Secret of the Scarab

Lady Caroline Murder Mysteries #5

by Isabella Bassett

Ancient curses, lost treasure and murder…the way only Lady Caroline and Uncle Albert can do it!

Egypt, 1925

Leave it to Lady Caroline and Uncle Albert to inadvertently stumble upon an ancient load of trouble while on a jaunt up the Nile. Join them on a trip of murder and mayhem, with the odd beetle or two thrown in, through Egypt.

Secret of the Scarab is Book 5 of the Lady Caroline Murder Mysteries series. In the glamorous world of 1920s Europe, and now Egypt, money and privilege rub shoulders, and greed, envy, and murder are never far behind. Follow Lady Caroline, intelligent and witty, with a fondness for breaking rules, on a fun romp through the golden age of murder mysteries. Each book contains the requisite eccentric characters, fun historical tidbits, and puzzling murders with no gore or gloom.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Mystery, Historical, Cozy Mystery, Historical Fiction, Cozy, Fiction

292 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 12, 2023

Reviews

[Linniegayl]

This was a fun 5th entry in the Lady Caroline historical mystery series. In this entry, Lady Caroline, Uncle Albert, and the rest of the Royal Society (including james) are off to Egypt in search of beetles. And of course, along the way Lady Caroline gets involved investigating a murder.

Uncle Albert appears a little more than in past books, and James appears far less. The mystery (or mysteries) was interesting, and I liked that Poppy and her new husband appeared on their own boat sailing down the Nile.

Ihope there's another entry soon, as I really do enjoy these mysteries.

[marita lazarus]

fun series

Every time I read a book in this series, I am transported on an adventure.

We are in Egypt, on the hunt for buried treasure. Unfortunately, there are tales of curses around the dig site, unexpected Deaths, and beetles.

I love and have come to expect Poppy in each book, and although she had a minor role, she did make an appearance. The aunts also come through at the end (we need a story with the aunts in them).

and we await the formal announcement of James and Caroline's engagement.

Come join in the fun, as we cruise down the Nile and into Luxor to unmask the murderer.

[Quartknee]

Another case that hinges on primogeniture and peerage which is exactly why only a Lady like Caroline could solve it. As much as I've been enjoying this series, her reticence about marriage and children is a huge ick. It's something that low-value modern women tainted by feminism espouse constantly these days. Lady Caroline is teetering on the precipice of being a left-over woman and she's got that Lillith spirit rebelling against her mother which makes for some nice fictional conflict but it feels more like a dangerous fast-track to crazy aunty territory. Her mother and Poppy both exhibit that Jezebel spirit - very strong-willed, conniving, and controlling. I get that Caroline can't/won't use the same approach to marriage as a logical/pragmatic means to an end but there's no way James can accept Caroline's terms for their relationship without being a gump. If he can stay in his masculine frame and set the terms/timetable for their relationship, he'll save her from the streets. At this point, it's a coin toss and a good way to keep us reading the series.

[Leslie Burke]

fast and fun historical series

I truly enjoy the Lady Caroline Murder Mysteries and this book, number 5 does not disappoint. Lady Caroline is a down to earth likable character, along with the others, friends, family and criminals alike. In this story Lady Caroline travels to Egypt and gets tangled up in at least one murder during her sojourn.
I like the author’s “voice” when telling the story. I hear it in my head while I read. It keeps my attention and I’m thoroughly engaged. It’s easygoing and moves the plot along. When I read her stories, I usually just want to relax and be entertained. I don’t want to be frightened out of my wits or be confused trying to follow the plot.
The author has done her fair share of bringing us the history, dress, setting and customs of the country, at that point in history, as she has in her previous stories in this series. It’s fun, and entertaining and I’m really looking forward to another exciting adventure with Lady Caroline.

[Chaitra]

This one is a surprising series for me. I didn't find the first book inspiring, and I only continued the series because it didn't actively offend me. But I've come to love Uncle Albert and Caroline and the occasional guest appearance by Poppy. Caroline makes connections naturally and by means of real investigation and Uncle Albert contributes by stumbling upon (or falling into in the case of this book) a few clues. James I could do without, and it seems like so does Caroline, so it's all good.

[Walter Underwood]

Nice read. A great addition to the series.

The line by line retelling of clues and events by the main character is a little tedious. Other than that, this is a fun tale of the further adventures of Lady Caroline and her uncle. I like all the Egyptian lore and the Nile river as a setting. It gets a little convoluted at the end, but when you have written as many adventures as I. Bassatt has, doing something original requires some complexity. I look forward to the next book in the series.

[Sarah]

Hijinks

Lots of curses, bodies, and mystery. Lady Caroline once again faces a plot. It's enjoyable, light, and all explained at the end. The main hiccup, is the relationship between Caroline and James which is talked about but lacks emotion and depth. They say they want to be together, but they certainly don't do much together. They come off as vague friends from a long time ago and not partners, lovers, or even best friends now.

[Gary and Sandra Sims]

Cute story

Lady Caroline, Uncle Albert and his croneys, along with their secretaries, are travelling up the Nile in Egypt where all is well except for that pesky curse proclaiming a death to one of their members. When one of the party dies that could be an accident but another that's murder. Lady Caroline starts gathering the clues and figures out the culprit. Very witty story with fun characters makes for an enjoyable reading experience.

[Nordiana Baruzzi]

Bullseye again Ms Bassett

Lady Caroline is and Uncle Albert are in Egypt, with the entire Society, hunting for Scarabs -don't call them beetle, please- and end up embroiled in another murder or two. And per usual Caroline finds out who the culprit is.

A slew of well established characters, a few new ones to liven up the story, and a fantastic whodunit, all of it set in the heyday of Egyptian excavations.

Highly recommended for all historical cozy mystery buffs

[KELLY A JACK]

Secret of the Scarab book 5

This was a fun historical murder mystery clean romance with quirky characters and clues that were a possible fit but exactly the opposite which took some digging into with the help of 3 wily aunts . I hope for more books in this entertaining series.❣️💃🏻😉🙀🤨🧐

[Laurie J.]

I love these books and characters. This one had a bit too much rehashing in the head. And a couple of times the MC was essentially throwing up her hands in frustration “I’m so confused” which I’m not fond of.

Love her uncle and his society of lords with their singular quests of strange things along with the even stranger prizes.

[Mary Kyle]

Miss Caroline is delightful

MS Bassett writes some truly delightful characters. Lady Caroline is smart & fearless, her Uncle is fun and single minded in his eccentricity. I look forward to more adventures with the Royal Society.

[Carol E. Drewes]

Murder, and Beetles, on the Nile

Fortune hunters, archeologists, and wealthy naturalists from Britain and the United States travel from Cairo to Luxor. Lady Caroline uses thoughtful observation to discover the killer among them, and their motivation.

[Marcia Ditter]

This is a great read.
Ever since reading Murder on the Nile and seeing the movie, I have enjoyed finding books about Egypt, especially ones taking place on boats.

Guess that I will start this series with Book 1.

[Gail Krisman]

Deaths in Egypt and in London are they related?

Lady Caroline is traveling with her uncle again. Of course trouble follows her. A death in London seemingly has nothing to with the murders in Egypt. The clues tell a different story.

[Leslie]

Please! Someone!! My audio book ends: The murderer is * * .
Thank you for listening...

The 2 asterisks are words I hear--but they're not even a NAME!

Argh for all I know I am missing an entire last chapter

[M Carpenter]

Kindle Book

I hate reading books in Kindle but had to read ending of this book. Reason is the Audible audiobook stops before the ending. This book is a good story and decent mystery. Recommended

[Maya Ch]

Lady Caroline travels to Egypt with Uncle Albert and entire Royal Society . Greed, power oust and love brought another investigation for her and James, with uncle Albert providing crucial clue solutions.

[Patricia Moran]

pretty good

At the beginning I was very interested and was invested in the story. As it progressed it became a bit repetitive and wordy. Ending was okay.

[Chris]

I think this was my favourite of the series. Who wouldn’t enjoy a nice cozy cruise down the Nile, in search of murderers and cursed tombs?

[Sherri Witkowski]

Dreadfully dull just like the characters in the story. I got bored half-way, and didn't finish the book.

[Marina]

Loved the characters, the setting, the plot. It felt unfinished though, but I guess that’s part of the hook to find the next book. Love this series!

[Vintagebooklvr]

I love myself a good mystery set relating to archaeology and Egypt.

[J A Edrington]

Don't "read" the audio book. It is missing the last two chapters!! (I.e. the chapters where all is revealed!)

[Llyn Whyte]

Delightful cozy series. Mysteries, Caroline's family, and locales are top notch.

Uncle Albert and the Society push these books from 4 to 5 for me.

[Deirdre E Siegel]

A rollicking jaunt with Uncle Albert, Lady Caroline, James, the usual Golden Platypus set with cameos from Poppy and Leo, beetles, sand and sunshine for added laughs.
Thank you for your words Isabella Bassett, very much appreciated. :-)