This one is tough to rate. The Stolen Queen was slow to start, but once I got to know the characters and their individual storylines, I was hooked. The settings were immersive. I found myself walking through the Met and digging in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. I learned a bit about mummies, canopic boxes, and antiquities. I was truly loving the story, but the last 40 pages? Girl. The ending was actually SO ridiculous. Coincidence after coincidence after coincidence. #gottoosilly Sadly, things took a hard turn to unbelievable land. I was engaged the whole way through only to end up feeling disappointed.

I'm a big fan of Fiona Davis's novels. When I heard her newest was set in Cairo and New York City, featured art, The Met, and Diana Vreeland, I was super excited. The Stolen Queen features two narrators and two timelines. Charlotte appears in Egypt in 1936 as an anthropology student and in New York City as a curator at the Met. Also in 1978 is Annie, a dynamic young woman with big dreams who loves the Met, where her father frequently brought her when she was a child. There's a lot of good in this novel: the settings, the characters, the museum, the history. While I liked a lot of this novel, the 1970s Charlotte was so hard to connect with because she withholds so much from the reader (and is somewhat baffling in general.) It's wasn't my favorite Fiona Davis novel, but there was still a lot to enjoy.

The Stolen Queen is such a gem of a story. Bouncing between time periods, we explore a forgotten-to-time female Pharaoh while exploring deeply engrossing female characters. Equal parts 70's retro fun meets 20's Indiana Jones, The Stolen Queen is an engrossing tale you won't want to put down!

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis is good historical fiction that includes Egyptian mummies and The Met in a dual timeline format. Charlotte Cross, an associate curator at the Met with a secretive past, meets Annie Jenkins, an assistant hired to help with the Met Gala, when their paths cross over an Egyptian piece that they both admire greatly.
I recommend The Stolen Queen to readers who like Egyptian history and fashion and have enjoyed other books by the author. This is the first book by Davis that I have read, and I look forward to reading more in the future. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

It had been a while since l've read a book from this genre. This book did not disappoint. It's a thrilling adventure connecting the world of fashion with history. If you love Egyptian history and fashion as much as I do, don't miss out on this exciting read.

Was super excited for this read, and I did enjoy this book. It was a coming of age story where its strong suit were its characters. I found myself engaged and invested in the characters and that allow the story to flow for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In 1930s Egypt, Charlotte makes a big archaeological study, but life takes a tragic turn that sends her back to the US. Later in NYC in the 1970s, Charlotte is a curator at the Met, where one of the Egyptian artifacts disappears at a gala, and Annie, a young assistant to the gala organizer, might be one of the only people able and willing to help her find and recover it by traveling back to Egypt. I typically enjoy Fiona Davis’s historical fiction, and the same holds true here in the interwoven stories of these women. I appreciated the two views of Charlotte we get--one as the young archaeologist in a man's world, determined to play her part, and later as the museum curator who is out of the field and whose life experience has changed her.

Davis excels at creating rich settings and layered characters. Charlotte’s grief and guilt are haunting, while Annie’s wide-eyed tenacity brings warmth and energy to the narrative. Their partnership, though unlikely, evolves into a powerful depiction of intergenerational strength and trust. The backdrop of the Met Gala adds a dazzling edge, and the mystery surrounding the artifact (and its connection to the little-known female pharaoh is both suspenseful and thought-provoking.

The historical flashbacks to 1936 offer a satisfying depth, particularly for readers who love archaeological fiction. While the pace slows slightly in the middle, it picks up steam as the mystery intensifies, building to a satisfying, danger-laced finale back in the Valley of the Kings.

I love that Fiona Davis always brings me a bit of history that I did not know about! I loved the premise of the book and, of course, the MET as a setting was sublime. I think it took a while for the story to actually come together and I expected a bit more about Egyptian history and art. The ending with Annie and Charlotte in Egypt seemed a little like far-fetched and ridiculous, but that's just me. A fun story and I learned something!

What a great read! All the elements readers have come to love in Fiona Davis's books are entombed in "The Stolen Queen". The story alternates between Egypt in the 1930s and New York in the late 1970s. It also centers on two female protagonists, one who has achieved professional status and one who longs to find her place in the world and a professional path to follow. Their lives are accidentally entwined to solve several mysteries, at least one of which is deeply personal and stands in the way of happiness. Mystery, drama, humor, and lots of emotion. I only wish Ms. Davis had taken longer to wrap up the story (no mummy jokes intended, I think). Conclusions should take more time to unravel, making a story's end much sweeter.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. The Stolen Queen tells the story of Charlotte Cross, an egyptiologist from the Met Gallery, from her first dig in Egypt to the night of the Met Gala, when a broad collar goes missing.. The broad collar isn't the only thing to go missing. Charlotte was also researching Hathokare, an Egyptian noble that was written out of history.. Fiona Davis's novels always feel a bit like time travel with two different characters, but this time it was the same person and still felt like two distinct stories.

This was a very cozy mystery, with a fun Egyptology angle, it was a beautiful blend of fact and fiction! It's dual time and POVs, set in 1930s Egypt and 1970s New York City, I loved the atmosphere of both times, I was so immersed in both settings and Charlotte and Annie's stories! In the 30s, Charlotte is a young anthropologist trying to prove herself in a field that does not welcome women, she falls in love and perhaps sets off an ancient curse? Flash forward, Charlotte is now the associated curator of the Department of Egyptian Artifacts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and still trying to prove herself and her theories. Annie is thrilled to land her dream job working for an ex-Vogue fashion designer, as her personal assistant to help with the Met Gala, however, things don't go to plan and now both women are caught in up in the chaos of a very important artifact going missing. They have to work together to find it and prove their innocence. I loved their bond and the journey they go on, both physically and emotionally! It also asks some very thought-provoking questions about who these artifacts belong to and what is our collective responsibility to preserve history. As someone who loves art and history and really enjoys museums, I have really struggled with these questions myself so it was nice to explore them through this book!

There's something about museums that always makes me feel right at home, so I was instantly drawn to this captivating novel. The atmospheric storytelling created such a cozy reading experience despite spanning across continents. This book was a fantastic journey weaving between past and present, from the bustling streets of New York City to the ancient wonders of Cairo.

I was completely invested as Charlotte Cross (an archaeologist) and Annie Jenkins (a museum assistant) teamed up to locate a missing artifact and unravel an ancient mystery. Their partnership brought both expertise and fresh perspective to the investigation, making their discoveries all the more satisfying. The author's attention to historical detail and museum protocols added an authentic layer that museum enthusiasts will particularly appreciate.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love Fiona Davis and this newest book did not disappoint!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is a historical masterpiece that every historical fiction fan will love and enjoy.

This book wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was still a fun read. I was invested in the stories of Charlotte, a former-archaeologist and current museum curator at the Met Museum, and Annie, a young woman who recently became an assistant for the Met Gala. Their lives become entangled when a stolen artifact shows up at the Met, and a different artifact is stolen from the Met.

Based on the description I had thought there would be some supernatural aspects, such as the supposed curse of Hathorkare, but this wasn’t really the case. Everything that happens was caused by real, living people. It was still intriguing, though, and I enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on, who the thieves were, and how Charlotte’s past tied in with her present.

The ending seemed a bit abrupt, and the answers came a bit too easily in regards to Charlotte’s past and her family, but the journey to get there was fun. I also enjoyed the topic of repatriation, and the question of when it’s acceptable or not.

Overall I’d give this book 3.75 stars.

Charlotte Cross works diligently as an associate curator at the Met. Tragedy stains her past, but she keeps it quietly behind as she works a beloved job, enjoys a slightly dull, but steady romance and lives her live.
Annie, only 18, is just starting out, with a much more tumultuous life, has been relied on heavily by her mother for financial and emotional support has achieved a opportunity to work as assistant to the organizer of the Met Gala,
And somehow these two very different women's live collide on one disastrous night when a valuable artifact goes missing on the night of the Met Gala.
Spurred into action Charlotte returned to Egypt, a place she once was happiest and lost the most, to find the stolen queen and to find answers. Accompanied by Annie, desperate to clear her name for the part she unwittingly played in the theft, the two explore Egypt together.
As always with Davis, this was a wonderfully researched and delightfully told story, crossing timelines and in this case, continents. I loved Charlotte and Annie's burgeoning friendship, despite always being so worried about for Annie! She seemed a bit naïve for all that she had been through in her life so far, and I just wanted good things for her (yes I got attached!)
Despite the ending feeling a bit rushed, I felt satisfied that it was all tied up nicely.

Thank you to NetGalley for an E-Arc in return for my honest review.

This book was a fantastic journey between past and present, New York City and Cairo. Charlotte Cross (an archeologist) and Annie Jenkins (a museum assistant) team up to find a missing artifact and solve an ancient mystery. 4.5 Stars!!

Wow! This book has everything. I’m not usually a historical fiction fan but this kept my attention the entire time. As a big fan of Egyptian history, I loved going to Egypt with the characters and learning about the digs that happened years ago.

1936; Charlotte Cross is a student in New York City, who gets an offer of a much desired spot on an archeological digging site in Egypt's ancient Valley of The Kings. She accepts the offer, and during the time at the valley, she stumbles on an ancient found. And she gets in a relationship with Henry, and they get a daughter, Layla. But later on, tragedy strikes when World War Two is on the brink of breaking out, and Charlotte, Henry and their baby Layla have to flee back to New York by a ship, a ship that lands in terrible weather and that slays Henry and Layla overboard..
Heartbroken Charlotte's live is never the same, and back in New York she is hospitalized in a psychatric hospital after her tloss and trauma, but she starts a new life and gets a job as an associate curator at New York's Metropoltan Museum of Art department of Egyptian Art, where she does research on Hathorkare; a female pharaoh overseen by most other Egyptologists as unimportant which she certainly wasn't.

New York 1978; Annie Jenkins gets to work for the former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who is in the middle of organzing the prestigious and famous Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art.

The evening of the Gala, everything goes wrong; Annie is asked to pick up a box at the Museum of Natural History, presuming that the box contains life butterflies, as Diana really wanted butterflies at the gala. But instead, the box contains moths, which is devastating as the box opens and the costume and fashion exhibition, is swarmed by moths at the gala evening, and Annie gets the blame. To make matters worse, on the same evening in the midst of all the moths swarming around, the light falls out and One of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts , and ancient Egyptian Queen statue goes missing. Annie and Charlotte spot a man with an ankh necklace, who violently threatens them and then runs away. Charlotte discovers asuspicious lead to who might be behind this incident and wants to travel to Egypt, where the lead links to, also to find out if Henry and Layla are still alive, as their case never was really closed Still a suspect, Annie joins Charlotte on her travel to Egypt, and a journey full of danger begins..

Fiona Davis has written a new masterpiece again! Just like all her other books, The Stolen Queen takes places in a sigificant and famous New York City landmark building, this time the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And just like all her other books, the storyline and characters are both magnificent. The drama in the story builds up slowly, and at first I thought this book probably was one with less drama and mystery then the previous books of Fiona Davis. But the storyline really takes off after the incidents during the Met Gala. I truly didn't see this coming and this surprise effect was truly good! The book travels back and forth during past, during Charlotte's time in Cairo in the 1930's to the present, where we meet Annie and Annie meets Charlotte. This really worked for the story, and I though that the story got better and better and more thrilling, especially in the final parts there where some major plot twists that where truly had a wow-effect. And the ending, it truly is good!

Overall, this is another fabulous book in the already long line of fabulous line of books by Fiona Davis. I absolutely enjoyed reading it and found it highly entertaining and thrilling, and I recommend it!!

Fiona Davis is back! As a longtime fan of Davis, I have a certain expectation. *The Stolen Queen* by Fiona Davis is a slick, glamorous dive into historical intrigue, but it doesn’t always stick the landing. The dual timelines are compelling, but some twists feel more like gentle curves—you see them coming. Davis’s knack for weaving history with fiction is undeniable, but the mystery lacks the gut-punch impact it promises.

This is not my favorite Davis novel by far, but I have pretty hefty standards.

3.5 stars rounded down to 3 stars.