Even as she grows older, Amelia Peabody Emerson is unstoppable. Being presented with a valuable statuette which supposedly curses whoever is in possession of it, causes Emerson to try to trace its origin and its legal owner. A number of people are vying to buy the statuette, including Cyrus. The previous owner is murdered and this gives Amelia and Emerson ample opportunity to exercise their detective skills, the former ultimately revealing the culprit and the latter the statuette's origin. ( )

I absolutely love this series. I'd been letting the latest books pile up in my TBR pile for a while--kind of like... er, well, actually, it's exactly like hoarding treasure. Now I only have one left to be caught up.

In this 17th book in the series, the Emerson clan is back in Egypt after WWI: Emerson, Amelia, Ramses, Nefret, and their twins: David John and Carla.

Shortly after their arrival, a famous author of sensational novels arrives with a gold statue. She begs Emerson to take the statue and protect her from the curse she claims killed her husband. She seems genuinely frightened, but they're suspicious that it might just be a publicity stunt. Regardless of the existence of a curse or actual danger to the woman, the statue is genuine, and for the Emersons, the questions of where the statue came from--a lost tomb?!--is far more compelling.

Things become complicated, of course, starting with the widow's stepchildren barging into the Emersons' home demanding the return of the statue at gunpoint. There are several sightings of a black-robed "demon," prompting one of Emerson's famous exorcisms; the appearance of Emerson's half-brother Sethos, always suspicious when there's treasure around; kidnapping, disappearances, and murder.

As usual, the family adventure is just as important as the mystery--watching Peabody and Emerson growing older and Ramses and Nefret with the twins is like visiting with old friends.

Also as usual, the characters are their distinct selves--Amelia's not-completely-reliable narrator is a delight, and the sections from Ramses's point of view demonstrates his character well. But because their characters are so vivid, you really have to like the characters to enjoy the books. ( )

Enjoying a busy period of excavation in 1921, the Emersons learn of a mysterious death that has been attributed to a curse, a situation that enables Amelia and her family to enter the banned Valley of the Kings in order to return a stolen statue. ( )

Amelia Peabody #17 ( )