Welcome to my stop on the tour celebrating the release of Death in a Desert Land by Andrew Wilson! A big thank you to Atria Books for the invitation!
My Thoughts:
Aww, this series is so much fun! The main character is Agatha Christie! I have not read the previous two books, but I will spill the beans and tell you after this I definitely plan to! I also can easily let you know this one stands alone if you want to jump right in like I did.
A family has written to Agatha Christie asking for her help in solving the death of their daughter. Gertrude Bell was a famous archaeologist working in the Middle East. She was competing with another archaeologist, Mrs. Woolley, for some key artifacts worth a fortune.
Christie goes to Persia to meet with Mrs. Woolley. She is brilliant but pulls no punches letting Christie know exactly what she thought of Gertrude.
Wow. So a little side note as to why I connected so well to this story. One of my majors in undergrad was anthropology, and I heavily considered attending graduate school for archaeology. I love everything about archaeology from digging in the dirt, to discoveries, to analysis. It’s all fascinating, and this book being set amongst ancient ruins? Loved it.
More to love… The characters are so engaging. Agatha Christie is a force, and we all knew she would be. The plot never loses steam, and there’s great tension throughout. It also has an adventure feel, which made it even more exciting.
Overall, Death in a Desert Land is a solid, clever, original historical mystery, and I am ever so grateful it was put on my radar.
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
About the Book:
Queen of Crime Agatha Christie returns to star in another stylish mystery, as she travels to the excavation of the ancient city of Ur where she must solve a crime with motives that may be as old as civilization itself.
Fresh from solving the gruesome murder of a British agent in the Canary Islands, mystery writer Agatha Christie receives a letter from a family who believe their late daughter met with foul play. Before Gertrude Bell overdosed on sleeping medication, she was a prominent archaeologist, recovering ancient treasures in the Middle East. Found near her body was a letter claiming that Bell was being followed and to complicate things further, Bell was competing with another archeologist, Mrs. Woolley, for the rights to artifacts of immense value.
Christie travels to far-off Persia, where she meets the enigmatic Mrs. Woolley as she is working on a big and potentially valuable discovery. Temperamental but brilliant, Mrs. Woolley quickly charms Christie but when she does not hide her disdain for the recently deceased Miss Bell, Christie doesn’t know whether to trust her—or if Bell’s killer is just clever enough to hide in plain sight.
With Wilson’s signature “strong characters, shrewd plotting and a skillful blending of fact and fiction” (Shelf Awareness, starred review on A Talent for Murder), this is a thrilling adventure set amidst the cursed ruins of an ancient land.
Select Praise for Book Two: A Different Kind of Evil
“[A] stellar sequel to 2017’s A Talent for Murder [and] a crafty whodunit worthy of the queen of mystery herself… Wilson does a superior job of balancing surprising plot developments with a sensitive portrayal of his lead’s inner life.”
—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“Wilson accomplishes an impressive feat in his second Agatha Christie novel: doing justice to the woman herself while crafting the kind of rich cast, elaborate plotting and intricate mystery that made Dame Christie herself so beloved… There is no question that Christie’s fans — and Wilson’s — will find plenty to love in this series.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Mystery fans who love Golden Age crime (Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Josephine Tey) will enjoy watching Dame Agatha herself track the truth in a puzzle of someone else’s making… Readers can rejoice in the twisty plot and the curiously complex characters.”
—Booklist
Select Praise for Book One: A Talent for Murder
“A Talent for Murder reads like an amalgamation of a clever Agatha Christie puzzler with the darker characters and psychological insights found in Patricia Highsmith’s thrillers… With strong characters, shrewd plotting and a skillful blending of fact and fiction, A Talent for Murder is a compelling period mystery that will keep whodunit fans captivated… A tantalizing and captivating cat-and-mouse puzzler with a creepy undercurrent of Patricia Highsmith’s darkness.”
—Shelf Awareness
“[A] compelling and thought-provoking mystery… well-written and researched, and compulsively readable.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Wilson effectively imagines a different scenario in this twisty thriller… Wilson fully realizes the potential of this ominous setup.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Wilson’s ‘what if’ story is equal parts psychological thriller, detective fiction, and mystery. Readers will become emotionally involved with the protagonist, whom Wilson portrays as both sympathetic and quick-witted, even at her lowest points… Those who enjoy fiction and detective fiction, including Dame Agatha’s own writings, will delight in this singular take on a strange event in Christie’s life.”
—Library Journal
Order
About the Author:
Andrew Wilson is an award-winning journalist and author. His work has appeared in a wide variety of publications including the Guardian, the Washington Post, the Sunday Times, and the Smithsonian Magazine. He is the author of four biographies, a book about the survivors of the Titanic, and the novels, The Lying Tongue, A Talent for Murder, A Different Kind of Evil, and Death in a Desert Land.
Have you read Death in a Desert Land, or is it on your TBR? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR
Sounds good, will investigate!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you get a chance to check it out! It was such a good read!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful review! I think I’d enjoy this on audio. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was thinking while reading: wow this is totes up Nicki’s street, I’ll tag her 😄 Totes up my street too btw, great review, Jennifer!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Brilliant! 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Kelly! It makes me so happy I may have connected each of you to this book and series. It’s GOOD! I can’t wait to hear what you think!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Nicki! I think this would be fantastic on audio! I should try the first two that way!
LikeLike
Great kitty picture, blogger tour, and review, Jennifer! I plan to read this historical fiction mystery. It sounds amazing. Happy Monday! 🐾🐾🐈❤️📚🌵😊😘
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Virginia! This book was such a treat and I loved it! Happy Monday to you too! ♥️
LikeLike
I’m off to have a look for this now! I didn’t know this series existed but it sounds amazing. Great review as always 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Jules! I hope you can find it! It’s such a good historical mystery!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awesome review Jen! I’ve never read an Agatha Cristie book! Sad right? Hope you have a lovely day my friend! Going to be nothing but hot this week!🌞💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Sus! I was late giving them a try, but I’m so grateful I did. Yes, so HOT! My thermostat said 98 today? Yikes! ♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful review, Jennifer💜 I’m a sucker for anything related to Dame Agatha!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much, Jonetta! This book is so good and I know you love historical mysteries. I had a blast with this! ♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person
A historical, mystery book with Agatha as the main character.It does sound intriguing and your review made it even more catchy! Btw, I always liked anthropology as well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Jina! That’s too fun about anthropology! This was such a good mystery.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This sounds really interesting! I always loved archaeology too, Jennifer! I will definitely check this one out! Happy Monday! 😊💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was such a great read, Kris, and I think the archaeology aspects will be fascinating to you too! I hope you had a great Monday! ♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the idea of Agatha Christie as a character in a story! How cool, thanks for sharing😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Tammy! It was a fun read, and I loved the AC character!
LikeLike
“Help! Mommy! There’s a Triffid on the bed and it’s closing in on me!” 🤣
LikeLiked by 1 person
😂 Paula, I should have posted the next picture where he took a bite! It is a cat safe plant, but I didn’t want everyone to have a panic seeing him caught in the act! 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
That would have been funny. It’s the expression on his face that made me laugh! 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
He has the best expressions! I need to send you the other pic too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Paula, I sent you the other pic over on instagram! 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Jennifer. I’ll dash over there right away! 😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent review as always! This book sounds intriguing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Chrissi! It was such an entertaining and nostalgic read!
LikeLike
Wow, a fictional story about Agatha Christie, not by Agatha Christie. How brave of the author, Christie fans might not have appreciated it, if the quality had turned out to be low.
The plot and the Persian setting sounds great though. I am also fascinated by archaeology, but would never have the patience to do the actual digging.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know, right? It was a risky choice, and it seems to be well-received over on Goodreads and definitely by me. The digging, kind of like working in my yard, was a bit therapeutic for me, but I understand it can be dull, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
P.s. I commented over on your new review, and it may be in your spam folder. ♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for letting me know. I do regularly get comments in the spam folder (it is not just yours 😉), which is very annoying.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This sounds like so much fun! I love the idea of Agatha Christie as a character. I’m familiar with Gertrude Bell — such an interesting woman. I’ll need to check this book (or series?) out!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I meant to look up Bell and see if she met with foul play! You can read this one as a stand-alone, but there are also two prior books. I’m definitely going to read those, too. I hope you check it out, Lisa. It’s a treat of a read!
LikeLike
Sounds great!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was so much fun, Carol!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review, Jennifer. Glad you were able to jump right in and enjoy this series. Its wonderful to hear that the story had archeological elements that you could connect with due to your studies/interests 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much, Diana! It was such a great read. So well-done!
LikeLike
Sounds like fun! I was tempted by the earlier books when reviews were going round, but haven’t had a chance to sample them for myself yet. One day! Have you read Christie’s own mystery set in an archaeological dig – Murder in Mesopotamia? She also did a historical fiction mystery set in ancient Egypt based on her archaeological experiences – Death Comes as the End. (Just trying to ensure your TBR doesn’t get too low… 😉 )
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, I haven’t read either of those, and I really, really need to! I was wondering if you’d read these. I hope you’ll get to them someday! Well, my stairs are clear now, so there’s room to add to the TBR again. 😂 ♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person
You know, the very first career I considered as a little girl was archaeology because…Indiana Jones! 😅 I was also obsessed with the History channel, and all things dinosaurs and Egypt throughout my youth. (I guess that sorta helps explain why I love historical fiction so much today.)
Anyway…this book sounds fascinating! I can’t wait to grab a copy and let the little girl in me have so much fun! 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you love it, Trisarey! I enjoyed hearing about your love for history. I was the same way! Ate it up and now I love hist fic too! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! ♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person
No problem. ^_^
LikeLiked by 1 person
OOOO I used to love Agatha Christie’s mysteries, so I’m sure I’d love to read a series where she is the main character. Def checking this one out.
LikeLike