The Egyptian Antiquities Murder (High Society Lady Detective, #3) by Sara Rosett

The Egyptian Antiquities Murder (High Society Lady Detective, #3) Reviews

• 
  Anne

  It's a mystery with mummies! <--always a favorite of mine
  
  
  
  Sadly, it's not the sort of mystery where a mummy rises from the grave (or sarcophagus) and kills his victim. It's just a plain old killer with no supernatural powers and/or husk-like skin covered in bandages. Which is a damn shame.
  
  
  
  Still a good story, though. This is my first High Society Lady Detective Book but I don't think it will be my last. As far as cozy mysteries go, this one left a pretty good taste in my mouth.
  I liked the plucky heroine and 1920's setting. <-- might just be my favorite time period for these mysteries, in fact.
  I started on book #3, but it didn't impede my enjoyment at all. Definitely going to come back and read the first 2, though, because I'm interested on seeing how Olive got her start as a lady detective. I think this could be the start of a good comfort series for me.
  
  For a limited time this is part of Hoopla's
  COVID-19 free borrows.
• 
  LORI CASWELL

  Dollycas’s Thoughts
  
  The 3rd book in this series takes us to Mulvern House where Olive Belgrave meets with Lady Agnes about her uncle’s death. A death that has been ruled a suicide. Lady Agnes is sure her uncle would never take his own life. This is where I need to encase my heart in virtual steel to keep reading because as the mother of a suicide victim, families rarely think our loved ones would take their own lives. Knowing stories like this I know that Lord Mulvern death was not by his own hand, I can keep reading. Many think an old curse struck Lord Mulvern down but Olive starts to investigate and believes Lady Agnes is right, the old boy was murdered. Now Olive just needs to figure out whodunit and why.
  
  I loved the setting for this story. Lord Mulvern was an eminent Egyptologist with a vast collection and his niece shared his passion. There was a major renovation to the building, a grand gallery, in order to store and showcase the collection. Ms. Rosett vividly describes the places and several of the magnificent pieces. I was never really been interested in Egyptian antiquities or mummies and the like until my kids got me to watch The Mummy movies with Brendan Fraser a few years ago. It was fun to read about this collection.
  
  The author again introduces us to several new characters. Lady Agnes wants to keep her uncles vision alive, unlike the other heirs. Her brother Gilbert and his wife Nora care mainly about the money and themselves making them suspects on Olive’s list. The Lord’s valet/butler received a generous bequest and retired so he too lands on her list. There are several others interested in obtaining the collection and the digging location that comes with it. There is also a collection manager and a new butler. Olive must speak to them all. All these characters take center stage with Olive but Jasper and Essie do pop into the picture now and again.
  
  I knew from the start this would be a hard mystery for Olive to solve. So much time has passed, no real evidence was left behind. She found one piece of evidence and really ran with it and all the clues that subsequently followed. I enjoyed following along with Olive and her process. With all the twists I didn’t solve this one at all.
  
  Another Perfect Escape from Sara Rosett. An engaging protagonist and a great mystery. I anxiously await Olive’s next case.
• 
  Treece

  Rating: 4 stars
  
  
  Another neatly packaged ending with fascinating characters and an awesome historical setting, featuring our lady detective, Olive. A few returning characters from the previous books, with teasing revelations that some may be hiding a few secrets of their own. As a fan of Egyptian artifacts and having visited the British Museum, I got a kick out of learning more about how the British stole so many artifacts from Egypt and got away with it!
  
  This series is delightful and I can't wait to see what happens next.
• 
  Sandra

  And another one for the cosy mystery binge.
  I like this series and am looking forward to the next one in the series.
• 
  Jude: The Epic Reader

  Anything to do with Egyptian artifacts and mummies is always something interesting to read about. Though the Egyptian artifacts were interesting there was somethings about the actual murder that wasn't very intriguing.
• 
  Sharon Barrow Wilfong

  I am always on the hunt for a good mystery and previously undiscovered writers. This was on my hoopla so I checked it out.
  
  It had all the ingredients for a good mystery. The formula was your classic whodunnit. It might have been me. It might have been because I was listening to it rather than reading it, although the narrator did a good job. It might even have been the fact that I had been driving from Florida and was now crossing the top of Louisiana at midnight. I was a little tired, which was why I was listening to a mystery in the first place.
  
  It just didn't pull me in and that is all I have to say.
  
  At first I was going to leave it there, but I think it is only fair to try to be more specific, otherwise, why write a review at all?
  
  The thing that bored me was that there seemed to be a lot of meandering around. Situations that did not drive the plot forward. Dialogue that did not propel the story. Ultimately I felt there was too much waiting for something to happen.
• 
  Elizabeth

  This series continues to be right up my alley! I am loving it so much. This was my favorite so far. It’s good timing too because a member of Kate Howe’s Patreon group is an Egyptologist and gave us a lecture during Victober about the Victorian obsession with Egypt. This is set in the 1920s of course, but I felt like I had some background for the mystery that I wouldn’t otherwise have had.
  
  Olive continues her relationships from previous books with her Parkview cousins, Inspector Longly, Essie (her newspaper reporter friend), and Jasper. I love those continuing relationships. Jasper gives Olive a gift that comes into play at the climax in a funny way. There is also a potential new work alliance for Olive that comes about in this book. I am really hoping there is more of this new character in subsequent books.
  
  The mystery itself was interesting and clever. The reveal was more Poirot like, which I enjoyed. Lady Agnes was a favorite character as well. Very much recommend this!
• 
  Betty

  I know whenever, I start to read a Sara Rosett's book, I will enjoy it and the new series of High Society Ladies is an easy and enjoyable read. In the third episode, Olive Belgrave is hired by Lady Agnes Mulvern to prove her Uncle Lord Mulvern was murdered. The police feel it was an a death by suicide. When Olive expose family secrets, Ladys Agnes is not happy with her. Was Lord Mulvern killed by an Egyptian curse or a member of the family? Olive must find an answer before the curse claims her.I am looking forward to the next book. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND SERIES.
• 
  QNPoohBear

  It's October 1923 and Egyptomania is gripping the world. Since the recent discovery of King Tut's tomb, everyone wants a bit of Egypt in their lives. Lady Agnes Curtis lives in London among her uncle's beloved Egyptian collection. A scholar, Lord Mulvern lives to study the lives of the ancient Egyptians. When Lord Mulvern dies suddenly the police write it off as suicide. The papers blame an Egyptian curse but Lady Agnes doesn't believe either explanation. Enter Olive Belgrave, high society lady detective. Lady Agnes hires Olive to prove her uncle did not commit suicide. Olive points out disproving something is not the same as proving but Lady Agnes doesn't take no for an answer. How on earth is Olive going to figure this one out? A surprise delivery sends her investigation in a completely different direction. Can she catch the killer before the curse strikes again?
  
  This is such a fun, fluffy series. The author took a huge risk in writing a story about an Egyptologist in the 1920s but in the "story behind the story" note she acknowledged that the story was inspired by her love for the
  Amelia Peabody Omnibus mysteries. The two stories are not very similar and the characters in this novel are fiction, some based on real life figures. The plot moves along much more quickly than the previous books. I could not put it down and stayed up too late reading until my eyes couldn't stay open. I had to read during daylight hours and go to bed early to finish it. While the murderer is somewhat obvious because suspects are limited, I didn't guess which one actually did the deed. My only major complaints about the plot are that Jasper isn't in enough of the story and their relationship doesn't develop. Otherwise, I enjoyed this fun story.
  
  My suspect list was very short to begin with. I immediately suspected Wilfred Nunn, keeper of Lord Mulvern's private collection. He was too eager to want to unwrap the mummy. That led me to believe he was less interested in scholarship than riches. I also suspected Albert Rathburn, keeper of Egyptian and Assyrian antiquities at the British museum. This pompous old windbag enjoys retelling stories of his shady exploits in Egypt. He will stop at nothing to acquire items he wants for the museum. Will that include murder? No one likes this man and I was hoping he might end up murdered himself if he wasn't the murderer. His underhanded dealings with the Egyptians were sadly historically accurate. Mr. Rathburn is the only one to get up from the dinner table the night Lord Mulvern died so he seems a plausible suspect. My final initial suspect was Mr. Dennett who wishes to buy Lord Mulvern's collection and is continually rebuffed. Mr. Dennett is not a nice man. He gave me the creeps. He wants that collection badly enough to want to marry Agnes.
  
  Olive has a few other suspects in mind. Everyone thinks if Lord Mulvern was murdered it was obviously his butler, Mr. Hodges. Mr. Hodges seems like a nice man and he doesn't really have a good motive but he did serve in the war with Lord Mulvern so perhaps he has psychological trauma? I love his mother. Olive also thinks the butler, Boggs, is a little odd and she spies him somewhere he shouldn't be. Boggs is the only new servant in the house and he isn't the stern but warm Mr. Carson type. He went on my suspect list quickly. Then there's the family. The new Lord Mulvern, Gilbert, is an affable young man but he had money troubles. Gilbert makes it clear he doesn't really want Olive investigating. Lady Agnes seems to make it clear she'd do anything to protect her family so if he did do it, Olive will have a hard time proving it. What about Nora, Gilbert's bride? She was horrid in boarding school and she's still not very likable. She's selfish and shallow. All she cares about is money. She seems nervous and her friend claims Nora is scared, so I don't think she did it. A plot twist sent me in another direction and Olive, too. I worried Lady Agnes was the murderer. She certainly seems cold blooded enough to do it but did she have a motive? I really didn't want her to be the murderer. Even though she's no-nonsense, she loved her uncle dearly and is passionate about Egyptology. I like how she's an independent, strong woman in a time when society women were supposed to be more like Nora.
  
  Olive relies on the help of her friend Essie, a gossip columnist for a tabloid paper. At first I didn't like Essie but she's just trying to earn a living. It's extra difficult in a man's world when a lazy man who would rather make up stories than hunt them down is allowed to have the main features over a dedicated woman. Olive's friend Jasper arrives late in the story. He acts like a bored, lazy young man but there are hints he isn't what he seems. Come on Olive and figure it out already! They keep dancing around their feelings, not talking about it because that's what people of their class in their time did. She would be considered "beneath" him socially. For now, we must be content with him acting Watson to her Sherlock. The gift he gives Olive is really neat. I don't have use for one but I want one. The final major character in this novel is Lapis, the cat. She's haughty but seems to love the women of the family or condescend to let Agnes and Nora pet her anyway.
  
  I can't wait to read more about Olive's investigations and see if her romance with Jasper goes anywhere. I do like them as pals but if they feel more for each other, then I want them to say so!
• 
  Sarah Nealy

  I liked this one better than the last one! The whole Egyptian theme was really interesting and intriguing. This one felt more like a real mystery other than just a game to solve. I've really come to love Olive and Jasper, her Watson to her Sherlock! Looking forward to the next one in this fun series!
• 
  Linniegayl

  I'm continuing to enjoy this series, and look forward to the next.
• 
  Deborah Carr

  I loved Sara Rosett's first 2 books in the High Society Lady Detective series, but for me this one fell flat. The cast of characters and even the mystery was rather dull. I'll keep reading more in this series because I really love Olive and the mystery of Jasper and am loving him being Watson to her Sherlock.
• 
  Teri-K

  Initial review, while reading this book -
  Well, I really enjoyed the second book in the series, haven't read the first yet, and I'm going to DNF this one. I may come back to it, but right now I'm at 25% and I'm just not interested in it. I don't care about any of the people in this story, as they're still blanks, and the MC hasn't shown any personality either. Too bad.
  
  Second try, listening to audiobook -
  I made it through this one, finally. It felt like it took forever, though, and all of my feelings from the first attempt still held. The story is very slow to start, I never managed to care about the mystery, the two female MCs never managed to show any personality ... I was interested in Nora and Gilbert's marriage throughout, but found what was going on there a bit of a let down, too. All in all this was a real disappointment after the previous book.
  
  In the afterword the author mentions being a fan of the Amelia Peabody books by Elizabeth Peters. I am too, and I highly recommend that series. I can't yet recommend this one, unfortunately, though I will try at least one more book.
  
  
• 
  Hannah

  I always enjoy seeing more of Olive (and Jasper!), although personally I found this one somewhat slow going for the first half or so and overall it didn't quite live up to the promise that came with a title like "Egyptian Antiquities Murder."
  
  I admit that is probably (at least in part) an occupational hazard - the archaeologist in me couldn't help but want to see the actual Egyptian antiquities play a bigger role than they actually did. Even a good old "curse of the mummy" series of deaths to add intrigue would have been fun, but sadly there was barely anything of the sort. The Egyptology/mummies/antiquities provided a framework for certain things happening around Mulvern House, but I never got the feeling that it meshed with the murder mystery part of the story.
  
  In terms of the mystery, there was surprisingly little tension or stakes for a solid half of the book, perhaps because there was no actual dead body, no real urgency or drive for Olive to dig deeper aside from professional curiosity. It was basically a good deal of Olive spending day after day at Mulvern House, systematically speaking to everybody in the hopes that she'd stumble on something promising. Even the actual face off against the culprit was based more on theory and luck than actual evidence! The upside is that we do get to know the inhabitants of the house quite well because of all the dialogue with them and Olive even manages to (accidentally) untangle a few crossed wires in the household and leave behind quite a happy couple!
  
  The second half is better paced and is rather helped along, I think, by Jasper conveniently showing up again to play Watson to Olive's Sherlock. (I like that he refers to it once again, clearly not having forgotten that he'd made that offer in the previous book.) There are the beginnings of just the slightest hint of deeper feelings between Olive and Jasper, though neither of them are even close to addressing it. I look forward to this developing further in later books, but regardless of romance, I think Olive benefits from having a friend like Jasper around to act a sounding board and partner-in-crime - it's much more interesting that way. It was so much fun to see them work together to take down a criminal in public this time.
  
  The next book looks like it'll be a return to some familiar faces - Olive's cousin Gwen and Violet, for starters - which I'm looking forward to.
• 
  Jenna

  3.5 stars
  This one picks up where the previous book left off w/Olive beginning her newest case.
  I like that Olive has asthma as that was a relatable detail.
  Another interesting mystery. I too am a fan of reading stories featuring early Egyptology. (the writer mentions it in her afterward as to her inspiration for the story)
  
  It appears that Inspector Longley is interested in her cousin Gwen. (bummer)
  Now I wonder who will be the romantic interest for Olive. Jasper?
  Which brings me to a big question-just what's up w/him? (ie. he's very mysterious yet is always there to help her when needed)
  
  Ok, I hate to admit this b/c I'm still a tad lukewarm overall about this series, but it is very close to Agatha Christie in that it's a smart, observant, independent detective who slowly gains the respect of the police. The characters surrounding the protagonist think of her as being nosy. And it's the little details/clues w/several suspects/red herrings that lead to the resolution.
  
  I'd recommend this series to those who like historical cozy mystery series located in England & Agatha Christie fans.
  
  FYI: You don't necessarily have to read them in order.
• 
  Mac Daly

  This is another engaging mystery in a fun series. Olive Bellgrave's detective business is starting to take off, but she's still living month to month. When she's hired to investigate the "suicide" of a wealthy Egyptologist, it looks like an easy way to make the rent. Of course, she finds unexpected twists from a suspicious marriage to a questionable butler. Sara Rosett has once again delivered a fun escape.
• 
  Daphne

  This book was alright, a solid 3 stars for me. I think the mystery was interesting and pretty well done, but I feel like the author is not really doing enough with the setting to keep it intriguing. These books have been fun to listen to, but also a bit difficult as I keep losing my focus and losing track of what is happening. After three books, I'm still not all that invested in the main character or her relationships. With all that, I think I'm giving up on the rest of this series for now. They're decent books but I'm just not really captured by them as much as I had hoped.
• 
  Andrée-ann

  I had the pleasure of listening to the audio version.
  
  I was once more entertained with Sara Rosett's detective series. This third book was interesting and well organized. Olive is still as strong headed and determined to solve all the lose ends of the mystery. I can't really talk about this book without giving some detail away. So I would say, if you read the 2 first, the third one will be just as good!
• 
  Lori S.

  Written in homage to Elizabeth Peters and her Amelia Peabody mysteries, who's influence is clear throughout the text, this story finds Olive caught up in a mystery featuring mummies, curses, and a family in distress. She's still a work in progress, but Olive is coming along in her chosen profession and has even found an ally in an old friend who enjoys playing Watson to her Holmes, in a sweet way.
• 
  Denise

  Olive is back in London for her next case. Rumours swirl about an ancient curse having caused a hobby Egyptologist's death, and his niece wants Olive to put an end to them by proving the man was murdered. Soon she discovers all kinds of suspicious clues in the household, but as usual, there are too many rather than too few potential killers at hand.
  
  This series has yet to disappoint - Olive's jaunts have all proven highly entertaining so far, and I have no doubt they'll continue to do so.
• 
  Andrea

  This fun series is still going strong when Olive is invited to stay at a luxurious townhouse owned by Lady Agnes, whose Egyptologist uncle died under mysterious circumstances. Olive has to interview everyone in the house and figure out whether Uncle Lawrence's death was suicide or murder. This is just as entertaining as the other installments and I am thoroughly enjoying this series.
• 
  Melissa

  This was a fun cozy read! I really liked the Egyptian Antiquities angle which made for an interesting read. I am enjoying the the time period and setting , which makes this a must read cozy series for me. Can’t wait for the next book!
• 
  Anna Getz

  Thoroughly enjoyed the mystery. Well written.
• 
  Eileen Lynx

  Love the Egyptian focus.
• 
  Katie

  This is a fun, light-hearted series.
• 
  Tara Savanna

  Finally, Olive is starting to make a name for herself with her skills and discretion. She is tasked with finding out who killed Lady Agnes’ uncle and debunking the talk of it being an Egyptian curse…
  
  These books are so much fun! I loved learning more about the ‘20s, how they viewed Egypt, and things that were done at the time.
• 
  C.A.

  Olive has a new job, and it does not involve finding lost dogs! Contacted by Lady Agnes Mulvern to prove that her uncle did not commit suicide, she is invited to stay with the family in the luxurious townhouse, which feels more like a museum as it houses the late Lord Mulvern's extensive collection of Egyptian antiquities has taken over the space. Olive finds evidence that he was, in fact, murdered. However, before she can pursue that, a family secret and a second murder put her on the trail of a killer. Love that this mystery explores the very real fascination at the time with Egypt many English aristocrats indulged while not failing to highlight the sometimes deceitful ways they went about getting them. Fun and informative, my favorite kind of book!
• 
  Joelle

  Rosett manages to capture the essence of the 1920s in this one: the obsession with Egypt, the crumbling aristocracy, the changing role of women, the end of “service” and the servant class in England, the rise of gossip pages and the tabloid press...and the style, the style, the style. In this caper, Olive finds herself called upon to investigate the mysterious death of a Lord. Was it a “mummy’s curse” or something much more simple— and sinister? This one had me wondering until the very end.
• 
  Misty

  Third time's a charm!
  
  I'm enjoying the adventures of Olive Belgrave, High Society Lady Detective, immensely. Rosett's series is a delightful blend of Agatha Christie, Georgette Heyer, and a dash of Downton Abbey. I don't even like the cozy genre (to me, murder isn't typically a fun escape), but the gloss and glamour of elegant life in 1924 Britain has drawn me straight in. And this time, there's the mystique of ancient Egypt mixed in, so how can you not?
  
  Olive's third assignment, at the request of Lady Agnes, is to investigate the death of her uncle, Lord Mulvern, a famous Egytologist and successful excavator who has a collection of antiquities so impressive it won't all fit in the gallery; he has to store a mummy case in his bedroom, too. The late Mulvern's recent death was ruled a suicide, but Lady Agnes isn't having that. Gilbert, the new Lord Mulvern, and his snooty wife Nora were visibly strapped for cash, so they're on the suspect list; so is a garrulous and socially overbearing museum curator, Rathburn; and so is the late Mulvern's weedy assistant, Nunn--eliminated as a suspect when he turns up shoved under the wheels of a lorry.
  
  As usual, Olive's "investigations" are mostly a matter of luck in happening across a character acting suspiciously, but Rosett knows how the pieces of a cozy fit together, and she keeps the engine purring along. There are some lovely reappearances by characters from previous books--including Essie, lady reporter, Jasper, Olive's unflappably dapper childhood friend, and the adorable Inspector Longly--and enough detail about the period settings--clothes, interiors, vehicles, etc.--that I feel immersed in the world. Clever Olive is a step ahead of everyone, and the final "I've got you!" is satisfying and fun. A letter at the book's end draws Olive back to Parkview Manor, home of her cousins Gwen and Violet (from the first book), and we're on to
  Murder in Black Tie. I'm looking forward to it.