I attempted reading a Fiona Davis book before and actually DNFed it because I was not comfortable with the choices the characters were making, can’t recall the title now. So Ms. Davis is not usually on my radar but this book is all about Egyptology so I knew I had to try. And honestly, those are the best parts of the book: the digs, the discovery of artifacts, the debate over provenance, the inner workings of a museum, and the thrill of searching for history. But, the main character, for all her heartbreak (to be clear, I did care about the sadness in her past), is a selfish person—who longs for the licentious liberty of ancient Egypt!—and I didn’t like her at all, making it difficult to enjoy the other parts of the book that focused on what she wants and her choices. There’s a secondary character I liked much better but she’s so enthralled by the main character that… I’ve gone on too long at this point but let’s just say despite the parts I did enjoy about this book, that “The Stolen Queen” was not my favorite.

Everyone knows I am a huge Fiona Davis fan. If you ask me for a book recommendation and even hint at the fact you like historical fiction, I am going to put her books on your radar. So, it pains me to say that I simply didn’t vibe with her upcoming release. The magic that I have found in other books by Davis was simply not there. I did not feel a strong connection to Charlotte or Annie, the novel’s protagonists, as I usually do which led to me not caring how their stories ended up. I am sad that this one didn’t work for me, but I will continue to recommend and read Davis’ work due to my immense love of her other titles.

Charlotte Cross has been an assistant curator for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for 15 years, and was on staff for two decades before that. She truly loves her job, but she’s never advanced beyond assistant because that would require going back to Egypt. And that’s something she just can’t do.

When she was only 19, she was on the staff of an archaeological dig inEgypt as a young woman in the early 30s. But something happened there, something terrible, and she’s never gone back.

Until a unique artifact is loaned to the museum by an anonymous donor, and she recognizes it as stolen.

Charlotte embarks on a mission to track down the mysterious donor and find out how the item came into their hands, and the search helps her to put the broken pieces of her own, and several other people’s lives, back together.

I’m a sucker for a good book about Egyptology. This one was interesting because parts of it took place in Egypt in the 1930s, and parts of it in 1978-79 in New York City and Egypt. It’s well written, the characters engaging, and the plot intriguing. However, much as I love Egyptology, there was so much information that at times it detracted from the story.

3.5⭐️ - Fiona Davis’s new novel is a well orchestrated tale of 1930s Egyptian archeology exhibition, museum curation, antiquity thievery, and heartbreak. Davis expertly weaves the lives of two unsuspecting women with nearly four decades between them who are both drawn to Egyptian antiquities. When a curious object recognized by Charlotte as a long lost artifact of her time in Egypt 40 years earlier arrives at the Met, Charlotte begins to question everything she thought ahead knew about her painful past. When Annie’s chance to prove her worthiness as an assistant to a powerful woman at the Met ends in disaster and theft, her path crosses with Charlotte and a chain of events unfold bringing them to Egypt together to solve both mysteries… or is it all connected?

I really enjoyed the story and felt it tied together well, but as someone who has seen the current day locations discussed in the books, I would’ve loved more vivid imagery of the historical sites from the 1930s and even the 1970s - less damaged by the hands of tourists. I imagine the hieroglyphics on the walls of the tunnels to the tombs in the Valley of the Kings must’ve been far more vibrant, the tombs likely tossed about from raids conducted long before the archeological expeditions, the tunnels lacking the railings and lighting that exist today. I really liked the fictionalization of real life historical figures, namely Hatshepsut and the righting of her history. What a fun way to intertwine history and fiction. The legends about what happens to those who steal from the tombs could have been played up more given the level of tragedy in the story, but I also like the way this was wrapped.

Without spoilers, I also struggled with the inclusion of Annie in the end - she felt out of place and her inclusion forced. Perhaps a separate chapter to tie them back together would make more sense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguins Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed several of Fiona Davis’ books but somehow The Stolen Queen is extra special. Maybe there is some leftover enchantment from the newest wave of “Egytomania”, but it more likely due to a well-constructed plot and captivating characters.

The writing is well paced and the dual timeline flows smoothly between the forty-year gap from the mid 1930’s to the late 1970’s. The balanced points of view of the primary characters gives reader the insight to sensibly draw comparisons and form opinions.

Davis also skillfully weaves the topical issue of repatriation of art work. Recently, museums are finding that they can no longer ignore this concern and are actively taking corrective steps to return art to their place of origin. The author allows us to consider the long arc of this concern from art scholar debates to the more modern general public view.

Overall, the turn of events in the story are believable and relevant. What I especially enjoyed is how Davis carefully unfolds the resolution of several plot points in an unhurried manner. Too often, a novel will rush the ending and pack too many revealed secrets in the last chapter or two. With the Stolen Queen, you can enjoy each step of the journey and never feel as though you were misdirected down a false path.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this advanced copy.

This was my first read by Fiona Davis and now I plan to read all of her books. The writing is sophisticated and the plot is interesting. I enjoyed both Charlotte and Annie as characters and found each of their stories compelling. Through the plot, I also learned a bit about Egyptian history and appreciated the setting (part of the book) in the 1930s. I had fun searching for real Egyptian artifacts so that I could really understand the plot. I highly recommend this bool.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

Wow! The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis is one of my favorite reads from this year. As a history teacher and lover of Ancient Egypt I couldn't help but be sucked into the story. Davis did an amazing job weaving the past and present in the book. Charlotte and Annie beautifully contrast each other. Both women are strong and intelligent in their own ways but so clearly need each. I loved the found family dynamic they created while also literally rushing after an actual found family through out the book. While I was able to predict some of the twists of the book, I also couldn't help but be sucked in and totally invested in learning what happened in the past and future. Any love of history, romance, historical fiction, or even someone looking for a beautiful story MUST read this book. All the stars!

Met associate curator Charlotte Cross has been busily coordinating the King Tut exhibit coming to New York. In her late teens Charlotte had been on a dig in Egypt and had fallen in love with the history of the pharaohs, especially as she was a party to a remarkable find. A series of unfortunate events forced her out of Egypt, never to return. Over the years Charlotte had begun researching a female pharaoh always thought to be a usurper. Harthorate was an accomplished leaders but never received the glory her male counterparts did. When an artifact from Harthorate's tomb appears at the Met, Charlotte knows something is wrong as the artifact was supposed to be in the Museum of Eqypt. This leads her on a mission to discover the truth, not only about the artifact but about Harthorate herself.

I love Fiona Davis' books and this one was no exception. I knew nothing about this subject and was fascinated. Will totally recommend.

This was an interesting novel about an Egyptologist at the Met, a plucky young associate, and lots of international intrigue. I had a difficult time with the timeline of the novel, which takes place in 1978 with flashbacks to 1936. For some reason my brain just couldn’t wrap itself around the fact that this was a reasonable gap in time to span one human’s adult life. I eventually figured it out! I enjoyed the characters and would particularly like to hear more about young Annie.

Fiona Davis has written another wonderful novel of historical fiction.A missing Egyptian artifact a dual timeline great characters kept me engaged from first to last page.#netgalley #duttonbooks.

I always enjoy Fiona Davis' writing, and this book is no exception. Despite the time changes, I found this novel to be engaging and it maintained my interest. I'm always a little wary of Ancient Egypt themes because I find the exploitation of burial grounds kind of icky, but the story was still good.

Another Fiona Davis masterpiece! I love how she always effortlessly weaves a modern story in with a historical backdrop.

In this book, the "modern" was actually in the 70s, but it served the story well, as it allowed for two history-driven plots - 1930s Egyptian digs, and the 1978 Met Gala (and the Met overall). The author always gives wonderful background of her research and the facts vs. creative license, which I so appreciate as I always read her books and mentally keep a list of things I want to look up to learn more about.

The plot of this book is just as fantastic as the historical aspects; I enjoyed hanging out with Charlotte and Annie and rooting for them throughout their struggles. My one critique is that the last third of the book went way too fast. The current portion of the book mainly takes place throughout a month, so it's expected, but there was a lot going on and a big set up throughout the first 2/3-ish of the book and then boom, boom, boom. Decisions made, problems solved, over and done. And things just suddenly went way too smoothly. Like I said, I was cheering for them, but the realism started to fade away a bit when thing after thing just went so incredibly right.

In any event, I loved this book and look forward to the next historical adventure with Fiona.

Charlotte Cross worked as the associate curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for 40+ years after having spent a brief time in Egypt when she was first starting out in The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis coming out January 7, 2025. Her career at the Met had stalled since she was an Egyptologist who had not returned to Egypt since a tragedy had occurred when she was there in 1937.

Still, Charlotte was fascinated with Hathorkare, a fictitious pharaoh, inspired by the real ruler Hatshepsut, an Egyptian queen of the 18th dynasty. She had been developing a theory about Hathorkare for the last three years regarding the destruction of the pharaoh’s likenesses by her fictional successor Saukemet II, inspired by the true successor of Hatshepsut named Thutmose II.

When Charlotte sees a broad collar, a type of necklace worn by the royal women of Egypt, being put on display, she immediately questions her boss Frederick about it as she herself found it enclosed in the wall of the tomb of Hathorkare during her time in Egypt in the 1930s. The broad collar’s last whereabouts was likely at the bottom of the Nile River since Egyptian artifacts and passengers were lost in a shipwreck in 1937. Her attempts to learn the owner of the loaned piece are thwarted by the Met’s director.

As Charlotte’s story unfolds, it is interspersed with a narrative about Annie Jenkins, 18, who in 1978 landed a job with former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who was responsible for organizing New York’s most famous party, the Met Gala. Vreeland, a demanding boss, charged Annie with nearly impossible tasks such as gathering butterflies to be released at the Gala.

Charlotte and Annie join forces at the Gala when Charlotte notices the fragment of a statue known as the Cerulean Queen is missing from its gallery. She and Annie chase a man in a dark suit carrying a bowling bag through the crowd at the Gala. While the thief gets away, Charlotte decides to chase the stolen piece to Egypt where she suspects it will be shipped by a group that has been stealing artifacts to return them to Egypt.

After being fired by Vreeland when moths were released at the Gala instead of butterflies—later discovered to be a diversion allowing the thief to steal the Queen--Annie decides to join Charlotte in Egypt. Together they attempt to solve more than one mystery, and Charlotte may be able to validate her theory regarding Hathorkare.

Packed with lots of information about the Met, archeology, art smuggling, and mummification, this is a book for those who love all things Egyptian. As always, author Fiona Davis has done her homework when it comes to the buildings that make up the Met with a special focus on the 1978 Metropolitan Gala directed by Vreeland.

Davis is a Canadian-born author who has made a career out of combining intriguing historical fiction plots with the stories of various New York buildings including the Barbizon Hotel, The Dakota, Grand Central Terminal, the Chelsea Hotel, the New York Public Library, and the Frick Museum. She lives in New York City.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting July 23, 2024.

I would like to thank Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

A terrific book.. I am a big fan of Davis so I was not disappointed at all. The novel has an interesting storyline that was clever and mysterious. Ancient Egyptian artifacts and devious intentions always create wonderful novels. Fiona writes so effortlessly.. I raced through this book and loved every minute. I would not call it a mystery but a book about connections and finding one’s place in this difficult world.

The Stolen Queen, by Fiona Davis, is another fantastic novel by one of my favorite authors. This one, in particular, came at the perfect time for me. My daughter recently did a project on the history of the Met Gala for school in June and then attended a summer program at Vogue in July. So I thoroughly enjoyed this fly-on-the-wall POV of The Met Gala back in the 70's under Diana Vreeland's stewardship. And, of course, the story itself was absolutely enthralling- dual timelines, interesting mysteries, great characters- Highly recommend!!!!!!

Mark you calendar for the pub date for Fiona Davis’s forthcoming new novel. I think that this may just be her best book yet. I thoroughly enjoyed The Stolen Queen.

As is often the case, the story is told in two time lines and in two countries. Interestingly, both time lines have characters in common.

Readers first meet Charlotte Cross when she is a young girl embarking on an adventure of a lifetime. She has left her society family behind to be part of a 1930s dig in Egypt. So much happens to Charlotte there in terms of both her professional and personal life, but readers need to find out all of this for themselves.

The second timeline takes place partly in NYC right around the time of the famous King Tut exhibition. Now Charlotte is working in the Egyptian section of the museum when a necklace becomes part of an exhibit and leads to many events.

In this second time line, readers also meet Annie. She has been an enabler to her mother. Unexpectedly Annie secures a position working for the very well known Diana Vreeland just in time for a major fashion event. As was true for Charlotte, things don’t go according to plan.

It is not long before Charlotte and Annie travel to Egypt together. There is, again, much that happens while they are there.

Davis handles all of the plot elements flawlessly. It is also clear that she did her homework in order to give this book a real sense of its historical authenticity.

Anyone who has enjoyed a novel by this author will want to read this title. My guess is that this one will also bring her many new fans.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group-Dutton for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 07 January 2025

Fiona seldom disappoints! Here she explores the treasures of Egyptian art and the inner workings of New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art.. Ms. Davis is true to form in adopting an iconic NYC building and a dual timeline featuring our heroines, Egyptologist and Met curator Charlotte Cross and Annie Jenkins, the young assistant to Diana Vreeland committed to preparing for the Costume Institute's Met Gala. The tale begins with an archaeological dig in 1936, and fast forwards to 1978 and the effects of a possibly cursed Queen and the difficulties posed by repatriation of arts and antiquities. Charlotte and Annie's paths collide in the 1978 timeline when an ill fated Gala becomes the scene of a heist which forces the two women to travel to Egypt in search of both personal and professional truths. Very satisfying.

Another excellent book by this author who writes such interesting historical novels. She has a specific style that never lets the reader down. This story about an Egyptian artifact that goes missing at the Met and is thought to have a curse. In her typical style the story jumps back from the past to the future with 2 main characters that intersect. I can not wait to read her next book and see the adventure that is told.

Masterful storytelling! My favorite book thus far of this author. An author once announced on her ‘show’ that she believes all authors should be rated 5 stars for the feat of finishing the book and having it published. What rubbish! 5 stars should be held for authors so honed in their skills as to take you by their imagination and weave you through the twists and turns of a story that leaves you both entertained and never the same for experiencing such story. Bravo Ms Davis!