The Cairo Brief

Fiona Veitch Smith
Works of: Fiction
Publisher: Lion Fiction

“I’ve heard all about you, Miss Denby. Everyone knows you have a nose for murder.”

Poppy Denby is intrigued when she is invited to attend the auction for the Death Mask of Nefertiti. Held on the country estate of Sir James Maddox, a famous explorer, the auction promises to be a controversial and newsworthy affair. Representatives from the world’s leading museums are gathering to bid on the mask, which was discovered in Egypt. Poppy quickly sniffs out that the mask was not the only thing found that night: the underground chamber also contained a dead body. Poppy and her colleagues from The Daily Globe, who are trying to stay one step ahead of their rivals from The London Courier, dismiss rumours about the mask s ancient curse. But when one of the auction party is murdered, and someone starts stalking Poppy, the race is on to find the killer before the curse can strike again…

“Fiona Veitch Smith, where have you been all my life? Poppy Denby is delightful, the plot rocks, and the 1920s era is perfectly evoked. British mystery fans, you want to read this. You really, really do.” – Cassandra Chan, author of the Bethancourt and Gibbons mysteries

“Intrepid Poppy Denby visits a country estate not unlike Downton Abbey in this caper. It’s great fun following Fiona’s crew of early 20th-century reporters as they seek scoops and solve murders on the side.” – Deb Richardson-Moore, author of The Cantaloupe Thief, The Cover Story and Death of a Jester

“Poppy Denby is on top form solving the mystery surrounding the ancient Egyptian mask of Queen Nefertiti. Highly recommended!” – Dolores Gordon-Smith, author of the Jack Haldean murder mysteries

“Thoroughly enjoyable mystery. Murders, sinister figures, a cursed Egyptian mask – and a seance! All the ingredients for another superlative Poppy Denby investigation.” – A. J. Wright, award-winning author of the Lancashire Detective series