This is the story of Rosetta
Cranleigh, named after the Rosetta Stone by her parents who were Egyptologists and
“lived in a remote atmosphere of scholarship, apart from the mundane ménage of
a household.” Thus, Rosetta lived among the family’s servants (a wonderful
group of characters!) was content to because she felt safe and loved. Holt is
at her best when describing the heroine’s life in the early stages.
As Rosetta grows up, her
parents begin to notice her when her active mind takes an interest in the
antiquities of Egypt. So they invite her to their dinner parties where she
meets Lucas Lorimer, a delightful younger son of a wealthy family who is
traveling with her parents to Cape Town to give a talk about an old stone he
found. Rosetta’s parents decide to take her with them when the three leave on
the voyage. On the trip, Rosetta meets another man, Simon Perrivale, who is
fleeing a false charge of murdering his half brother. Of course, there is a
shipwreck and Rosetta, Lucas and Simon are thrust upon the shores of a small
island, where thanks to Simon’s efforts they survive.
Captured by pirates, Rosetta
ends up in the harem of a Pasha in Constantinople where her blonde hair and
blue eyes set her apart. But she is determined to avoid the Pasha’s bed and
find her friends Simon and Lucas and return to London. She worries that her parents,
ever oblivious of what is going on around them, may have drowned in the
shipwreck.
Told from the first person,
we see the unfolding drama from Rosetta’s perspective, and her growing
affection for Simon and her passionate resolve to find the real killer of
Simon’s half brother. (I should add this story is without love scenes and has
virtually no sexual tension.)
Holt has a way of capturing
your interest by the smallest of details in ordinary life. It’s the way she
tells it, like each little thread is significant in some way or other. And so
there is suspense in small things. Her dialog is brisk and the pace moves
along. In this case, Rosetta becomes the detective solving a crime that
occurred in the past but which has implications for the future as Lucas becomes
her ally. And Holt does a great job of withholding the ending till the last
moment.
Buy on Amazon.
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