The conclusion of the Parasol Protectorate series, and I like it as much as I like the rest - as a fun frothy thing that entertains while requiring very little effort on my part. As with the rest of the books in the series, I think the most entertaining part is the supporting cast. I'm frequently more interested in Biffy and Lyall and Ivy and the rest than I am in Alexia, and that's not because I dislike Alexia. It's because the supporting characters are allowed to have their own strengths and storylines, which unfortunately is not as common as it should be. Spreading the focus gives depth to the world-building - it's not just a heroine with a shifting array of backdrops. In this case, that backdrop really is shifted, as a lot of the action takes place in Egypt... Alexia's after mummies again, and I really do enjoy that such an old device has been given a new twist. I've never found mummies particularly interesting in fiction, but here they do genuinely interesting things, so that's nice. The less said about the amazing recovery after being shot twice and falling from a balloon the better, though.