Secrets of the Nile by Tasha Alexander

Secrets of the Nile
by Tasha Alexander

ISBN-13: 9781250819697
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Released: October 4th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Lord Bertram Deeley, a renowned amateur British collector of antiquities is entertaining his closest friends at a lavish cruise up the Nile to his home at Luxor when he suddenly collapses after offering a toast, a victim of the lethal poison cyanide. Who amongst this group of his nearest and dearest would want to kill their generous host: an archeologist whose dig Deeley was funding until he suddenly withdrew support? A powerful politician whose career was negatively impacted by Deeley? An aristocratic English spinster or her hired travelling companion? Or even the formidable Mrs. Hargreaves, Lady Emily’s mother-in-law, who may have spurned the advances of Lord Deeley when they were both younger? A key clue may lie with several ancient ushabtis, exquisite three-thousand-year-old sculptures that played a role in yet another murder in Ancient Egypt, a crime with a link to Lord Deeley’s death.


My Review:
Secrets of the Nile is a mystery set in 1904 in Egypt. There's also a secondary story going on in Ancient Egypt in the same area. This book is the 16th in a series. You can understand this book without reading the previous ones, and the story didn't spoil the mysteries or major events of the previous books.

The author alternated between the murder mystery and a story about a women who sculpted some of the amazing statues collected by the host of the party. The author wove setting and period details into the story. Emily asked questions, followed up on clues, and considered possible scenarios until she figured out what was going on. She was intelligent, likable, and reacted realistically to events. I started suspecting whodunit about halfway through as that person could have easily done everything. Further clues only confirmed my choice. So whodunit was guessable from the clues.

There were no sex scenes, though there was an attempted rape scene. There were a few uses of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.