Sherlock Bones and the Curse of the Pharaoh's Mask Book Review
- Sarah Ickes
- Feb 20
- 3 min read
This is listed for Young Readers Aged 7 – 9
When a reader chooses to lose sleep, by pushing themselves to read into the wee hours of the morning, you can be pretty sure that it’s because the storyline is quite captivating. (Or they are trying to get a reading assignment done at the last minute.)
This novel, the second in the Sherlock Bones series, was just as good as the first, in my humble opinion. In terms of everything that makes a great mystery what it is, this book had it all: well-developed characters, twists and turns, and a crime worth solving. But the imagination of the author also deserves some attention, as his characters retain a nice balance between their animal attributes and human personalities.
At the beginning of the story, Sherlock Bones and Dr. Catson are in search of Hastings, an old acquaintance of Dr. Catson, while being on holiday in Egypt. After locating him in a crowded section of El Kitten, they partake in lunch where the conversation leaves Catson wondering if the Mask of Tutancatmun is truly cursed.
The great Sherlock Bones isn’t deterred by the rumors, of course, and the duo proceed to join their cruise along the Nile, floating toward the Valley of the Cats. While their fellow passengers may not be preferred company, a few books and the beautiful view from deck promises to be restful, until they reach the tombs.
First a cup is stolen from Teddy the bison, who's profession is selling fur-dryers, and ends up being an easily-solvable crime that bores Bones. It isn't until they disembark at their destination that a challenging puzzle presents itself and Catson finds herself crawling behind the detective into a trap! Barely escaping with their fur intact, their survival lands them in the hot seat as the mask has disappeared and they were the last seen entering the tomb. Will Sherlock Bones and Dr. Catson be able to deduce the real thief in time?
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the characters aboard the cruise captained by a camel. While I had part of the mystery figured out, I didn't have all the clues deciphered and the ending plot twist was a complete surprise. Overall, I can't say enough good things about this mystery and have the third one waiting on my shelf, ready to go. The bad thing is, that when I start one of these books, its difficult for me to get anything else done. (So, its the best bad thing about a story there can be!)
A Side Note: Some websites have this book listed as the third in the series, but the third one is actually Sherlock Bones and the Mystery of the Vanishing Magician. And though these novels are in a series, thus far, each of the stories can be read as a standalone.
Want to pick up your copy? I bought mine through an indie bookshop, but you can also purchase them through any large retailer as well. If you would like to support your favorite local businesses, but they don't have it, just pop on over to Bookshop.org where you can buy any genre book and a portion of the sale goes to whichever bookshop you choose.
Thanks for reading my review and see ya next time!
Comments