By: Corinne

Corinne — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 21:10:51 +0000

Excellent! 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.

By: M. C. Carter "cartertoggle"

M. C. Carter "cartertoggle" — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:55:48 +0000

Wish I could figure out how to award 4 3/4 stars! 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.*****SPOILER*****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.

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

By: Corinne

By: M. C. Carter "cartertoggle"