The Serpent on the Crown

In this seventeenth installment of the Amelia Peabody series, the Emerson family returns to the Valley of the Kings in 1922, their archaeological ban finally lifted. Their peaceful respite is shattered when a widowed author arrives with a small gold statuette of an unidentified Egyptian king, claiming it is cursed and responsible for her husband's death. She begs Amelia to return the ill-gotten relic to its tomb to stop further deaths.

Amelia and her family, including her irascible husband Radcliffe and their son Ramses, are drawn into a trail of treachery and superstition. As they investigate the statue's origins, they encounter an old nemesis with new designs, and the line between ancient curse and modern murder blurs. Peters blends the vibrant, sun-drenched setting of 1920s Egypt with a fast-paced mystery, maintaining the series' signature blend of archaeological detail, family warmth, and suspenseful danger.

Description adapted from Open Library ↗.