A Veronica Speedwell Mystery - A Treacherous Curse (Veronica Speedwell Mystery, #3)

by Deanna Raybourn

London, 1888. Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell can't resist the allure of an exotic mystery-particularly one involving her enigmatic colleague, Stoker. His former expedition partner has vanished from an archaeological dig with a priceless diadem unearthed from the newly discovered tomb of an Egyptian princess, just the latest in a string of unfortunate events that have plagued the controversial expedition. In London, rumours abound that the curse of the vengeful princess has been unleashed as the shadowy figure of Anubis himself stalks the streets.

Sordid details emerge from Stoker's past, and caught in a tangle of conspiracies and threats, Veronica must separate facts from fantasy to unravel a web of duplicity that threatens to cost Stoker everything...

• ISBN13: 9781785650529
• Publish Date: 9 January 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Titan Books Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Liz (Bent Bookworm)]

~*Check out all my reviews over on The Bent Bookworm!*~

Warning: Possible spoilers for the first two books in this series (but not this one)!

A Treacherous Curse is the third book in the Veronica Speedwell series, and there is so much development and we learn so much more about the main characters. I absolutely loved it! This is a continuous series, so you definitely need to read the first book, A Curious Beginning, and the second, A Perilous Undertaking, to be able to jump into this one.

Our main squeezes are back, and in stellar form per usual. This time though, we are plunged headfirst into Stoker’s backstory. FINALLY!!! I have been absolutely dying to know what happened in Brazil to make him so bitter and so hurt and scarred…and we FINALLY get to find out. It was just as gritty and heartbreaking as I expected it to be…I was actually sitting on our couch reading, curled in a ball with one hand clamped over my mouth (my husband was slightly concerned). Veronica is still trying to get over what happened in the previous book…which she will not talk about, with anyone, but which bothers her VERY much. For those who need a refresher… …she and Stoker had finally made it to kissing (albeit while under the influence of opium, used for chasing a lead in their case, naturally), and IN THE MIDDLE of kissing her, he moaned his ex-wife’s name. Phew! Talk about a mood killer. But the next day, he acted like he didn’t remember anything at all happening and of course she was too mortified to mention it!. Somehow they still manage to be friends and partners but it’s all been very tense.

The mystery here was interesting but to me secondary to the character development. I was intrigued to see how Deanna would handle the egyptology angle, as that is one aspect of the Victorian era that seems to be worked over A LOT in mysteries. I’m happy to say that it was quite well done! Nothing particularly novel, but again the character development really took control here as we were introduced to some of the archaeologists leading the expedition in question, along with their families. I didn’t figure out the culprit until near the actual end, which I loved. I hate it when I’ve figured a mystery out way before the characters!

5/5 stars. A Treacherous Curse is a solid continuation of the storyline in this series and I am so excited for the next book!

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[bookperson]

Deanna Raybourn, you clever, beautiful woman!
How is it possible to make every book better than the previous? And 1st one was one of my favorites of all time! How do you do this?
Absolutely loved it! Can't wait to reread!

[cherryblossommj]

300 pages is never enough for a Veronica Speedwell mystery or Lady Grey or any Deanna Raybourn. While she is one of a handful of novelists that I will leave my Christian Historical Fiction shelves to read. I will continued to catch all of Deanna's novels without hesitation. I snatched this one from the library the week it was released but life got in the way until this past week or so. But what a wonderful spooky way to get in the mood for autumn and Halloween. Now, I believe I'll grab a Julia Grey or another to continue the ambiance for my reading trends for this October.

This would be a great gateway from reading Michelle Moran's Egyptian novels to Deanna Raybourn I'd you haven't made the jump yet. It was actually Michelle who introduced me to Julia Grey and I became an avid fan. I need to buy this one for my shelves digital and physical like all the rest.

A little note, in the past I received Raybourn novels for review. This is not a review product as my reviews have slowed down and I did not seek out to request it. I still loved every minute of reading it and plan to add it to my keeper shelves.

Veronica and Stoker are the wittiest characters and their unsaid romance is palpable. I cannot wait to see what happens for them next.

[MurderByDeath]

I love Veronica Speedwell.  Her character is almost everything I admire in a person, with the exceptions of her penchants for collecting butterflies, necessitating her killing them, and her need to verbalise her sexual liberty.  This isn't hypocrisy on my part; I think it's distasteful when men make their sexual needs topics of casual conversation, and it's no less so when a woman does it.  Boundaries.  Good fences make good neighbours and all that.   But these are very minor niggles.  Everything else about Veronica is excellent and Stoker doesn't suck either.  Raybourn has found that perfect balance of rawness, gentility, intelligence, anger, and grace in her hero (although I have to say, what's up with the eye patch? Is that really considered sexy?  I see one and have to resist the urge to pull it and watch it snap back).  The dialog between the two of them is snappy and sometimes electric.  There's no doubt as to where these two are headed, but Raybourn is taking her time sending them there, and doing it well enough that I, for one, feel no impatience for them to get on with it already.   The mystery plot is the only thing that held this book back a bit for me.  It succeeded in terms of leaving me guessing until the very end, but honestly it was so convoluted that I stopped trying to figure it out about halfway through and just focused on the characters until the end.  That's not necessarily a criticism; this is a strong book just on the merits of being an engrossing work of historical fiction.  But my enjoyment came from the story first, with the mystery an afterthought.   Sadly, I'm going to have to wait an entire year for the fourth book.  But I'll be looking forward to it with anticipation.

[kalventure]

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, for the arc in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I was unaware that this was part of a series when I received my arc, but I was pleasantly surprised that for being the third installment it is accessible to new readers to the series. Any major plot developments from the previous books are recalled briefly early on, and barring a better understanding of the dynamics between Stoker and Veronica's relationship I do not feel that I missed out.

Overall I enjoyed the story: Veronica and Stoker are tasked with uncovering the mystery surrounding Stoker's former best friend, John de Morgan, in order to clear his name from further tarnishment while also dealing with an alleged mummy's curse and theft of an artifact. Set in 1888, the way it is written using words common to that era, Raybourn really gave the impression of the book being from that time period.

I did find myself a bit bored mid-way through the book, but I was interested to see the resolution so I persevered. It may have been a bit longer than necessary, and some of the exposition, inner monologue and descriptions, along with the "high society" voice for the book, may have contributed to the feeling of the plot dragging on. I really enjoyed spunky Veronica, and the resolution gave me good memories of Scooby Doo.

I'd recommend this book to anyone that enjoys historical fiction, archaeology (especially mummies!), and strong female characters.

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

This is the third book in the Veronica Speedwell mysteries by Deanna Raybourn, due out January 16th, 2018 from Penguin/Random House - Berkley imprint.

This is a Victorian cozy mystery with modern characters, language and, mostly, sensibilities. It goes quite well on a shelf with Amelia Peabody, Kathryn Ardleigh, Charlotte Pitt, and others in that vein. I love that genre (Victorian cozy mysteries with plucky modern heroines?). I don't think many would argue that a big pot of Earl Grey tea, a wet and wintry afternoon and a fully charged kindle loaded with modern Victorian mysteries is a guaranteed recipe for bliss.

Other reviewers have done a stellar job of summarizing the plot. I'll just add that the pacing is well done and though the book is relatively long, at 352 pages, it doesn't drag. The story is cleverly written and even though the dialogue is fairly snarky in places, I didn't feel tempted to roll my eyes much at all.

I like that Veronica is a lepidopterist and naturalist. I also enjoyed the romantic tension between her and her colleague Stoker. Even though it seems inevitable that they will wind up together, I hope Ms. Raybourn delays the inevitable as long as possible. The book is well written and the scene descriptions are wrought with care and technical expertise.

The cover art for this series is beautiful and intricate.

Four stars

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Veronica Speedwell is one of my favorite characters. She is brazen, witty and a free thinker. The banter, and teasing she tortures Stoker with making them the ideal pair. While romantic notions are hinted at between them, the case takes front and center. Each book contains a new mystery, but I recommend starting at the beginning of the series for character development, relationships and because they are fantastic historical mysteries!

A mummy curse, a missing Egyptian artifact, an ex-wife and missing ex-best friend soon have Stoker and Veronica investigating. A physical altercation between Stoker and Morgan, our missing ex-friend make him a suspect in his disappearance. What a fun, original case, complete with an Egyptian curse. From richly developed and quirky characters we had ample suspects. The story was well-paced with climatic scenes, danger, and twists.

Raybourn sheds light on Stoker, as we learn about his short marriage, the damage to his reputations and the scars he carries. I must say Mrs. Morgan made our Veronica quite persnickety. Veronica continues to amuse me and is one of my favorite historical female characters. The things that come out of her mouth are hilarious, and she speaks so matter of factly it is pure joy. The sexual tension between her and Stoker continues to build, and  I want to lock them in the Butterfly atrium until they give in.

If you love historical mysteries and intelligent, complex characters with a slow-building romance you'll want to read A Treacherous Curse and the Veronica Speedwell series. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer