The Deadliest Fever has an interesting premise and setting. However, it suffers from a surfeit of characters and first person observations which makes it difficult to follow or appreciate.

Miriam bat Isaac, alchemist and amateur sleuth, now tackles another case! Miriam discovers that the Torah mantle in Alexandria’s Great Synagogue has been vandalized. She takes the mantle to her crush, Judah, for repair. While he repairs it, Judah tells her that the gems in the mantle are authentic. Miriam is surprised because why would someone damage the mantle but not steal the gems. She becomes more suspicious and believes that there is more to the case. Miriam searches for the truth as to the real reason why the Torah was damaged.

Ever since reading The Deadliest Sport, I have been fascinated with Miriam and her mysteries. In this latest installment, Miriam is struggling with the guilt of sending her brother to his death. She spends the book trying to make up for her late brother. Miriam also tries to find a way to be with her love Judah, whom she cannot marry because he is of a lower-class. Thus, I saw a more vulnerable side to Miriam, who is usually very strong-willed and does not let anything get her down. I liked her more and saw a more mature figure.

Overall, this novel is about regrets, loss, and acceptance. The mystery was not very compelling and was a little unsatisfactory. However, I liked the supporting characters in the novel and Miriam’s inner struggle. The novel is very well-written and is very meticulously researched. It was as if ancient Alexandria had come alive. My favorite part of the The Deadliest Fever was the ending. It was happy and romantic, making me want more! While The Deadliest Fever seemed like a perfect ending, I hope that there will be more mysteries for I would love to see what is next in store for Miriam! I recommend this series for fans of The Ides of April, Domina, and I, Claudia.

Miriam bat Isaac is an amateur investigator who lives in the ancient city of Alexandria. When the the Torah mantle in The Great Synagogue has been damaged, she is asked to investigate. This book was filled with promise but unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it. The mystery seemed a little silly and Miriam was annoying. The characters I felt lacked depth and I didn’t really care about them. There were some beautiful evocative descriptions of Alexandria though which the historian in my enjoyed.

Miriam bat Isaac, an amateur investigator lives in Alexandria. She is asked for her help when the Torah mantle in Alexandria’s Great Synagogue has been damaged, and wonders if there is a connection to the theft of jewels on a newly arrived ship.
Unfortunately I didn't take to the characters, or the mystery. This is the first of the series that I have read but I felt that there was too much information relating to past events spoiling the stories of previous books.

Miriam Bat Isaac is a alchemist and sleuth in Alexandria. She investigates when the Great Synagogue Torah Mantle is damaged but why are the gem stones left behind. How is this connected with a ships captain who died on arrival from Ephesus. Is there a link? Can deadly rabies be involved. Can Miriam solve this mystery with the love of her life Judah? It’s good to see a women sleuth at the heart of this story with the great backdrop of Alexandria in its prime.
I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, it was a good mystery without being too heavy to weigh you down. Things are going wrong in the Temple but Miriam is on the case, and when things start to pile up she gets to the bottom of it. A good read.

I am always looking for new historical mysteries to read -- especially those with female protagonists -- so I was excited to give Trop's series a try. And while this is the fourth book in the series, I had no trouble following along. There are a lot of things I liked about the book. Miriam bat Isaac is a terrific character: noble, determined, and scarred by past loses. I also really liked the descriptions of first century Alexandria; the city came alive. I felt like the mystery itself, though, dragged a bit. The story could have used just a *bit* more excitement. Nonetheless, I recommend Trop's series to fans of historical mysteries. There is much here to enjoy.

A fast paced and entertaining historical mystery. I loved the historical settings and I was engripped by the plot that kept me guessing till the end.
There're some historical inaccuracies but they can be noted if you know the topic.
I will surely look for the other instalment in this series.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

I accepted an invitation to review The Deadliest Fever, the fourth in the Miriam Bat Isaac historical mystery series recently. The invitation was made by Destiny Brown, a tireless promoter of indie books on Goodreads. I read all of Destiny's promotional posts. I figure it was inevitable that one day my interests and hers would intersect. So I clicked on her link to Net Galley's page for The Deadliest Fever and downloaded a review copy from the indie publisher.

I purchased the first book in the Miriam Bat Isaac series, The Deadliest Lie some time ago because I'm interested in books taking place in ancient Alexandria, and historical fiction with Jewish protagonists. So I decided to read The Deadliest Lie first as background for The Deadliest Fever. I can't recommend that other readers do the same unless your main interest in historical mysteries is the historical aspect. There are mountainous info dumps in June Trop's first novel, and the mystery element isn't introduced into the plot until 31% in the Kindle edition. I am not the only one to complain about this issue on Goodreads. Only the most patient mystery reader should attempt to apply themselves to such a narrative.

I would also like to warn those who thought you might eventually want to tackle the gladiatorial book three in the series, The Deadliest Sport. You probably shouldn't read The Deadliest Fever beforehand. It contains major spoilers dealing with the The Deadliest Sport's resolution. Unless you are as tolerant of spoilers as I am, I would advise you to read book three first.

Regardless of when you decide to start The Deadliest Fever, you can expect mystery action beginning at the novel's opening. So the plot's pacing is vastly improved over book one.

I also complained in my Goodreads review of The Deadliest Lie that although it was realistic for Miriam Bat Isaac to behave like an immature teenager when she was seventeen, she wasn't the sort of protagonist that I prefer. I do read YA, but the YA novels I like best contain unusual central characters who don't behave like typical teenagers. So I was delighted to find that Miriam Bat Isaac is a thirty year old woman in The Deadliest Fever, and is therefore much more in line with my preferences.

I enjoy doing research about topics that interest me which are raised in the books that I read, I often bring up searches I conducted in my reviews. In this case, I want to discuss my research process.

In The Deadliest Fever, Miriam wants to discover who damaged the mantle which covered her synagogue's Torah. Mantles are made of cloth covered with embroidery. Sometimes they are encrusted with gems.

Since I have seen that not all Torahs are covered with mantles in a contemporary Jewish context, I did a search on the subject. I discovered that covering Torahs with mantles is an Ashkenazi practice. Ashkenazis are the descendants of Jews from Germany and Eastern Europe. I myself am of Ashkenazi descent, but there were no Ashkenazis in ancient times. The only Jews in ancient Alexandria would have been Mizrachis, Jews whose ancestors came from the Middle East. The current Mizrachi practice is to cover Torahs with silver cylinders which would keep them upright at all times.

There is a theological conflict of the Sephardis /Mizrachis vs. the Ashkenazis over whether Torahs should be upright or diagonal. Sephardis are the community descended from the Jewish refugees expelled from Spain. Many of them settled in the Middle East and adopted the Mizrachi outlook. If you want to learn more about the reasons behind this disagreement, see this Q & A on the Chabad website. Chabad is the largest Jewish outreach organization in the world. Their orientation is Haredi (ultra-Orthodox), but they engage in outreach to Jews of all backgrounds. After reading that Q & A , I came to the mistaken conclusion that June Trop had been inauthentic. I believed that the Torah in The Deadliest Fever should have been covered with a wooden or silver cylinder.

Then I gave some additional thought to the matter. The Rabbis cited in the Chabad Q & A had been medieval authorities. They weren't Talmudic Rabbis from the Roman period. That entire geographical disagreement hadn't existed in ancient times. I still needed to find out about ancient Torah covering practices. I found my answer in an article from the Jewish Virtual Library which revealed that "important" Torahs in the ancient Middle East were covered in cloth. The Torah in the Great Synagogue of Alexandria would have been regarded as important. So June Trop had been accurate in her portrayal of that Torah after all.

I included my entire process because I wanted to remind people that asking the right question is the foundation of good research. This is especially important in evaluating an author's accuracy.

The Deadliest Fever has the same great historical background that I found in the first book, but it's used more judiciously. Plot is prioritized and the maturation of Miriam Bat Isaac has made her a much more viable protagonist. I expect to go back and read the second book in the series, The Deadliest Hate, eventually. June Trop has successfully reversed the negative first impression I had after reading her first novel.