The late 1800s in the UK were a time of exploration, and Victoria Speedwell and her partner, Stoker, are definitely adventurers. And they don’t mind taking on a mystery and solving it.
When a former archaeology partner of Stoker’s disappears from an ancient dig site at the same time as the royal diadem of a recently discovered Egyptian princess, Stoker and Victoria are called on to help figure out what happened to both. Stoker’s former colleague is now married to Stoker’s ex-wife—the breakup was not an amicable one and played out in public—so an extra twist is added to the plot.
There are not a lot of surprises with all the standard stock plot points for a book of this genre set in this time period—a death during the dig, the rumors of a curse on any who disturb the princess, theft of an ancient treasure and an exhibition of the tomb and its riches in England.
Having read other titles by this author, I was looking forward to reading this one. I can’t say I enjoyed it…although it was similar in style to the wonderful Amelia Peabody stories, this was not done nearly as well. At times this narrator’s tone felt censorious and wore on me as a reader.
I’m unlikely to continue reading this series, although I am a fan of this historical period.
2.5 stars
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