I would like to thank Tasha Alexander, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen a free audio galley in exchange for an honest review.

A pleasant, Agatha Christie-esque return to Lady Emily’s world! It was nice to see everyone again, except maybe Cat. I still rather resent her existence, and her attitude toward Emily doesn’t help my opinion of her. The boys were a huge source of hilarity without even being present, love them. The ending, in regards to them, was perfect.

I could have done without the B storyline in Ancient Egypt. It was anachronistic at times, partially in the terms and expressions used (someone was game to do something, for example) and partially because the plot was something commonly seen in psychological thrillers today, which made it feel much more modern than it should have. And other than providing irrelevant backstory for a tomb, the storyline didn’t serve much purpose. A great idea, but not well executed.

Bianca Amato was an excellent narrator!

I didn't realize this was book 16 of a series when I picked it up, this review will only be from the perspective of this particular installment. I didn't feel like I was missing anything going in blind, but I'm sure there were nuances I missed because I didn't know the history.

This had the flavor of The Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. It captured the early 1900s time period when Egyptian antiquities were high fashion with the English people. There were some cringy moments regarding plundering tombs and women's place in society. However, it was a perfectly acceptable who-dun-it with a satisfactory ending.

I listened to the audio version and I particularly enjoyed the hours I spent with the High Society British Accent in my ears.

I must admit, I was not familiar with Lady Emily and did not know this was part of a series, much less the 16th book in the series. I had no problem getting into the story and understanding the characters and their backstories. I will happily read other books in this series. I was drawn to this one because of the premise and the location. It seemed like an interesting mix to bring a group of friends to a Nile cruise and solve a murder mystery. All of the participants on board would have a reason to kill Lord Deeley and Lady Emily is brilliant as she peels back the layers. I was a little confused for a while as the what the other story involving the ushabtis had to do with this one, but as the story dug in deeper and the truth came to the surface, it all made sense. It was poetic and beautiful. I highly recommend this book for all lovers of historical mysteries. Every angle was well explored and explained; all in all, a brillant tale.

I received a complimentary audiobook copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given. The narrator, Bianca Amato captured personalities of a wide character list and made the story come to life in my mind.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this audiobook.

This was my first book by Tasha Alexander and my first introduction to Lady Emily. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting, characters and mystery, although I did guess the "killer" before it was revealed and to me, it was a little bit of a let down.. The narrator, Bianca Amato, was excellent. Her portrayal of the various character voices really helped the listener engage with and identify the numerous characters. I plan to read more of the Lady Emily mysteries and to find other books that Ms. Amato had narrated.

Secrets of the Nile by Tasha Alexander.
Narrator Bianca Amato
Loved it! I read most of the first ten books in this series then I kind of drifted off. Too many books in the TBR pile and sometimes something goes by the wayside.
I came back to this one due to the location. I know many people have mentioned this as an homage to Agatha Christie and it does that but there are also references to the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. Amelia is the woman archaeologist who Lady Emily meets on the same day she meets with Howard Carter. She is the one with the umbrella and the belt with numerous useful items attached. Also the reference to the Daily Yell and annoying reporters alludes to that series. Check it out if you like this book.
At first, I wasn’t sure I liked the second storyline set in ancient Egypt but it drew me in and I liked the way the two stories came together.
There was a Poirot style gathering of all the suspects. I did figure out whodunnit but not too early so that was okay.
As usual, narration by Bianca Amato was excellent.

Lady Emily and her husband, Colin, along with his mother, have journeyed to Egypt to meet Lord Bertram Deeley, a famous collector of antiquities. They embark on a journey up the Nile to Deeley’s home, but on their first night Deeley is poisoned to death with cyanide. Emily and Colin begin their investigation, who among Deeley’s guests had the motive to murder him? Unfortunately for the couple, there are plenty of people with reason to want their host dead; they just have to figure out who. An homage to Christie’s Death on the Nile, this is a delightful historical mystery

#SecretsOfTheNile #TashaAlexander #MacmillanAudio #BiancaAmato #MinotaurBooks #NetGalley

Lord Bertram Deeley gathers a group of his friends on a lavish cruise up the Nile. He treats them to an extravagant dinner with the best of everything. After offering a libation to the ancient Gods of Egypt, he keels over dead.

Lady Emily who was one of the guests, along with her husband and mother-in-law, investigates the circumstances of the case.

It soon becomes apparent that everyone had a motive to kill. The question is "Who did?"

Another murder that happened three thousand years ago is interwoven with the current murder in mysterious ways.

Will Lady Emily be able to separate the wheat from the chaff, the dross from the gold in time to prevent blame falling on innocent people?

The narrator very convincingly delivers the upper-class accents in this Christie-esque novel of red herrings and clues.

I enjoyed this ALC very much.