Review: The Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn

Sunday, March 18, 2018

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The Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn


Release Date: January 2018
Publisher: Berkley
Type: Adult Mystery
Pages: 352
Other Titles in the Series: The Curious Beginning (#1), The Perilous Undertaking (#2)

Summary: London, 1888. As colorful and unfettered as the butterflies she collects, Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell can’t resist the allure of an exotic mystery—particularly one involving her enigmatic colleague, Stoker.
His former expedition partner has vanished from an archaeological dig with a priceless diadem unearthed from the newly discovered tomb of an Egyptian princess. This disappearance is just the latest in a string of unfortunate events that have plagued the controversial expedition, and rumors abound that the curse of the vengeful princess has been unleashed as the shadowy figure of Anubis himself stalks the streets of London.
But the perils of an ancient curse are not the only challenges Veronica must face as sordid details and malevolent enemies emerge from Stoker’s past.
Caught in a tangle of conspiracies and threats—and thrust into the public eye by an enterprising new foe—Veronica must separate facts from fantasy to unravel a web of duplicity that threatens to cost Stoker everything. . . .




My Review:

Much like the first two novels in this fabulous series, what makes me love it so fiercely is the main character Veronica Speedwell, lepidopterist adventuress and her “sidekick” Stoker, a taxidermist who would challenge me to a duel if he heard me refer to him as such (if I wasn't a woman of course, he is a gentleman after all). This installment like its predecessors is set in Victorian London, where ladies are meant to act like it. Veronica could not care less about what society thinks of her and pushes the boundaries of what is appropriate, more often than not she breaks it all together. I love her. I admire her, I wish I could be half as cool and have even a quarter of her sharp as knives wit! She is what brings me back to these mysteries over and over. The relationship between Veronica and Stoker gets stronger and stronger the longer they know each other. It is the driving force behind the books and it is so important and Raybourn gets it exactly right!

This volumes still finds the detecting pair in London and not on an expedition like they dearly wish. It takes place shortly after the end of the last volume and once again it contains a great mystery! I like these mysteries because they are never straight forward and I can never guess who the culprit is. This one surrounded a missing person and a missing Egyptian diadem, betrayals and revealed secrets! I really like that every novel is an extension of the last. This is a world that I feel so welcomed in because of how true to life it is portrayed. And again it is because of the characters! Every one is vivid and feels real with honest feelings and motives that ring true. To be honest, though, this book didn't draw me in as much as the first two because the plot felt a little bit elongated and it bored me a bit, but due to the characters coming off the page I kept turning those pages! I cannot recommend this series enough!




~Laura!

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