Tomb of the Golden Bird is the 18th (in order of writing) in a series of historical mystery novels, written by Elizabeth Peters and first published in 2006.
The story is set in the 1922–1923 archeological dig season in Egypt, and is the final novel in the internal chronological scheme of the series.
The title comes from the nickname given the tomb of Tutankhamon by Egyptian workers, who were fascinated by Howard Carter's pet canary, and certain that the golden bird would bring a lucky season.
Carter works for Lord Carnarvon; they will look for a royal tomb this season in the Valley of the Kings, the east section.
Ramses' wife Nefret and their 5-year-old twins David John and Charla return from a visit to Selim, Emerson's reis (foreman).
Friend Cyrus Vandergelt, his adopted son Bertie and Jumana are working with the Emersons in the west side of the Valley of the Kings.
They notice they are being watched in Luxor, as their hotel rooms were searched in Cairo, strangers approach little Charla.
Sethos has been on the run, having seized a coded message in this time of unrest in post-war Syria, Iraq and Egypt.
Carter covers up what he found, and stops work to wire Lord Carnarvon to arrive from England, to see the next sight with him.
The high and intense excitement of finding the only tomb with nearly all the funeral goods of Egyptian pharaohs infects all.
Other tombs had been raided in ancient times, long before modern archaeologists, with people finding immediate use for the goods meant to serve the pharaohs in the afterlife.
A daylight peek of the goods by Carter attracts thieves, collectors, reporters, and Emerson, Amelia, Ramses and Sethos, then Jumana and Bertie.
David sought Bashir of the nationalist group in the Great War (He Shall Thunder in the Sky), still wanting a change in government, saying it would be a "bloodless coup".
Then David learns this radical group is watching Ramses and the family, and had written the coded message taken by Sethos.
At the same time, Sethos confesses to seizing his wife on Christmas Eve, and explains his recent work, trying to find the leaders of a planned coup.
After Christmas, when Ramses and Nefret are in Cairo, Amelia has a popular romantic novel in the house; that is the right book.
Kirkus Reviews finds the interplay between the fictional and the real characters (real people in history, like Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon) the most interesting aspect of this historical novel: “The political machinations are less interesting than the competition between the archaeologists and the Emerson family.”[1] The author “has great fun dressing her characters up in Victorian finery and outpost-of-the-empire attitudes.” which determines the writing style.
“Once again Peters delivers an irresistible mix of archeology, action, humor and a mystery that only the redoubtable Amelia can solve.”[2] Audio File Magazine noted that in this novel “an aural bazaar of characters is in play as a somewhat peevish Howard Carter makes the find of the century, the unplundered tomb of King Tutankhamen, while the Emerson-Peabody clan watches in envy from the sidelines.”[3] They compliment the narrator of the audio book Barbara Rosenblat, who “seems to gain panache with each outing” in this series, for her “talent for drama and dazzling gift for accents.”[3] The 1922 discovery of King Tut’s tomb was a major finding and an event that affected Egypt’s politics as well as knowledge of its long history.
One researcher believes this is true, but there is no support in Egypt for breaking through a wall in Tut’s tomb to test the theory.