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The Crystal's Curse
2021 Goldie Winner!! Unconventional archaeologist, Dr. Cassandra Stillwell, seeks to solve the 3500-year-ago murder of a female pharaoh, Hatshepsut. She and her young assistant, Ari Morgan, travel to Luxor, Egypt in search of Hatshepsut’s mummy. Their quest is complicated by a modern-day murder, an inept police detective, an over-zealous government minister, and an ancient curse. Will Cass and Ari solve the murder and find Hatshepsut—and love—among the ancient tombs of the Valley of the Kings?
- GenresHistorical FictionLGBT
122 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 8, 2020
1 person is currently reading
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 22, 2021
The opening (Prologue) of this novel was outstanding. It was atmospheric and had a clever red herring leading the Reader to think that the novel's principal mystery would be finding out who murdered Hatshepsut. The Egyptian-related details included was also sufficient to convince/carry the narrative without being overwhelming.
Ari's affection for her mum and grandmother, and her interaction with them was sweet and added a nice dimension to Ari's character. I also liked the implied acceptance of her ex's (Eleanor) open approach to relationships in the novel's narrative - it's not often explicit in lesfic.
Ari's affection for her mum and grandmother, and her interaction with them was sweet and added a nice dimension to Ari's character. I also liked the implied acceptance of her ex's (Eleanor) open approach to relationships in the novel's narrative - it's not often explicit in lesfic.
December 29, 2020
The story reminded me a bit of Agatha Christie's Death On The Nile. There's a murder mystery and some other cosy mystery type elements portrayed in this Egyptian themed tale.
It's set in 1970's, the main character is a student of 23 called Ari, who had been having an affair with one of her female writing professors. She gets recommended for a position of assistant with another female professor named Cass - who wants to do a dig in Egypt to find Hatshepsut's tomb. The lady Pharaoh is an obsession for Dr Cassandra Stillwell.
There is a slight romance angle. However, I didn't necessarily believe the connection these two had. I also felt it unbelievable that Ari with no previous skill in that area of study (like at all) would be given such a position.
I guess for me the main issue is the story was different to what I had expected. I had thought there would be more ancient mysticism about the Pharaoh, and more focus on archaeology itself - but instead I got a generic murder mystery set in a Egyptian hotel with a number of conniving suspects.
So as I said very much an Agatha Christie-esque story, very readable, but not terribly exciting. I'm glad I got it on sale.
It's set in 1970's, the main character is a student of 23 called Ari, who had been having an affair with one of her female writing professors. She gets recommended for a position of assistant with another female professor named Cass - who wants to do a dig in Egypt to find Hatshepsut's tomb. The lady Pharaoh is an obsession for Dr Cassandra Stillwell.
There is a slight romance angle. However, I didn't necessarily believe the connection these two had. I also felt it unbelievable that Ari with no previous skill in that area of study (like at all) would be given such a position.
I guess for me the main issue is the story was different to what I had expected. I had thought there would be more ancient mysticism about the Pharaoh, and more focus on archaeology itself - but instead I got a generic murder mystery set in a Egyptian hotel with a number of conniving suspects.
So as I said very much an Agatha Christie-esque story, very readable, but not terribly exciting. I'm glad I got it on sale.
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April 30, 20213.2.5 to 3.5
The Crystal's Curse definitely has a Agatha Christie/cosy feel - but when you have a murder mystery with a cast of international scallywag's set in Egypt, its hard not to think of Death on the Nile. I've always had a slight fascination with ancient Egypt and archeology (and I've read A LOT of Christie's books when I was younger) so I was happy to pick this one up.
It was nice to read a novel with a different setting than so many that I've read and I enjoyed the book overall. The story starts in 70s New York where young Ariadne Morgan is referred by her former teacher/lover for a position as an assistant/secretary for archeologist Dr Cassandra Stillwell. In a rather whirlwind interview, Ari is hired and the two set off to Luxor, Egypt where Cass is intent on finding the proof of her discredited theory that Hatshepsut was more than just queen regent in the New Kingdom and that she was murdered by her stepson and her achievements as a female pharaoh were erased from history. While at the hotel in Luxor, they meet up with rival archeologists and shady characters and the resulting murder causes suspicion and further danger as Ari and Cass are prime suspects. There's a romance - but very understated and barely any build-up - but the focus is more on the mystery (murder and resting place of Hatshepsut).
I would have loved this book to be longer - with more time and detail on all the elements from the history and archeology, to the murder and suspects and to the romance. At under 130 pages (on my Kindle), it just didn't have the time or space to flesh out the characters or mystery elements and I was more than willing to spend a lot more time with the characters and situations.
A quick and entertaining read.
The Crystal's Curse definitely has a Agatha Christie/cosy feel - but when you have a murder mystery with a cast of international scallywag's set in Egypt, its hard not to think of Death on the Nile. I've always had a slight fascination with ancient Egypt and archeology (and I've read A LOT of Christie's books when I was younger) so I was happy to pick this one up.
It was nice to read a novel with a different setting than so many that I've read and I enjoyed the book overall. The story starts in 70s New York where young Ariadne Morgan is referred by her former teacher/lover for a position as an assistant/secretary for archeologist Dr Cassandra Stillwell. In a rather whirlwind interview, Ari is hired and the two set off to Luxor, Egypt where Cass is intent on finding the proof of her discredited theory that Hatshepsut was more than just queen regent in the New Kingdom and that she was murdered by her stepson and her achievements as a female pharaoh were erased from history. While at the hotel in Luxor, they meet up with rival archeologists and shady characters and the resulting murder causes suspicion and further danger as Ari and Cass are prime suspects. There's a romance - but very understated and barely any build-up - but the focus is more on the mystery (murder and resting place of Hatshepsut).
I would have loved this book to be longer - with more time and detail on all the elements from the history and archeology, to the murder and suspects and to the romance. At under 130 pages (on my Kindle), it just didn't have the time or space to flesh out the characters or mystery elements and I was more than willing to spend a lot more time with the characters and situations.
A quick and entertaining read.
August 30, 2021
Great.
I really enjoyed The Crystal’s Curse. It’s great when a novel can interest you in a topic or field you never looked at. Great book.
I really enjoyed The Crystal’s Curse. It’s great when a novel can interest you in a topic or field you never looked at. Great book.
June 2, 2024
A sapphic cozy mystery vibe with a little bit of a "Raiders of the Lost Ark" mix
I read some of the reviews prior to reading this, but decided to form my own opinion. The curse was barely mentioned and didn't really impact any of the characters. The story took place in the 1970s, so that needs to be kept in mind. Ari, a student about to start graduate school in the fall, was the primary character, and she was likeable. She was well-organized, eager to please, and just getting over being "teacher's pet" with a professor. Cass, an archeologist, didn't show up until later because she was looking for summer help to record events and artifacts for a dig. She had a habit of getting so involved in her work, she'd forget to do the significant clerical parts. There were a few times in the story that mentioned her having some sort of intuition, but it's never discussed or fleshed out.
There's a "whodunit" murder at their hotel involved with a competing archeologist/treasure hunter that kept the ensemble of characters there for close to 48 hours. That event seemed to be about half of the book, which is something other readers complained about in reviews. The MCs solved it (of course), recovered an item which belonged to Cass that was supposed to help find the tomb, and finally got back on their mission.
Throughout the stay in Egypt, a physical relationship developed between the MCs. The novel was not a romance, which was another reviewer point of contention. Breaking it down, it's mostly mystery with a minor amount of Indiana Jones and romance thrown in. It's also the first in a series, which was never mentioned in any reviews. I found it odd that it's called 'A Cass & Ari Adventure' when Ari was the primary character, not Cass. The second book in the series was given a release date for June 6th this year.
It was entertaining, but I prefer other predominantly archeological adventures over it. The very low amount of romance was a great change of pace, though.
I read some of the reviews prior to reading this, but decided to form my own opinion. The curse was barely mentioned and didn't really impact any of the characters. The story took place in the 1970s, so that needs to be kept in mind. Ari, a student about to start graduate school in the fall, was the primary character, and she was likeable. She was well-organized, eager to please, and just getting over being "teacher's pet" with a professor. Cass, an archeologist, didn't show up until later because she was looking for summer help to record events and artifacts for a dig. She had a habit of getting so involved in her work, she'd forget to do the significant clerical parts. There were a few times in the story that mentioned her having some sort of intuition, but it's never discussed or fleshed out.
There's a "whodunit" murder at their hotel involved with a competing archeologist/treasure hunter that kept the ensemble of characters there for close to 48 hours. That event seemed to be about half of the book, which is something other readers complained about in reviews. The MCs solved it (of course), recovered an item which belonged to Cass that was supposed to help find the tomb, and finally got back on their mission.
Throughout the stay in Egypt, a physical relationship developed between the MCs. The novel was not a romance, which was another reviewer point of contention. Breaking it down, it's mostly mystery with a minor amount of Indiana Jones and romance thrown in. It's also the first in a series, which was never mentioned in any reviews. I found it odd that it's called 'A Cass & Ari Adventure' when Ari was the primary character, not Cass. The second book in the series was given a release date for June 6th this year.
It was entertaining, but I prefer other predominantly archeological adventures over it. The very low amount of romance was a great change of pace, though.
November 2, 2022
Needing a murder mystery but make it Egyptian. Not what expected but still intriguing.
July 23, 2025
Enjoyed this fast-paced mystery/romance. I enjoyed learning about the Egyptian archaeology world and appreciated the 1972 setting. The characters were likable and interesting.
March 19, 2022
It was okay although I think they spent far too long in the hotel and not enough looking for the tomb.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews