Clarissa Bell is an Oxford trained archaeologist in the 1920s so no one takes her seriously. But her father’s wealth enables her to join a dig in Egypt. And her speciality on pottery and various Egyptian pigments quickly embroils her in a mystery involving missing artifacts, forgeries, and murder. She meets a charming rogue, Benedict Quinn, who may or may not be trustworthy. Events take a serious turn when she realizes some of the forgeries are designed to suppress information – and several groups do not want this to get out. She is threatened, kidnapped and almost killed before the murderer is discovered.

But the man behind the larger crime remains unknown.

This mystery had more than a whiff of Crocodile on the Sandbank (the first Amelia Peabody mystery by Elizabeth Peters.) Clarissa is an annoying protagonist, especially in the beginning; arrogant, a know-it-all and reckless to the point of foolishness. I almost didn’t finish the book because of her character. However, her flaws smooth out a little, and some explanation is given for her academic arrogance. The mystery is interesting and the setting can’t be beat. All the information on pottery and pigments was very interesting.

So, recommended, with the caveat I mentioned.