This eighth in the Amelia Peabody series takes place in 1900. Amelia, Emerson, and their children Ramses and Nefret are in Egypt hunting for a queen's tomb. But they are not the only ones on the trail. Not one, but two sets of villains have plans for the Emersons.

When a mysterious stranger invades their hotel room and offers to give them directions to a tomb not yet discovered and then disappears, the Emerson are off to Thebes. There they discover a villain creating forgeries and his apprentice who is Abdullah's grandson David. They rescue David from the forger and Ramses becomes his blood brother. Emerson is less eager to trust the young boy.

Walter and Evelyn Emerson also join them in Egypt once the tomb has been discovered. Evelyn has been in a state of depression since the death of one of young children and Emerson is hoping that the work in Egypt will help her out of it. Evelyn and Walter are estranged when the story begins but through the story, she exposes depths of character that Amelia wasn't aware of when she takes part in Amelia's adventures.

With both Ramses and Nefret kidnapped in this adventure - though by two different sets of villains -- the action is fast-paced and furious in this story. The descriptions of the search for the lost tomb and the treasures they find within it was also engrossing.

This was another excellent entry into the series as Amelia's voice and viewpoint are always entertaining. ( )

2019 reread via Recorded Books audiobook narrated by Barbara Rosenblat ( )

Great fun as always. ( )

Synopsis: 'In Cairo, Amelia and Emerson are visited by a mysterious man who shows them a scarab ring and claims that it is the symbol of the High Priest of Queen Tetisheri, whom he has sworn to protect. He offers to lead them to her tomb, thereby passing his ""sacred duty"" onto Emerson. But after the man acts as if he's poisoned and then vanishes, the couple dismiss his words. They are soon reminded of his visit when a notorious antiquities dealer, whom they liken to a hippopotamus because of his girth, warns them to watch whom they trust. With their preteen son, Ramses, and their ward, Nefret, the family travels to western Thebes in search of Tetisheri's tomb. There, after a series of minor mishaps, Ramses is abducted, requiring Amelia and Emerson to begin what seems a nearly impossible task to get him back.'
Review: David Todros, Ramses's lifelong friend and partner in adventures enters the story. Evelyn and Walter Emerson come back to Egypt to rekindle their romance. This is a rather complicated story line that gets rather confusing, however, I wasn't surprised to see Bertha reappear. ( )

This is back to the standard formula - which is not a bad thing, if you enjoy these books like I am. David is a welcome addition, and I find myself much more interested in the relationships between the extended Emerson clan than the revolving door of mysterious people who are not who or what the initially seem. ( )