I love Veronica Speedwell so much! This is quite a fun sort of mystery to it as well that makes me think of Gail Carriger's Soulless books. I love seeing the oddness of what it was really like in the early days of searching for Egyptian treasure and though there were weirder things happening (in real life) this gives you a bit of an overview of that time.

We get to learn more about Stoker and why he is the way he is. Stoker and Veronica have such a fun chemistry and I can't wait for them to get together-though the writing and anticipation is phenomenal. There is an actual mystery in this one that is a bit difficult to figure out-or perhaps I was just too caught up in the relationships to bother. Raybourn does a wonderful job at pacing the story perfectly and it seems every scene has a purpose.

A Treacherous Curse, the third book, deals with a cursed expedition and a stolen diadem that once belonged to an Egyptian princess. Oh, and there's also a hot air balloon and an unplanned expedition into the London sewers. I love all of the historical details in these books. This one had a great mystery element with an intriguing solutions that I didn't see coming.

Oh Veronica Speedwell… I adore your stories. Your wit, your fire, and your partner in crime Stoker always pull me in and make me forget everything while I enjoy your stories. A Treacherous Curse is no exception. I started the book with only a short time available to read and found myself looking for stolen moments where I could get more of the story.

The mystery that is given to the characters to solve kept me guessing at who was guilty. I made guesses, changed my mind, and then changed it again. I am proud to say that before the end I had a final guess and was at least partially correct. The best part of me changing my mind was reading all the clues and following the path that Deanna Raybourn took the reader on. There were so many twists and turns that I was never sure that I was following the correct path.

While this is part of the Veronica Speedwell series, it can easily be read without knowledge of the other books in the series. Although I would recommend reading all the books in the series and enjoying getting to know Veronica and Stoker.

Thank you Loren Jaggers at Berkley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Give me an unread Veronica Speedwell mystery, and I’m already excited. Give me one that involves ancient Egypt, and I’m all in. Veronica Speedwell and Stoker are investigating the disappearance of an ancient Egyptian diadem as well as a supposed curse that derailed the excavation of an ancient Egyptian princess’s tomb. Linked to this is the mysterious disappearance of John de Morgan, the dig’s photographer and Stoker’s former best friend and second husband of Stoker’s wife. Did de Morgan steal the diadem and run? Can they investigate properly when Stoker is the prime suspect of de Morgan’s possible demise?

Like every Veronica Speedwell novel, this one is well-written and fast-paced with an interesting gallery of supporting characters both old and new. The character development of Veronica and Stoker also proceeds at an appropriate pace. This may be my favorite book of the series (thus far) because the mystery was good and twisty, and I’ve always had a love of all things ancient Egyptian. Definitely recommend.

I was given a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for my opinion, for which I am extremely grateful!

This is the third in the Veronica Speedwell mystery series, and the fourth Deanna Raybourn title I’ve read. (In addition to the first two books in this series, I read the first Lady Julia Grey mystery, Silent in the Grave. I do plan to get back to that series at some point.) I think these books are developing nicely on the mystery front – this one had the most engrossing mystery of the three for me (though it faltered a bit at the end). In terms of development of the main characters and their relationship, I think it needs to start moving a bit faster.

Veronica Speedwell is a highly atypical Victorian woman, being an adventure-seeking lepidopterist (butterfly expert) who has traveled the world in search of specimens and taken several lovers along the way. In book one she met up with disgraced aristocrat Revelstoke Templeton-Vane, otherwise known as Stoker. They live platonically (sigh) on the grounds of the estate of a benefactor, sorting through items for a proposed museum. (Stoker’s specialty is taxidermy.) In the first chapters of A Treacherous Curse, Veronica and Stoker are summoned to the home of their sometime ally/sometime adversary, Sir Hugh Montgomerie of the Special Branch of Scotland Yard.

Sir Hugh is laid up at home with a cold but needs to bring the two up to speed on some recent developments that are relevant to them (well, to Stoker, specifically). A party has just returned from an archaeological dig in Egypt with the mummy and grave goods of the previously undiscovered Princess Ankheset.

The group, now composed of Sir Leicester Tiverton, his wife and daughter. and his assistant Patrick Fairbrother, was once larger. A member of the expedition, Jonas Fowler, fell ill and died in Egypt. Then a married couple, John and Caroline de Morgan, absconded from the dig, allegedly with a very valuable diadem belonging to the princess. The Morgans were traced to Dover, where John de Morgan mysteriously disappeared after spending the night in a boarding house. Caroline has been questioned by the police but won’t talk.

In Egypt, the dig had been plagued by sightings of a mysterious figure dressed to look like the Egyptian god Anubis; this and the death of Fowler led to rumors of a curse on the expedition.

All this is germane because Caroline is Stoker’s ex-wife and John his former best friend. The two ditched a deathly ill Stoker in a South American jungle and hotfooted back to England, where Caroline obtained a divorce by telling lurid stories of Stoker’s cruelty. He thus made his way back to England both personally betrayed by the two people closest to him and with his reputation in tatters. Stoker still hasn’t recovered from these blows. Now Montgomerie has to tell Stoker that newspapers will be making hay of his connection to the case. It doesn’t help that the previous year, Stoker encountered John de Morgan on a London street and beat him within an inch of his life.

So, to avoid having Stoker’s reputation publicly besmirched again, he and Veronica set out to find John de Morgan. Their search first involves meeting the Tivertons – the seemingly cheerful Sir Leicester, his dignified, half-Egyptian second wife, and his sullen teenage daughter. They also meet the assistant Patrick Fairbrother, who Veronica takes a flirtatious liking to.

Veronica’s and Stoker’s investigation leads them to an American, Horus Stihl, and his son Henry; Stihl had previously been an expedition partner (and apparently the deep pockets) of Sir Leicester’s in previous years, but they’d fallen out the year before this last expedition.

Things become further complicated when the ghostly Anubis begins to make appearances around London, and a tabloid-style reporter named J.J. Butterworth breathlessly details both the arrival of the Egyptian “curse” in London and Stoker’s lurid past, infuriating Veronica.

And of course, there’s one last player who eventually must be confronted: Stoker’s ex-wife Caroline, now staying with her parents in London and affecting a very wounded and damaged air to keep the authorities at bay. She turns out to be, not surprisingly, a piece of work.

As I said, I found the mystery fairly engrossing. There were enough players and motives to keep me on my toes, and I didn’t figure out the solution ahead of time. When it was revealed, I found it slightly disappointing, for no reason I can specifically articulate. I guess I was just expecting something more dramatic and byzantine.

Aside from the mystery, the book continued to develop Veronica and Stoker’s unusual relationship, albeit slowly. At times it seems like they’re almost sibling-like in their interactions; they don’t manifest constant sexual tension. (And this isn’t necessarily a *bad* thing – endless unresolved sexual tension gets old quick in stand-alone books, never mind series.) Their roles are a little reversed (especially for the era) in that Veronica is very matter-of-fact about sex, whereas Stoker has a whiff of the repressed Victorian gentleman about him (he’s been known to blush). But the clues to a deeper connection are subtle but definitely present – Veronica’s jealousy over Caroline, Stoker’s acceptance of Veronica as perhaps the one person he truly trusts in the world.

Look, I know it’s tricky, in a book series as in a television series, to take the plunge and have the main characters start a romantic relationship. Certainly in television it’s been blamed for shows going downhill – when that tension is released there’s nothing to look forward to. But…it just feels like Veronica and Stoker’s relationship is moving at a glacial pace. If they aren’t meant to ever get together, then that’s fine – though then I’d like to see Veronica get some other nookie (she does admire and flirt with other men on a regular basis, which I like). I’d rather not be teased with the possibility of Veronica/Stoker if nothing’s going to come from it. So far, in three books, we’ve had one kiss, I think, which Stoker apparently doesn’t remember on account of being drunk. Further, he gives every appearance of still pining for Caroline. It’s times like these that not getting Stoker’s POV is a real pain, because his continued longing for someone who is so unworthy of his love seems perverse.

Further, there are a couple of moments in this book when something is on the very verge of happening – not physical but an acknowledgement of their emotion connection – and then suddenly someone comes in or something else ruins the moment. That kind of teasing of the reader should be employed with great care, I think.

I do enjoy the humor in these books; they aren’t a laugh riot, but Veronica has a sense of the absurd, as when Henry Stihl begins to question her about her knowledge of the underground systems of London:

I blinked at him in surprise. It is seldom that a gentleman raises the subject of sewage so early in a conversation, I reflected.

So far my grades for previous Deanna Raybourn books have been high Bs or low B+s. I think I’ll give this a high B+ and if we could only get a little more development in the Veronica/Stoker relationship, I can see future books being in the A range.

What fun!
Victorian England, Egyptian curses, taxidermy, butterflies and, of course, murder.
Even the minor characters are fascinating and the story has more twists than you’ll ever expect.
I loved it and hope for more.

This one was incredibly fun, and you learn so much more of Stoker's mysterious past and hurts. I was really waiting for that. The sexual tension is at its highest point between Veronica and Stoker, and the mystery, although a bit predictable, is a worthwhile journey none-the-less. Stoker's brother adds a delicious love triangle to the mix, and you learn a great deal about his background in this story as well. My favorite installment in the series so far.

This was a great 3rd installment in this series. Veronica is a kick-ass woman who can take of herself as well as taking care of Stoker whether he wants her to or not.

Just like Ms Raybourn’s Lady Julia Grey series, this one features Veronica Speedwell, another strong female lead in a time when women were expected to follow society’s rules. Veronica and Stoker are tasked with finding Stokers ex-wife’s missing husband. A great read.
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I really like this series of books. I am not going to say anything specific because it is a sequel, but it definitly does not disappoint in mystery and banter.

Stoker told Veronica he was perfectly capable of identifying a phallus when he saw one. He was doing his best to avoid the appearance of embarrassment. Veronica found that winsome that such a hardened man of the world who had gained so much experience as a scientist, explorer natural historian naval surgeon, and taxidermist could still manage to blush when confronted with a fertility icon. Veronica said there are those who maintain the study of culture is just as important as the examination of a bit of bone or a fossilized snail. Veronica had long since discovered upon her travels that men are largely the same no matter where one encounters them. And if one is prepared to let them discourse on their per topics of conversation one can generally get on with things quite handily without any interference. The packing crate was the newest arrival at the Belvelere, the budding museum Stoker and Veronica had been commissioned to organize under their friend and benefactor the Earl of Rosemoor, situated on the grounds of his lordship’s estate- Bishop’s Folly. Stoker and Veronica had uncovered some difficult truths and made a cautious alliance with Sir Hugo Montgomerie, the head of Special Branch, Scotland Yard’s most prestigious division. Stoker and Veronica had been left without home or employment, the current Lord Rosemoor had graciously invited Stoker and her to work for him to catalog his collection with an eye to one day opening The Belvedere as a public museum. Everyday offered its own surprises. Lord Rosemoors friends used this as an opportunity to get rid of things they no longer wanted. Nothing was ever truly valuable. Than the crate of several phalluses made sense. It was from Miles Ramsforth. With the second investigation Stoker and Veronica had saved Veronica from being hung to death. She wasn’t surprised he had chosen to repay the debt with part of his extraordinary array of erotic art. George was the houseboy and Veronica bribed him to bring the Daily Harbinger before it was taken to Lord Rosemoor. George and Veronica were interested in the Tiverton Expedition in Egypt. Led by Sir Leicester Tiverton. The group had found a cache from the Eighteenth Dynasty. The burial was incomplete but the sarcophagus of Princess Ankheset and an assortment of grave goods ignited a furor of international interest. A series of calamities had forced the return of the expedition. George said it is said the site of the dig was visited by one of the Egyptian Gods Veronica filled in Anubis who was God of the Underworld. Than George added they say Anubis came into the workers at night, looking for a soul to take. Than Veronica added George was right, the director of the expedition died a few weeks ago and now the expedition’s photographer had disappeared along with a diadem belonging to the mummified Princess. Apparently the Egyptian workers blamed their troubles on a curse inscribed on the princess’s sarcophagus. Than Veronica said a summons from Sir Hugo to go to his home as he was sick. Stoker’s former partner had been the missing photographer Stoker and Veronica partner up again to solve the mystery of the missing man who had once been Stoker’s partner and best friend- John de Morgan. Stokers ex wife Caroline was John de Morgan’s wife now. Caroline’s and Stokers public divorce left Stoker disgraced and vilified. Veronica and Stoker knew once the press got hold of the story that Caroline was so terrified of Stoker’s violent nature she took the offer of his best friend John to escape , filed for divorce and than married Stoker’s friend john. The press will drag it all back up. They are also examining rumors of the Egyptian curse arriving the sarcophagus in London. There is rumored Anubis is walking the streets of London. His wife -Caroline- de Morgan’s said even John’s room was missing. The hotel manager said Caroline was alone.
I liked this book as well as the series . Although Stoker annoyed me at times. Did anyone think to look at Caroline as not an honest woman? I advise you to read this series in order to get a clearer and smoother read. I loved the mystery, , intrigue, and action in this book. I also loved the loyalty between Stoker and Veronica. I chuckled at times while reading this book. I really enjoyed Veronica and the woman she was - ahead of her time. I also enjoyed the ending. I liked Stokers and Veronica’s slow burning romance and I do believe they love each other. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I do recommend it. I would have liked to rate this 4.5.

I tried getting into this book, and I DNF'd it at about 12%. I am giving it a 3 star rating so that I do not impact the overall ratings in an overly positive or negative way. Thank you for the opportunity!

WHY DID I LISTEN TO A TREACHEROUS CURSE BY DEANNA RAYBOURN?
After listening to A Perilous Undertaking, I knew that I HAD to hurry up and listen to the sequel, A Treacherous Curse. So, I had this saved on Scribd, right. Ready to queue up, only the title wouldn’t be available until after my next month subscription payment. Friends, this is neither here nor there, but I was so annoyed that after finishing this book, I made the decision to cancel Scribd. Anyways, I was really pumped to listen to A Treacherous Curse because I had enjoyed the previous audiobook quite a bit and I couldn’t wait for more Veronica and Stoker.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
In this addition to the series, it just so happens we get to see a blast from Stoker’s past. You see, there’s a disappearance. Stoker’s old expedition partner vanishes from the site, along with a diadem, which is an artifact that’s worth a lot of money. Like, stacks on stacks on stacks money. Friends, that seems pretty shady to me. So, people get worked up and think that the tomb of the princess has unleashed an ancient Egyptian curse, lol. The past comes roaring in full force as we get to meet Stoker’s ex-wife, Caroline. It is all on Veronica to figure out what’s real and what’s not and to kind of save Stoker’s reputation.

HOW DID I LIKE A TREACHEROUS CURSE?
Friends, I am all in when it comes to Veronica Speedwell and A Treacherous Curse. I liked that this book fleshes out more of Stoker’s back story. Also? I am totally going to be sticking around for book four. Although, at this point I am not certain which form I will be reading it in — audio or physical. Regardless, I love this series and these books. I just love Veronica’s character and how she’s headstrong and loyal to her friends. She’s just so interesting — there doesn’t even need to be a romance to keep me intrigued. Also! This book dealt with Egyptology which is also one of those things I find fascinating. I can’t wait to see what will happen with the next book or what ground it will cover.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
Of course, Angele Masters comes back to narrate A Treacherous Curse. I have nothing really new to say about the narration. Except that she continues to do such a good job. I feel like I will end up seeking out more books that she narrates to listen to at some point. For now though, I am perfectly content and happy with how this book and its predecessor, A Perilous Undertaking were narrated.

LOOOOOVE these books. Good mysteries, amazing characters, I am forever looking for substitutes between books, and the excitement of reading ahead of time is balanced by the woe of having that much longer to wait for the next one.

I am now completely caught up on the Veronica Speedwell novels! Yay!! There are now no more Vernoica Speedwell novels to read until MARCH 2019! Boo!! But, as always, it is best to focus on the present instead of dreading the long, cold dreary months until next spring when the next book is finally released. And, surprising no one, this book was delight, and I blazed through it much more quickly than I would have liked!

Veronica and Stoker are minding their own business, busily cataloging the items that have been gathering dust in their patron’s expansive properties for generations. All seems well until a sensationalist story of a cursed expedition to Egypt begins making a splash across the local newspapers. But what should have remained a simple curiosity, becomes much more dire when the pair realize that the linchpin for the mystery is a man who was formerly Stoker’s partner. What’s worse, this partner was the one to run off with Stoker’s ex-wife. So when this man disappears, Stoker finds himself squarely in the cross-hairs of an investigation that is only too likely to recast him, once again, as a villain of society. Veronica, of course, has something to say about this, and so with her leading the charge, the pair set out to unravel the mystery and secure Stoker’s reputation and future.

I’ve made comparisons to the Amelia Peabody series from the start, but the subject matter of this one really hits that nail squarely on the head. I’ve always been interested in Egyptology (I blame my unrepentant love of 90s “The Mummy!”), so I was excited to see it as a focal point of this book. There are the requisite references to ancient gods, a few curses running around, and ancient jewelry that’s gone missing. And what would a good Egyptian mystery be without a mummy? So of course there is one of those as well. I enjoyed the sprawling cast of characters that made up the suspect pool of the story, all having an extensive history together working on digs in that area of the world. The tangled relationships and roles left me constantly guessing as to the motives of each player and how they could be involved with the disappearance of Stoker’s former friend. It was even more fun reading these bits than usual, as references to famous hotels and locations in Eygpt were familiar from my reading of the Amelia Peabody books.

While I did like these elements of the mystery and my general appreciation for the topic remained, I was a bit put off by the constant comparisons to the other series that was going on in my mind. The line was just a bit too close between the two. Not Stoker and Veronica themselves, since as characters they have enough established to differentiate themselves from Amelia and Emerson. But the way the mystery unfolded and the roles the characters involved played did start to feel a bit predictable having come off reading so many historical mysteries featuring similar topics.

Veronica and Stoker were excellent as always. Veronica, especially, seems to really come into her own in this book. Stoker, understandably, struggles with the entire situation and is thrown into numerous scenes that shake him quite badly, most notably a confrontation with his ex-wife. I particularly liked Veronica’s tongue-lashing of Stoker when he too often fell into bouts of self-pity. Stoker’s arc and past have been slowly unrolling for the past several books, but I do hope that this confrontation with his past as forced upon him by this story will put an end to some of the more mopey and melodramatic moments he could be prone to. Veronica always plays nicely off this aspect of him, but at a certain point, there needs to be a bit more growth on Stoker’s side. So while I liked the situations that arose here, I’m hopeful that this will be the end of this particular plot point.

A complaint I’ve had in the past has had to do with the endings often feeling rushed and too convenient. This book mostly avoids that same pitfall. Mostly. Instead, there are various reveals scattered throughout the story. This allows what is really a very complicated mystery with a ton of moving pieces to come together in a more natural and less info-dumpy manner. However, again, the ending did fall prone to the convenience factor with the villains neatly doing away with themselves. It seems to be a common trait.

The romance between Veronica and Stoker was understandably muted in this story, given the nature of the mystery and the involvement of Stoker’s ex, whom he still struggles to move on from. Similarly to his tendency towards the morose, I’m hopeful that this book marks a turning point in their relationship as well. No need to rush to the alter or anything, but a bit more progress in this area would be nice.

I very much enjoyed “A Treacherous Curse.” It remained true to all the aspects that I’ve enjoyed previously, most notably the strength of its two leads and the inclusion of a legitimately puzzling mystery. The topic of the mystery was a bit dampened by comparisons to the Amelia Peabody books, because let’s be honest, there’s no beating those stories as far as historical mysteries in Egypt go. But this goes down as another solid entry in this series, and if you haven’t already, definitely check it out. Or save it up a bit until March is closer so you’re not waiting forever like me.

Rating 8: While Egypt remains Amelia Peabody’s stronghold, Veronica and Stoker are setting up camp as a strong second.

A Treacherous Curse
By Deanna Raybourn

The late 1800s in the UK were a time of exploration, and Victoria Speedwell and her partner, Stoker, are definitely adventurers. And they don’t mind taking on a mystery and solving it.

When a former archaeology partner of Stoker’s disappears from an ancient dig site at the same time as the royal diadem of a recently discovered Egyptian princess, Stoker and Victoria are called on to help figure out what happened to both. Stoker’s former colleague is now married to Stoker’s ex-wife—the breakup was not an amicable one and played out in public—so an extra twist is added to the plot.

There are not a lot of surprises with all the standard stock plot points for a book of this genre set in this time period—a death during the dig, the rumors of a curse on any who disturb the princess, theft of an ancient treasure and an exhibition of the tomb and its riches in England.

Having read other titles by this author, I was looking forward to reading this one. I can’t say I enjoyed it…although it was similar in style to the wonderful Amelia Peabody stories, this was not done nearly as well. At times this narrator’s tone felt censorious and wore on me as a reader.

I’m unlikely to continue reading this series, although I am a fan of this historical period.

2.5 stars

A strong third book in the series. The writing is fluid without being superfluous and I enjoyed the plot.

Deanna Rayburn's Veronica Speedwell series has yet to disappoint me. The character development of Veronica and Stoker, the fast paced action and adventure, and the perfect mix of mystery and humor have driven me to devour the series and leave me clamoring for more. Deanna can't write these books fast enough for me!

I really like the strong protagonist that Raybourn portrays with her Veronica Speedwell character. The Victorian era was definitely a time of change and this book in the series continues to show Veronica's freedom and sense of adventure. A truly stellar historical mystery.

I was quite certain I'd love this series and I do. I finally caught up to reading the 3 books already published and it keeps getting better and better!

Stoker is the quintessential hero with a tortured past (and present) and Veronica is no shrinking violet. I know a lot of readers have criticized her modern attitude, but I think it works for her character.

The relationship they have is quite unique. I keep waiting for more, but they're not there yet.

If you enjoy Deanna Raybourn and/or Victorian mysteries with a romantic vein, I highly recommend this series.

Each book has its own satisfactory conclusion of the mystery but the overarching story arc between the main characters keeps ramping up.

I received a copy from the publisher and this is my own opinion.