"Christie and Agatha solve an exciting mystery in Egypt"
Having reviewed and enjoyed A Discovery Disappears last year, it was super to realise they were part of a series and was happy to be invited to review another.
This book also features the well-travelled Christie and Agatha, the two child detectives, who accompany Mrs Dupont and her son Auguste on a research trip to Egypt. It is such a well written story, and from the first page you are drawn to the characters and the unfolding story.
The print size and illustrations make the book very readable and inviting for weaker readers, but the vocabulary and use of language make it a more interesting and challenging read for the more able. There is both humour and historical vocabulary tucked into the text, to keep the readers’ alert. For example, the wonderfully prim Auguste who even in the Egyptian sun is impeccably dressed and could not dress casually for the trip – ‘the mere idea made him positively nauseous’.
Also, did you know calcite was a type of stone, of that loukoum was the name for Turkish delight? As the two children arrive at the tomb of Tutankhamun, it becomes apparent there has been a robbery, and in their competent and mature way the two girls set out to solve the mystery. Their reputation has preceded them, and they have a personal recommendation from Arthur Conon Doyle himself.
I love the way the two girls have different approaches to the problem, compiling their list of suspects and setting a trap to the catch the thief. There is a super twist of bluff and double bluff as the mystery unfolds, that will keep the readers on their toes. The historical detail adds an interesting extra and whilst this is a book of fiction, the historical expedition and the archaeologist Howard Carter and the sponsor Lord Carnarvon were real people which, I think, adds to the overall appeal.
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