Description
A small marble sculpture of Aphrodite was stolen from the British Museum. The curator, E. A. Wallis Budge, sought the help of the famous detectives on Baker Street. Maybe not the most famous detective, but after their success in Egypt, the capable and dynamic duo of Petrie And Pettigrew, Detectives. The team of Flinders Petrie and Doctor Thomas Pettigrew looked into the theft at the museum and discovered it to also include murder. With the high stakes and danger, only Flinders and Pettigrew were up to the challenge. The pair sailed to Syria and met up with T.E. Lawrance and Gertrude Bell. With their help, the detectives embarked on a thrilling journey to track down the mysterious Veiled One, who employed the assassins that stole the statue of the goddess.
The Case of the Stolen Goddess: A Petrie and Pettigrew Novel is a historical crime fiction by John Amos. A part glimpse into the enigmatic world of the pre-World War One Ottoman Empire and part detective novel, this book is two stories in one. Amos uses famous cultural personalities and places significant to the period unsparingly. Readers are given a window into a past and a place of great cultural relevance. Amos also pays tribute to the great detectives of literature. It is not hard to find references and reverence of Doyle’s Sherlock Homes, Chesterton’s Father Brown, and Christie’s Hercule Poirot. Though these Easter eggs add a certain level of fun, they seem to take away from the overall story.
As a historical fiction, Amos’ novel paints an impressive and accurate picture of the early 1900s Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Northern Africa and its importance in art and culture. From the once in vogue and barbaric practice of Mummy dissection to historic occult figures of the area, Amos brings to light a lot of forgotten histories. As a detective novel, unfortunately, this book falls short. The overall plot is often interrupted by internal dialogue and the historical Easter eggs, interrupting the pacing of this novel. I had such high hopes for this book because who doesn’t love a crime story about a stolen statue?
For readers looking for an entertaining and humorous historical fiction book, Amos’ book provides a great look into a fascinating time and place. Though the detective story has many holes, there is still plenty of intrigue and danger, along with many people and places from another time and place.