Gina Parrish

This book should really be read in conjunction with the previous one, The Flacon at the Portal. Together, they make one epic story. But also, I firmly believe that this series should be read in order.

Overall, I really liked it. So many answers—finally! So many things come together—again finally! And I am always a fan of adventure and peril along the way. I also enjoyed getting to see the characters grow, particularly Nefret. Not to mention, WWI adds some interesting historical elements and espionage.

The only thing I didn't like about it was that some parts felt over-explained, partially because of recapping the previous book, partially to clarify the many plot points in this one, and partially to reveal certain characters' feelings. The last one is the only one that really bugged me. Feelings should be shown not told as much as possible, and Ramses had a few moments where I didn't believe he could really be that self-aware—especially considering some of his decisions.

Other than that I was absolutely hooked! I am curious where this series will go from here, considering how much is wrapped up.

I have been liking each of these books more and more and this one... I am lost for words with how much I enjoyed it. I feel crazy to be so invested in these characters, but I suppose after 10 books it's to be expected. I was so excited after reading it before bed that I had trouble sleeping.

It feels like so many things Peters has been building up to in past books happened in this one, only for her to throw you completely for a loop. She doesn't really resolve everything in the end either, so I guess I am on to the next one without delay... I wish I had friends reading these with me so I could geek out about how much I love them.

I am making my way through this series and enjoying it, though this one was my least favorite thus far. It was still fun and entertaining but I felt like it pulled in the middle. The ending was the most enjoyable part. I wish she had given us more descriptions of the landscape and art history in Sweden.

I really like Elizabeth Peters and have read all of the Amelia Peabody books. I was craving some adventure-comedy-suspense so I picked this series up and was pleased with my decision. It is cleverly written and the voice of the protagonist, Vicky Bliss, is well-developed. She's funny and smart, but also short-sighted and vain, much like Amelia Peabody. It helped that I had been to Rothenburg in my travels and had some serious wanderlust reading it... anyone who has never been should look at the pictures beforehand. I will say this one reflects the time it was written and takes place (the 1970s) with its battle-of-the-sexes and women's liberation themes, but I kind of liked that as I am too young to have witnessed that period of time myself. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the blend of history, suspense, and outlandish adventure and feel compelled to keep reading the series.

I have enjoyed all of this series, though some of the books stand out more than others. This is one of the best books in the series—very cleanly written, almost three books in one, with just the right balance of action, adventure, mystery, espionage, Egyptology, and romance. She also set up the next book well, making me itch to start it right away.

I agree that this is the best book of the series next to the first one. I appreciated the thought out plot and character development, as well as the attention to setting.

Despite this addition to the series being atypical (not taking place in Egypt, not having much archeological excavation, not nearly as long as the others), I rather enjoyed it. Peters was near the end of her life when writing this one, and I am impressed at her ability to write so well late into her life. I think it would have been better when read chronologically, as it is kind of a side adventure, but the plot was solid. The characters have had more charm and Sethos is sadly missing, but I enjoyed it all nevertheless.

When I started this series I truly believed I might not finish it. But somehow I am enjoying the books more and more as I go along, these later ones much more than the originals. By this point I am so invested in the characters and so enamored with ancient Egypt that I can't put them down.

I have especially enjoyed seeing the “children” (as the adults insist on calling them, despite their ages) grow up and think and act for themselves. I still love Amelia and Emerson and the gang, but in these last few books they have been having trouble letting go. Understandably I suppose.

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I loved the subplot involving David. On paper he is one of the most interesting characters—recovering from a difficult childhood, caught in a culture-clash, facing systemic racism. I thought it made total sense. It also was a great opportunity for the British characters, particularly Amelia, to look inward and address their own bigotry (or weigh their hearts on the balance, as the metaphor goes). I teared up at the end when Amelia compared her own family to that of David's.

Ramses is engaging, though a bit melodramatic at times. I forgive it because he is a teenager, and because these books are inspired by classic adventure romances of the past. It seems fitting. But I prefer the romance between Amelia and Emerson. I guess it is a tad less interesting (is it?) when two characters are both madly in love and show it. But the return of a certain character gave me hope that their relationship will be put to the test and shaken up a bit.

I keep thinking what an awesome TV series this would make... and there is so much content to work with. Not sure who has the rights but they should get on it! Someone start a petition!

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel for its immersive setting in the early days of Hollywood, as well as for its mystery plot. I was engaged throughout and looked forward to picking the book up again after putting it down. That said, I have a degree in film and I am obsessed with murder mysteries so this novel centered around two of my biggest interests. I particularly liked the protagonist, Mary Rourke, and favored the chapters that followed her versus the Louisiana subplot.

I knocked it down a star because it had a few imperfections that bothered me: namely, the first chapter, the high body count, and the elongated ending that didn't leave me fully satisfied. I almost put the book down thinking I'd made a mistake after the first page. The author has a fondness for (take note) double-word adjectives that got more tolerable over time but the first couple paragraphs had excessive detail describing the desert. I'm glad I kept going with it.

My biggest gripe is that the author really played up the antagonist as evil incarnate and, I don't know about everyone else, but when we're dealing with a stark good versus evil binary, I want good to prevail with a magnificent flourish in the end. Otherwise, there needs to be more grey area. There were so many (I mean, so many) deaths that were the result of being brainwashed by pure evil that I was ready for the antagonist to finally meet their match in the end.

Besides that, I would recommend this one to fans of noir mystery and old Hollywood.

Great book, great addition to the series. It kept me on my toes the whole time. I particularly loved all the action.

I loved the sense of humor and voice in this one, like the first, but the ending fell apart. The mystery was too convoluted and ridiculous, even for me. Hildy the cow was a nice addition.

A fun mystery in the classic amateur detective style. The voice of the main character is strong and funny, but can be a tad annoying at times. The mystery was complicated and verged on the ridiculous but I was there for the ride. I got tired of some of the descriptions of dialogue delivery but have a feeling it may improve throughout the series. Overall I appreciated the humor most of all.

I am reading all of Chrisitie's mysteries chronologically. I have to say, some of the Poirot books tend to be slow. I felt that with this one, but I did think the outcome was clever and unexpected. I also liked the retrospective framework. Not one of my favorites thus far, but they are all good. On to the next . . .

The description of this book checked a lot of boxes for me. Egyptology, prohibition era crime, forgeries, art deco era New York City... the parts that described these areas of my interest I liked. The rest... meh.

This book could have benefited from a good editor. It was about 100 pages too long and I noticed many sentences, paragraphs, and chapters that could have been put on the chopping block to benefit the book as a whole.

Every emotion, character, and relationship is exhaustively over explained so that it seems the author doesn't trust her readers to be able to read between the lines or interpret anything for themselves. This goes too for all the Christian metaphors, which were tolerable for most of the book but then became saccharine and ridiculous at the very end. You might as well have hit me over the head yelling, “GOD LOVES YOU—DON'T YOU GET IT?”

Then there are the characters. Lauren, the main female character, is hopelessly naive for a single thirty-something living in New York City with a PHD. She relies on Joe, the main male character, to protect her as the “guardian of her well-being”. These stereotypes wouldn't have been so annoying except that they are spelled out for you so many times. Then there's Lauren's relationship with her father where she shows no backbone in her desperate quest for love and approval. It borders on pathetic, which is not a trait I prefer in protagonists.

The book isn't terrible. But it definitely suffers from what I call the “Christian Art Problem” where the quality of the art is sacrificed for the sake of content deemed acceptable by impossible to please Christians. I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt when I realized it was published by Bethany House, but it proved my assumptions correct.

Anyone who likes the topic of Egyptology and is looking for a better adventure suspense series should read the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters.

As a classic film lover, I was excited about the premise with this one but the execution fell flat. I will agree with other reviewers and say it read like fanfiction. I almost did not finish, which is rare for me, but instead I skimmed a good chunk of the book.

What I really wanted was a screwball comedy like IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) or, even better, HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940), or I would have even loved something like THE GAY DIVORCEE (1934), but instead I got a melodrama like TEDDY AT THE THROTTLE (1917) but way too long and without the awesome dog who saves the day in the end.

Unfortunately most of the problems were in the writing. The plot was lackluster and poorly paced. The writing had too much telling and not enough showing, and then everything that was told was repeated over and over again. (Dash believes he's unloveable! Dash believes he's unloveable!) The characters were melodramatic and unlikeable. And despite the author's note at the end, it still felt too modern, not because of content but because of the people within the story's perception of the content. Also, the research really didn't shine and I felt a tad insulted at the comparisons made in the end. (The character Joan Davis did not come off anything like Barbara Stanwyk!) Plus, (spoiler alert) everyone gets an Oscar in the end?

If anyone has better suggestions of novels that invoke Old Hollywood I would love them, because I really love that setting, but this one I would not recommend.

This is a fun, funny, and consistently entertaining series. It's enjoyable, light-hearted reading done well. In this one, I particularly liked the fine-tuning of characters, as well as how the plot came together seamlessly in the end.

It's not a bad installment in the series... but there is so much explaining. Between every line of dialogue there is a sentence explaining the possible subtext. And there are so many paragraphs devoted to different characters in the political game, amongst three connecting investigations, that it is hard to keep track. I wish the actual mystery elements had been the focus, but I still enjoyed it. I am ready for Ardmore to be vanquished since it seems his storylines have dragged on.

This was an interesting one with a lot of different dynamics. I really enjoyed it. Lennox isn't the most likeable of characters and he rubbed me the wrong way a couple times in this one but the mystery kept me captivated. The methods and motives were unusual and I liked the London setting.

The Lost Ticket is a sweet novel that has a lot of heart but doesn't go too overboard on sentimentality. The plot is well-crafted, though the characters could be more dynamic and there could've been more substance. Overall I enjoyed going along for the (bus) ride.

Loved it. It was smart and funny and had great pacing. The characters had actual growth and I enjoyed their journey all the way to the end.

This is the fourth Tommy and Tuppence book (third novel) and I must say I love this duo. I have been reading all of Christie chronologically and this one felt more original than the last few I have read.

What I love about the Tommy and Tuppence stories is that they have a lot more action than her other series and you really connect to their relationship with each other. This novel had a fun, slightly creepy plot that was a tad overwrought but overall interesting. I definitely did not guess the end, which I have gotten pretty good at by now.

This one wasn't my favorite of the series but it still eked four stars from me because every time I put it down I wanted to keep reading. I feel like the description on Goodreads (and perhaps on the book flap?) is loaded with spoilers. Luckily I didn't read it until I came to write this review. My favorite parts of this one were the mystery elements and my least favorite parts were stereotypes that came through. Still waiting for some more fleshed out female characters! Maybe Persi will make more of an appearance in the next one.

Loved the last one, loved this one. I like the pacing, the characters, the writing style, and the subject matter. It's not overly dramatic but holds tension. The romance in this one was less at the forefront and I liked that too. Overall, I'm hooked!

Short, sweet, and to the point. I read it in one sitting. It was succinct and well-written and I intend to read more from this author.

Edit: This book has stuck with me after reading it. I've found myself reflecting on it several times and if that doesn't mark a great story I don't know what does.

If you're wondering if you should read this book, let me tell you straight away—don't. Go watch the movie DANGEROUS CROSSING (1953) instead. It's much better, and this book steals the plot almost identically.

Now, I read a lot of mysteries. I am not bothered by “inspired by” or “based on” or “adapted from” or “reminiscent of” but this author took just about entire plot straight out of the movie and doesn't give credit where credit is due. Even the title seems ripped off.

I haven't read the first two, and I only read this one because I am doing some research of my own about ocean liners. (That's why I watched the movie in the first place.) Other than the complete lack of originality, the writing was mediocre. Too much telling (how she feels, what she's thinking, how she's reasoning through things) and not nearly enough showing.

Then there are the gender stereotypes. The protagonist female relies only on her intuition and feelings to do her sleuthing. But she is constantly doubting or ignoring her feelings and intuition, so she seeks affirmation from her male counterpart over and over again. Then she stands up for another woman who is being gaslighted before changing her mind and starting to gaslight her herself.

All the while, the duo are terrible detectives. The reader is 50 steps ahead of them for the entire novel because they keep taking coffee breaks and forgetting all the clues they have already collected. The protagonist does not solve one part of the mystery in the end.

I still gave it two stars for the setting and the main romance plot, but overall I don't recommend.