The Laughter of Dead Kings

Elizabeth Peters brought Vicky Bliss back after more than a decade for this sixth and final entry in the series, and she made the occasion count by staging one of art history's most audacious heists: someone steals Tutankhamun's mummy from the Egyptian Museum. Suspicion falls on Vicky's roguish partner John Smythe, and Vicky — accompanied by her wonderfully food-obsessed boss Dr. Schmidt — pursues the trail from Munich to London to Berlin to the Valley of the Kings. Peters, a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, delivers the witty banter and romantic tension the series built its reputation on, and the Egyptian backdrop gives the investigation genuine atmosphere. New readers will miss considerable backstory — this works best as a series conclusion. The plotting tips toward over-the-top, and a ransom-note memento adds a darker note than the series usually carries. For existing Vicky Bliss fans, it's a satisfying goodbye.