Covert in Cairo by Kelly Oliver
Cairo. December 1917.
Following a tip-off from notorious spy Fredrick Fredricks, Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane of British Intelligence find themselves in the hustle and bustle of Egypt. But ancient mummies aren’t the only bodies buried in the tombs of Cairo.
When a young French archeologist is found dead in a tomb in the desert with his head bashed in, and an undercover British agent goes missing, the threat moves closer to home.
As they dig deeper, soon Fiona and Kitty uncover a treasure trove of suspects, including competing excavators, jealous husbands, secret lovers, and belligerent spies! Fiona wonders if the notorious Fredrick Fredricks could be behind the murders? Or is the plot even more sinister?
One thing is clear – If Fiona and Kitty can’t catch the killer, they might end up sharing a sarcophagus with Nefertiti.
With humor as dry as the Arabian desert, and pacing as fast as a spitting camel, Fiona and Kitty are back in another sparkling adventure, this time in WW1 Egypt.
About the author
Kelly Oliver is the award-winning, bestselling author of three mysteries series: The Jessica James Mysteries, The Pet Detective Mysteries, and the historical cozies The Fiona FiggMysteries, set in WW1. She is also the Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University and lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She is bringing new titles in the Fiona Figg series to Boldwood, the first of which, Chaos in Carnegie Hall, will be published in November 2022.
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Review
‘Covert in Cairo’ is a light-hearted romp through the Egyptian capital, chasing murderers into tombs, camel chases and the intrigue of the war! This is the second in the series and although it can be read as a standalone I would recommend reading the first book. It does explain a bit of background on why the ‘villian’ of the piece is fixated on Fiona etc.
Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane have been asked to follow notorious spy Fredrick Fredricks to Egypt in order to foil a plot to blow up the Suez Canal. Whilst in Cairo they become involved with finding a missing undercover British agent who they think is linked to a suspicious death. A young French archaeologist has been found murdered in a tomb and has had his head bashed in! Fiona and Kitty are soon deeply involved as Fiona thinks that Fredrick could be involved! Will they sort out the mess before they themselves find in danger?
As much as I like Fiona I want to know more about Kitty! What is she up to when she disappears, what was she actually doing in France and how did she get her skills?! She is the more alluring of the characters and I would like to see her more centre stage as I think it would be a delightful riot! Fiona needs to understand their relationship has changed from when they were in New York and she needs to view her as a colleague rather than a ward. Hopefully, this will start to develop in further books.
This is a fun and exciting historical mystery! The author manages to evoke the sense of Egypt in the first world war. I particularly liked the inclusion of Egyptians wanting to retain their history and culture. So much was stolen from them and carted off to private collectors and museums. Once again real historical figures have been interwoven into the narrative which makes it feel authentic and believable.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
