Veronica and Stoker are back! The Tiverton Egyptian Expedition digs up a cache of Eighteenth Dynasty goods including a sarcophagus. A series of misfortunes make the public assume the Expedition is cursed. When a former friend of Stoker disappears along with the diadem, or jeweled crown, of the dead Egyptian princess, Stoker and Veronica investigate. The friend’s wife tells investigators that the night her husband vanished, his hotel room vanished too. There are mysterious sightings of Anubis in both Egypt and England.
This is the third book in the series. While I enjoyed the first, this one was rather slow moving. Despite the disappearance and theft being set in Egypt, the pair never leave England during their investigations. There are endless interviews with the parties involved in the Expedition. There is a lot of talk about the two previous books’ plots. Basically, there was much too much telling rather than showing in the plot. I was expecting more Evil Under the Sun but received more The Curse of King Tut’s Mummy. I wanted more mystery, adventure, and romantic involvement between the characters. For someone with such free sexual morals, Veronica is not moving very fast with Stoker. There is a bit more of Stoker’s backstory. I recommend the first book, A Curious Beginning with 4 stars but this one only gets 3 stars from me.
Thanks to the publisher, Berkley, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.