings was not good reading and I almost wish I had stopped at No. 5, Night Train to Memphis (which is, oh, so terribly delicious). I read the first five delightful Vicky Bliss novels and was surprised to find No 6 on the "new books" shelf at my library. The fact that there wasn't an extensive wait list at our library for a new Vicky Bliss book should have warned me off.

As opposed to the first 5 books (some of which I've read many times and have savored every absurd morsel, with relish) I had to force myself to finish Laughter of Dead Kings. I cringed as dialogue fell flat, was disappointed with the boring plots/subplots, and yearned for more of the wonderfully preposterous twists and turns usually associated with the series. The once-loveable character Schmidt became tedious as wealthy super-hero in the story (over and over again, he saved the day in a kind of a daddy warbucks role. Boring!) There was a remarkable paucity of the expected wacky suspense, silly humor, and sparkly romance in the book.

On a more positive note: the last chapter was ever-so-much more true to the spirit and spunk of the five previous novels and I enjoyed it very much (especially the reference to Amelia P. Emerson, which are also wonderfully fun cozy books to read). Let's face it, though, no review, good, or bad, will matter one bit to any true Vicky Bliss fan: Nothing could have stopped me from picking it up (with vigorous immediacy) the moment I saw it and it probably won't stop you.

Paragraph for paragraph, I find Elizabeth Peters to be one of the most entertaining authors out there. Her latest Vicky Bliss is no exception. Sure, the mystery is a little convoluted, but the interaction between the characters sparkles as always. This book wraps up a few things for Vicky and also for Peters' Amelia Peabody series, and Schmidt finally gets his turn to be the hero! If you love Vicky Bliss you'll enjoy this one too, and if you are new the series, go get yourself a copy of Borrower of the Night or Street of the Five Moons right away--you'll be hooked!

You have to understand that I LOVE the Vicky Bliss books - more so than any of Elizabeth Peter's other books. That is why this book was somewhat of a disappointment--the plot was not as exciting as her previous ones, and was even somewhat confusing. I was bored by what was going on halfway through. I would also have liked to have seen it set in another country, rather than Egypt, which was the setting for the previous VB. That being said, her characters helped to keep it going - especially John Smythe, who is a charming and surly as ever--although I wish she would have added a few new characters and not relied so heavily on the ones from "Night Train to Memphis." Overall, I give it a "B" - definitely the weakest book in the series, but still well worth a read.

I have to admit to being an avowed fan of Vicky Bliss ever since the first novel she appeared in, but I really, really loved it when she hooked up with her on again off again lover, Sir John Smythe, particularly Trojan Gold and Night Train to Memphis. So, I was really yearning for another in their continuing bumpy road to romance. And although this book had some good points, I was somewhat disappointed in that it seemed lacking in the snap and dash of the others in the series. I would've loved to heard more of her crossing swords with John's mother, but that was only just touched on, and the characters seemed to lack some of the panache of previous novels. A nice twist was the connection to the Emersons (even if it was just a tad bit contrived) and her beloved Herr Doctor Schmidt's surprising talent. I won't reveal the talent here, but suffice to say I sadly underestimated the old boy! All in all, it was an entertaining read, but not of a caliber of Night Train To Memphis, although in typical Peters fashion she did leave Vicky and John dangling at the end. One can only hope she brings them back with more of the sass and style of earlier efforts.

Contains spoilers...
What a disappointment. For lovers of Vicky Bliss novels, this one will strike a sour note. I think it has been so long since Ms. Peters has written about Vicky (concentrating on Emerson, Peabody, Ramses etc) she has forgotten what Vicky is like. What we loved about Vicky. John is no longer the mysterious, romantic figure who drops in and out of her life. He is living on the up and up, and to be honest, he is now boring as all get out! So is Vicky. There is no edge to this story, unlike the prior ones. They took place in Rome, Sweden, Germany, Egypt, with some of the hometown museum thrown in. This one is in Egypt too (Hello, did the author forget that is not Peabody she is writing about, but Vicky?) with way too much Egyptology thrown in. Save that for the Emerson tales, please.
King Tut's mummy is kidnappped, John is suspected. They meet up with old friends in Egypt to find the mummy and clear John. Schmidt tags along, but is really a shadow of the man he was before, because of the lack of interest in his character this time, with all the focus being on educating us on Egypt. Readers of the prior books will remember cute little Gerda, Vicky's secretary at the museum. Not only does Vicky never set foot in the museum this time around, Gerda is dismissed in one sentence early on, "Gerda, my former nemesis, had left to get married; I wondered if she was reading her new husband's mail the way she had pried into mine." Why, if it wasn't necessary to the story? Since they never went to the museum at all, why mention her at all? She will be missed, she made the museum dynamics fun! Oh, how about that ending? Don't read on if you want to leave it a surpise. Not enough to make me think of Emerson et al, guess what? John tells Vicky he is related to him! Yep, John is a decendant of Amelia and Emerson! Wow, they were in their very house, saw the famous parasol, knives and Ramses swords! Ick. Vicky has become the new Amelia, and I do not like it. Bring back the old Vicky, the dashing and mysterious John. Get rid of this namby pampy John who actually proposes to Vicky.

There were many things I liked about this book. I am happy Schmidt got to be a hero. I loved that Elizabeth Peters wrote herself into the book; and the connections with the Peabody/Emerson series were fun. But if this book was the first I had read in this series, I would be wondering what in the world Vicki saw in John. I thought he came across as petulant and unpleasant most of the time.

Never the less, a mediocre Elizabeth Peters book is better by far than the best by many less talented authors. I will still read anything she writes as soon as it is published.