This is my second Miss Clara Vale Mystery. Last year I read and reviewed The Pantomime Murders. I ended that review with the words: ‘I’ve got a feeling I’ll be spending more time with Miss Clara Vale in the future’, and what do you know, just over six months later I find myself solving mysteries with the spunky lady investigator once again.

The year is 1930 and Clara, our heroine, has donated some of her deceased uncle’s Egyptian artifacts and papers to a local museum. But what should have been a joyous occasion soon turns sour when she discovers a mummy that is very recent as well as a selection of Egyptian jewels that shouldn’t even be in England, never mind in her local museum.

When she’s asked to investigate it isn’t long before she finds herself on a journey to Egypt where she soon finds herself in danger as the plot thickens.

There is so much to enjoy in this book. The mystery is intriguing, Clara Vale is a wonderful MC, as is Bessie her assistant and there isn’t a dull moment in the story. This story is properly set in 1930. For example, there is mention of Dr. Fleming and penicillin, the start of (commercial) air travel, and most delightfully, Agatha Christie makes an appearance when Clara is in Egypt. The author’s biography states that Fiona Veitch Smith is a huge fan of Golden Age of Mystery stories, and her books show that clearly.

I love Clara Vale’s independence which was still a rare and mostly unheard of in the early decades of the 20th century.

The Pyramid Murders was well written and filled with detail without ever dragging. The characters are vivid, and the mystery is very well plotted. Which means I’ll end this review as I did my review of The Pantomime Murders. I will be spending more time with Miss Clara Vale in the future. While I wait for book #4 to be published, I can go back and read The Picture House Murders, the first title in this series.

The Pyramid Murders, third in the Miss Clara Vale series, starts with a mummy case being opened in a museum. If you've ever read an Amelia Peabody mystery, you know you'll have to keep going to see what happens next (even though this is a much tamer, less zany series than that beloved long-running family saga filled with murder, mayhem, and motherhood). There's a mysterious Egyptologist who vanishes, another who never turns up at all, a break-in, a surprise discovery... and that's all in the opening chapters.

This novel is firmly rooted in the 1920s craze for all things Egyptian. It's on the cosy side of the mystery tradition, with low gore, off-page murders, and the focus on the detective and her close associates during their investigation. The first half takes place in Newcastle and other parts of England, while the second takes our intrepid investigators to Egypt. The Egyptology is pretty solid, the clues are well seeded, and the recurring characters all get their chance to shine. It will be welcomed by fans of the series and may well draw new devotees.

The downsides are that there's no particular sense of menace, a bit too much inner monologue or talking things over before acting, and one of those long-drawn villain monologues needed to explain a lot of the early off-page activity that couldn't have been really figured out from anything in the text.

Overall, this is a good weekend read, low stress and competently crafted.

While helping reveal her deceased uncle Egyptian collection at a local museum, private detective Clara Vale gets caught up in a murder investigation when the ancient Egyptian mummy is replaced with a much more recently deceased body. Found in the sarcophagus alongside the murder victim is a cache of ancient jewelry that was presumably smuggled out of Egypt. To return the stolen jewelry and discover the identity of the murder victim, Clara and her assistant travel to Egypt where they track down a murder and international smuggling ring.

THE PYRAMID MURDERS is the first Clara Vale Mystery that I’ve read, but I plan to go back and read the first two novels in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The time period and locations were clearly researched methodically and there was plenty of tidbits contemporary to the early 1930s thrown in to enhance the story. The novel was very well written and the plot never dragged. Clara is a spunky and likable main character. I can’t wait to see what Clara gest up to next.

I found this to be a wonderful read. I don’t usually like a lot of description but in this case, it set the scene beautifully. There were a lot of characters but they were easy to keep track of. The mystery was light but still had me guessing till the end. I found it well written with wonderful characters. It kept me turning the page. I received this as an ARC from Netgalley and freely give my review.

Quirky, cosy, enjoyable. This reminded me of when I was younger and obsessed with Egyptology. An easy read with a bit of mystery. Would recommend giving it a go!

The third in this delightful series. I am really enjoying these books.

Clara has inherited her uncle’s detective business in Newcastle. Clara discovers that the mummy being unveiled in the local museum’s Egyptian exhibit isn’t quite what it seems. The trail leads her to Egypt. A great cast of characters set in 1930, a cameo from Agatha Christie.. what’s not to like!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy to review!

The Pyramid Murders is a delightful cozy mystery that will appeal to readers who enjoy smart and sassy protagonists, interesting and not too complicated plots, and a whole lot of FUN! This is the second I’ve read in the Clara Vale series and I am coming to really like the elegant and determined heiress-chemist-turned-private-investigator.

Here, there is the added element of Egyptology - mummies, sarcophagi, digs in the desert, and maps to secret chambers housing untold treasures. Pair that with some sneaky antagonists and lots of madcap adventures and you have one of the most entertaining cozies I’ve read in a long time.

Well done!

Clara Vale inherited her Uncle Bob’s estate and his investigation agency upon his death. Uncle Bob had been an amateur archaeologist as well as an investigator. An event at the Hancock Museum in memory of Uncle Bob, Clara and Uncle Bob’s friend Dr. Daphne Coleman discover that the mummy that the British Museum had loaned to the Hancock for the event was not an ancient mummy at all, but the body of a young woman who had recently died, made to look like a mummy. Further discovery of the ancient jewels of Queen Ahhotep who died about 1530 BC sent Clara and her assistant Bella to Egypt on an exciting and dangerous adventure to discover who the young woman was and to return the jewels to Egypt from where they had apparently been stolen. Clara and Bella found themselves in the midst of a mystery involving the antiquities black market, with lots of people trying to stop their investigations.

There is a large cast of characters, mostly archaeologists from various countries, all of whom begin to look as if they could be involved in the mummy swap, and possibly the murder of the young woman. And who was trying to get their hands on the ancient jewels?

It was great fun trying to untangle the mystery and figure who were the bad guys and who were the good guys. Attempts of the lives of both Clara and Bella step up the drama as the two get closer to figuring things out. It was a fun read, and I recommend it to all mystery lovers.

This cozy includes a lot of family drama. I enjoy cozies that are quirky and fun, without a lot of angst, so this one wasn’t a good fit for me. I’m sure others will enjoy it.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Starts out strong. A wrong mummy, a lot of Egyptian jewelry, and a struggle to get ahead for women in the field of archaeology and museumology. Hints of Agatha Christie at times, which is always fun. Liked this one, but sadly trying to keep track of the multiple characters that traveled to Egypt were a bit hard to keep track of who was who. Might just be me, as I tend to skim and read fast at times. Still though, enjoyed this one and would recommend.

"Handling a substantial estate is a challenge for anyone, even without the handicap of being a woman.’"
When will they learn? The fiercely independent Miss Clara Vale once again proves that being a woman is certainly not a handicap and that she is up for any challenge! In the third installment in this cozy mystery series, Miss Clara takes on mummified bodies, stolen jewels, and pyramids, oh my! If you thought Clara was a force to be recognized in England, just watch her take Egypt by storm!

The Pyramid Murders in the third book in the Clara Vale series by Fiona Veitch Smith. I found it less compelling than the earlier books but that might be due to my woeful lack of interest in Ancient Egypt! And I certainly still read it quickly, keen to know the outcome as well as which characters could be trusted. I particularly liked the period details which gave great colour to the setting. And I have to congratulate Fiona Veitch Smith for the way she evoked modern (in terms of the story) Egypt. I could see Clara and Bella and the others making their way through Cairo and out into the desert.