Curses and magic!

The Mummy of Mayfair (Irregular Detective Mysteries #2) by Jeri Westerson  

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Eygptmania and mummy unwrapping parties is sweeping the drawing rooms of London.

Everyone is into it. All want a little bit of the exotic, or to be delightfully horrified by the rumours of curses. I was rather repulsed by the information from one Mayfair darling that, 

“after the uwrapping they ground the poor fellow into powder. It was supposed to have magical and medicinal properties. [She kept the ground remains]in a little bottle on [her] dressing table. They have  absorbed the sunshine and starlight of a different world than ours, when magic was tangible.” As another guest stated, “a little macabre!”

Detectives Timothy Badger and Benjamin Watson, former Baker Street Irregulars, now protégées of the famous man himself, Sherlock Holmes, have been hired Doctor Enoch Sawyer as Security at his unwrapping party. However Sawyer is late and his partner Doctor Cornelius Archer commences the unwrapping procedure 

The event takes a shocking turn when their missing employer and party host is found dead within the wrappings.

That’s the end of their employment. Not so! Dr. Archer hires them to continue their investigations.

Those uncover a raft of wrongdoings. Bodies being taken from hospitals for students to dissect, cocaine missing, and embezzlement. The trail leads into the heart of respectability—Mayfair!

Not only that, missing Egyptian statues and other artefacts purloined from Egypt and smuggled into England have since been removed from their current owners.

All this has Badger and Watson questioning previous innocent deaths that many put down to the result of a mummy’s curse.

They’re ably joined by reporter Miss Ellsie Moria Littleton whom Badger has hidden feelings for.

Another ex-irregular joins the fray. Things become exceedingly dicey. The pair faithfully use the Method (as promoted by their mentor Holmes) but run into various roadblocks. Sometimes they must rely on leaps of intuition.

Another fabulous story told with Westerson’s usual brilliant writing. A tale that moves along right snappily. I’m in!

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley.                                              

Many thanks to the author and publisher.

Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change