Title: The Egyptologist

Author: Arthur Phillips

Publisher: Random House 2004

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 383

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf Project; Alphabet Soup - P; Historical Fiction

Just as Howard Carter unveils the tomb of Tutankhamun, making the most dazzling find in the history of archaeology, Oxford-educated Egyptologist Ralph Trilipush is digging himself into trouble, having staked his professional reputation and his fiancée’s fortune on a scrap of hieroglyphic pornography. Meanwhile, a relentless Australian detective sets off on the case of his career, spanning the globe in search of a murderer. And another murderer. And possibly another murderer. The confluence of these seemingly separate stories results in an explosive ending, at once inevitable and utterly unpredictable.

I picked up this book at a library sale a few years back and it’s been sitting on my shelves ever since. I was intrigued by the subject matter and the mystery. Unfortunately, I was not a huge fan of the epistolary style or writing voice. I just couldn’t really get behind any of the characters. The mystery central to the plot was wrapped up too quickly leaving a lot of pages left. This was tough to get through.

Next up on the TBR pile: