I love historical fiction especially ones set in Egypt among the pyramids and excavations. So this book immediately caught my attention (thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this ARC). I fell in love with the story immediately.

Alternating between past (1993-1904) and 2019, the novel takes us on journey into a fictional dig in Egypt, set in a fictional city, Calliopis, to Canada and San Francisco to uncover a 100 year old murder and a newly discovered papyrus. The two times are masterfully interwoven and the suspense can be “killing” (no pun intended) at times.

Maddie Sloan is an archivist in a Canadian museum when she’s assigned to help an American TV archeologist, Peter Behar, work on papyruses from an ill-fated dig her great grandmother, Iris Wentworth, participated in. In their work they discover an ancient papyrus that could significance both to the ill-fated dig at Calliopis and an ancient poetess. Using excerpts from journals discovered in various libraries, a video and modern technology, a story emerges of greed, ego and deceit (both in the past as well as the present.)

I loved Maddie and Iris. But there were so many other good characters that bolster and enrich the book. The plot was cleverly done and the murderer revealed was a surprise.

This is such a well done book and for readers who like The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis or Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict this is a must read.

I adored the alternating timeline in this book. It was such a great balance of historical and modern. This book had me absolutely riveted and I just couldn't wait to figure out what happened in each respective timeline. Such a wonderful read!