Death in Damascus

I can see why this one felt weaker than the others for some readers but I love a good mystery-adventure set in the desert, as well as early film history, so... it came in at four stars for me.

The setting, characters, and archeological aspects of this one appealed to me and I enjoyed seeing Lennox as a fish out of water. There were lots of fast-paced scenes and confounding clues, and I had fun reading it.

As for what could've been better, I think the weakest element was the mystery... it felt like an afterthought and the denouement was a disappointment as there was no evidence. The romance also felt forced... Lennox and Persi don't seem to know each other very well and we aren't given any reasons to root for them to get together. There were also quite a few more typos in this one, so the editing needed work.

Overall, if you like Elizabeth Peters's Amelia Peabody series or Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile or Murder in Mesopotamia, I think you'll like this one.