The Egyptian Coffin (A Lord Ambrose Historical Mystery)

I was pleased with this second book of the series. Character development is used with a good plot.

I had a hard time "getting into" this book but it gets better and turned out to be a good read.

I just finished reading this book and loved it. Although I usually avoid the "letter" format books, this one worked very well. The story, set in mid-1800's, has a no nonsense feel to it and while romantic isn't silly. The parts of the book set in Egypt appealed to me and reminded me of the Amelia Peabody books by Elizabeth Peters. Finally, while I had heard of the slavery issue in England of the time, I am now intrigued enough to do a little research of my own. This book is worthy of the time spent reading it.

In 1830 seventeen years old heiress Lady Lilian Westmorland enjoyed her country life in West Coventry, England in spite of her late father's scandal though currently she mourns the death of her mother. Lili especially loves to ride however a near fatal riding accident leaves her unconscious and the horse had to be killed. While recovering from her severe injuries, her guardian Micah. Overbury allegedly considering the cool weather decides that the warmth of Egypt will help his niece heal faster. However, Lord Ambrose Malfine learns that the daughter Lilian of his childhood friend was involved in other incidents besides the equine spill. As he assesses what he learns, he concludes too many coincidences and wonders if someone wants her dead so he takes it upon as a token of his high regard for her father to travel to Egypt to see her safe. Ambrose will soon find himself in Cairo battling evil English slave traders with the stake being Lilian's freedom. The sequel to LET THERE BE BLOOD is a terrific late Regency thriller that starts with a superb opening as Ambrose explains why he has an Egyptian coffin in his English home and never slows down until his final confrontation with. a malevolent being. The story line is fast-paced, but provides a deep look at early nineteenth century Egypt especially Cairo. Ambrose is terrific as he heroically tries to keep the daughter of his late friend safe though she is the target of some nasty individuals. Joy to Jane Jakeman for providing a terrific historical tale. Harriet Klausner