1930: Miss Clara Vale, chemistry major turned detective, is taking a night off from sleuthing to attend the launch party of a new exhibition at the Hancock Museum in Newcastle.
But when the piece de resistance, a rare ornate sarcophagus, is finally opened and it turns out the mummy inside it is a fake it looks like there is no rest for Clara after all.
Later that night, she is summoned back to the museum and asked to investigate a series of stolen Egyptian artefacts.
Using her scientific and forensic prowess, Clara, with her trusted assistant Bella in tow, embarks on a trail that will lead from Newcastle to London and along the river Nile to Cairo.
But she is not the only person hunting for stolen antiquities and when she uncovers an international smuggling ring with a penchant for murder, it becomes clear that Clara’s own life is in danger too.
The Pyramid Murders by Fiona Veitch Smith is published on 13 June, 2024.
Find out how Fiona uses guidebooks for in-depth research in her Golden Age mysteries.
There’s much more historical fiction in our round-up of over 160 books coming out this year.
