The Game of Thirty, by William Kotzwinkle

A hard-boiled PI takes on a murder case the police haven't been able to resolve for the victim's daughter. Her dad was killed, and then eviscerated, in his living room. He was a dealer in ancient artifacts, as is his daughter, and was involved in some shady trades one of which involves child prostitution. However, the main story was a little too obvious to me. Still, very interesting. The game of thirty interests me. And the ending was rather fairy-tale happy, in a good way.

The Laughter of Dead Kings, by Elizabeth Peters

Oh how I adore Peters! In her latest, she returns to update the story of Vicki Bliss and "John Smith" and sends them to Egypt to rescue King Tut's mummy.

And of course the Peabody/Emerson crew is involved, peripherally; after all, we're talking about their stomping grounds. There is a surprise appearance from someone else...I'm not giving it away, though.

Lightweight fun, though I think if you don't know the characters already you're not going to get much out of this book. However, I will be listening to this one on CD to pick up the nuances and insider hints a second time through will bring.