Cairo Brief

Veitch Smith Fiona

Description

'A deftly crafted and inherently riveting mystery.' Midwest Book Review'I've heard all about you, Miss Denby. Everyone knows you have a nose for murder.'Intrepid reporter sleuth Poppy Denby is invited to attend the auction of the Death Mask of Nefertiti. The auction is to be held on the country estate of Sir James Maddox, a famous explorer and Egyptologist.Representatives of the world's leading museums will be bidding on the mask which was found, in Egypt, under murderous circumstances. 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 of an 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.'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'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

Informations

• Publié par: Lion Hudson
• Date de parution: 21 septembre 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781782642503
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

THE CAIRO BRIEF
"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
"Intrepid Poppy Denby visits a country estate not unlike Downton Abbey in this caper. It’s great fun following Fiona’s crew of early twentieth-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
"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
"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

Text copyright © 2018 Fiona Veitch Smith
This edition copyright © 2018 Lion Hudson IP Limited
The right of Fiona Veitch Smith to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by
Lion Hudson Limited
Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Business Park
Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England
www.lionhudson.com
ISBN 978 1 78264 249 7
e-ISBN 978 1 78264 250 3
First edition 2018
Cover image: © Laurence Whiteley
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
For my granddad, Horace Hawkins,
who first gave me music,
and
my beautiful Ruby Tuesday, faithful friend and furry companion during many writing hours. I’ll miss you curled up at my feet.

A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
I t’s hard to believe the flapulous Poppy Denby is about to embark upon her fourth adventure in so many years. That girl has a far more exciting life than her author, who spends most of her time in slippers. However, I do occasionally get out and have a chance to put on some glad rags. Most recently that’s been for the Newcastle Noir Crime Festival. I had a fantastic time meeting readers, listening to other authors, and having a chance to introduce Poppy and her friends to a whole new audience.
But it’s the readers that have been with me and Poppy from the beginning whom I would like to thank now. I can’t tell you how heartening it is to receive emails from readers desperate to know when the next Poppy Denby will be out. To know that the stories I imagine as I’m lying in bed, or walking the dog, or riding on the bus – and then type up in my slippers – actually make a difference in people’s lives, is humbling.
I would also like to thank all the kind people I meet – in person, or virtually – during the course of my research. Firstly, to my Facebook friends who are a font of trivial but useful information: ta very muchly. Then, to the experts I’ve plagued at various museums and institutions. I would particularly like to thank the London Transport Museum who were able to tell me exactly what bus Poppy would have got, from where to where, on her trips around London.
My appreciation also goes to the very kind guide at the British Museum who helped me one day when I swooned – more accurately it was shaking, sweating, and needing (very quickly) to find the nearest toilet. I didn’t get the lady’s name, but she was very supportive. Fortunately, that was the only bad experience I’ve ever had at the British Museum. In doing research for this book I have spent many an hour wandering through its halls, pretending I’m Poppy, and imagining what it would have been like back in 1921.
Thanks as always goes to my indefatigable editor Jessica Tinker, who has simultaneously trained for and run a triathlon(!) while preparing for her upcoming nuptials. I am delighted to hear that Poppy has inspired her to wear a 1920s themed gown. I wish Jess and Mr Jess a glorious wedded life. My thanks too to the ever-supportive and eagle-eyed Julie Frederick, as well as the rest of the team at Lion Hudson. In addition, I would like to thank Blackwell’s Bookshop in Newcastle upon Tyne for hosting the last two Poppy Denby launches and look forward to our next shindig.
Finally, I would like to toss some bouquets towards my wonderful family. My husband Rod and daughter Megan are my rocks. They put up with so much from me while my mind is wrapped up in my writing. I love you both with all my heart. Thank you too to my dad Dougie and cousin Shirley who both, in their own ways, encourage me to keep on doing what I’m doing. In the words of Maisie the flapper from The Boyfriend , "I love you all!"
C HARACTER L IST
F ICTIONAL CHARACTERS

Poppy Denby – arts and entertainment editor for The Daily Globe . Our heroine.
Rollo Rolandson – senior editor and owner of The Daily Globe.
Daniel Rokeby – photographer for The Daily Globe. Poppy’s beau. Has sister, Maggie, and two children, Arthur and Amy.
Ike Garfield – senior journalist at The Daily Globe. Has wife, Doreen.
Ivan Molanov – archivist at The Daily Globe.
Delilah Marconi – actress and socialite. Poppy’s best friend.
Yasmin Reece-Lansdale – barrister and former solicitor. Legal adviser to delegation from Cairo Museum. Rollo Rolandson’s on-off sweetheart.
Marjorie Reynolds – MP and Minister to the Home Office. Has son, Oscar, who owns Oscar’s Jazz Club.
Dot Denby – actress and former suffragette. Poppy’s aunt.
Grace Wilson – bookkeeper and former suffragette. Dot Denby’s companion.
*
Sir James Maddox – adventurer, antiquities collector, and amateur archaeologist. Baronet of Winterton Hall.
Lady Ursula – wife of Sir James.
Fox Flinton – actor and cousin of Lady Ursula.
Grimes – butler at Winterton Hall.
Wallace – footman at Winterton Hall.
Booker and son – the gamekeeper and his son.
Lionel Saunders – reporter, The London Courier.
Harry Gibson – photographer, The London Courier.
Dr Giles Mortimer – Head Curator, Department of Egyptian & Assyrian Antiquities, the British Museum.
Dr Faizal Osman – Director, Egyptian Antiquities Service, Cairo Museum. Brother of Yasmin Reece-Lansdale.
Kamela El Farouk – assistant to the Director, Egyptian Antiquities Service, Cairo Museum.
Herr Dr Heinrich Stein – Director of Antiquities, Museum of Berlin.
Herr Dr Rudolf Weiner – assistant to the Director of Antiquities, Museum of Berlin.
Dr Jonathan Davies – Director of Antiquities, Metropolitan Museum of New York.
Jennifer Philpott – assistant to Director of Antiquities, Metropolitan Museum of New York.
Albert Carnaby – auctioneer for Carnaby’s Auction House.
Madame Minette / Minifred Hughes – spiritualist medium.
Walter Jensford – retired journalist for The Times.
Freddie Waltaub – former assistant to Dr Ludwig Borschardt at El-Amarna archaeological dig.
DCI Jasper Martin – chief detective for the murder squad of the Metropolitan Police.
Sergeant Barnes – desk sergeant at New Scotland Yard.
Constable Jones – police constable at Henley-on-Thames.
H ISTORICAL CHARACTERS

SirArthur Conan Doyle – author, physician, and metaphysicist.
Lady Jean Conan Doyle – second wife of Arthur Conan Doyle, spiritualist medium.
Emmeline Pankhurst – founder of the Women’s Suffrage and Political Union. In this book she is a friend of Dot Denby, Grace Wilson, and Marjorie Reynolds.
Howard Carter – archaeologist, Egyptologist, and (in this book) special adviser to the British Museum. In February 1922, three months after the fictional events of this book, Howard Carter discovers the tomb of the boy king Tutankhamun, grandson of Nefertiti.
Dr Ludwig Borchardt – archaeologist and Egyptologist. In 1912 he discovered the famous bust of Nefertiti at El-Amarna. In this book he also discovers the (fictional) death mask of Nefertiti in 1914.
*
Nefertiti – wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten who ruled Egypt from 1353 to 1336 bc. Together they founded the city of Akhetaten (Horizon of Aten) whose ruins are at modern-day El-Amarna. They were considered heretics because they abandoned the pantheon of old gods and declared only one god was to be worshipped – the sun, Aten, who created the world. Nefertiti and Akhenaten had six daughters, one of whom he also married, and with whom he incestuously fathered Tutankhamun. After Akhenaten died it is believed Nefertiti may have ruled as pharaoh queen, before abandoning the city and returning the capital to Thebes, where Tutankhamun became king and returned Egypt to the old religion. Akhenaten was buried in El-Amarna. Nefertiti’s body has never been found.
O ZYMANDIAS

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter’d visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp’d on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock’d them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1818
C HAPTER 1
10 A PRIL 1914, E L -A MARNA , E GYPT

T wo brown-cloaked figures picked their way through the half-filled trenches and incomplete excavations of the ancient city. Without its centuries-old shroud of desert sand, Akhetaten lay shivering and exposed in the shameful moonlight, filtering down from the carved cliffs to the east. From the cliff face