The Laughter of Dead Kings by Elizabeth Peters

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.

Peters's formula for writing both the Vicky Bliss and Amelia Peabody books is transparent after so many novels, so the twists and turns did not take me by surprise as much as they did when I first started reading both series. The book is fun and we get to find out what will happen between Vicky and John, which is, of course, the most important reason to read the book if you're a fan of this series.

A fitting end to the series. Unlike other reviewers, I didn't think the Vicky Bliss voice was in any way diminished. It felt very much in keeping with the others. The time jump wasn't my favorite, but only because it felt unnecessary. It didn't feel necessary to the plot for the characters to have cell phones. That said, Elizabeth Peters wrote the book she wanted to write so I applaud her for that. I think she wrapped things up nicely for the characters in the end. My biggest con for this book was that the plot dragged a bit. It felt like for most of the book the characters sat around and tried to decide what to do while eating room service. I wanted more action but that came in the end. Not sure I loved Peters tying it to the Amelia Peabody series but I think she must've got a kick out of it. I intend to read the “prequel” as I am curious.