An ancient mummy is discovered in a cave by the Arabian Sea in Maha Khan Phillips's suspenseful archeological drama, The Museum Detective. Set in the port city of Karachi, Pakistan, Khan Phillips's novel delves into the world of antiquities smuggling, corrupt policewallahs, and the mystery of a missing teenager named Mahnaz.
As an independent working woman, Dr. Gul Delani is an outlier in her wealthy family. She is an Egyptologist and museum curator at Karachi's Heritage and History Museum. It's a far cry from the society marriage she was groomed for, hence her overbearing family's disapproval. Despite these hostilities, Gul has someone very important in her corner: the resourceful Mrs. Fernandes, a museum employee whose eccentric habits sprinkle light comic relief on Khan Phillips's intense, multilayered plot.
It's been a tough three years since Gul's niece Mahnaz disappeared. But now, distraction arrives in the form of an unusual police request. A sarcophagus carved with Persian cuneiform and containing a gold-masked "Lost Princess" was seized during a drug raid, and Gul's expertise is sought to determine the mummy's authenticity. As she navigates the potentially history-altering discovery--if verified, this would be the first Persian mummy on record--and a terrifying attempt on her life, Gul is unsure who to trust. Meanwhile, she unearths other details about Mahnaz's disappearance, making Gul even more desperate to learn the truth about her beloved niece.
Khan Phillips (Beautiful from This Angle, The Mystery of the Aagnee Ruby) captures the lively, chaotic essence of her former hometown in this thrilling saga that's replete with startling twists, charmingly offbeat characters, and a truly breathtaking revelation awaiting readers at the end. --Shahina Piyarali