"Members of an Egyptian expedition fall victim to an ancient mummy’s curse in this thrilling Veronica Speedwell novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey mysteries.

London, 1888. As colorful and unfettered as the butterflies she collects, Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell can’t resist the allure of an exotic mystery—particularly one involving her enigmatic colleague, Stoker. His former expedition partner has vanished from an archaeological dig with a priceless diadem unearthed from the newly discovered tomb of an Egyptian princess. This disappearance is just the latest in a string of unfortunate events that have plagued the controversial expedition, and rumors abound that the curse of the vengeful princess has been unleashed as the shadowy figure of Anubis himself stalks the streets of London.

But the perils of an ancient curse are not the only challenges Veronica must face as sordid details and malevolent enemies emerge from Stoker’s past. Caught in a tangle of conspiracies and threats—and thrust into the public eye by an enterprising new foe—Veronica must separate facts from fantasy to unravel a web of duplicity that threatens to cost Stoker everything..."

EGYPT!!! Also, Deanna Raybourn I think is the #1 author out there who I want to see at a book signing that I haven't met yet, just FYI all booksellers in the Midwest!

RATING: 4 STARS
​(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY​)
(Review Not on Blog)

I never thought I would say this, but I love this series more than Lady Julia now! I love the mystery stories along with all the characters and each book is better than the last one. I especially like Veronica and Stoker's characterization. They are so similar and yet very different - it compliments and causes great tension. I like the Victorian setting of this series, and the way Raybourn brings the time and place alive. It is nice to see a strong woman in a lead role in a mystery with a man as a sidekick. I cannot wait till the next installment.

Loved this! The whole series is a blast! I don't think it's the most complex writing, but the story-lines are a blast, the characters are fun and endearing, and I just have to know when they're finally going to get together! I'd recommend this to fans of romance, historical fiction, and cozy mysteries.

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A smart and witty historical mystery.

A TREACHEROUS CURSE is the third book in the Veronica Speedwell series and I believe that they just keep getting better. By having the book centered around the myths and lore of Egypt, Raybourn allows there to be a more interesting play with what is real and what isn't. The characters as well as the reader are sent down a path to piece together what is invention and what is reality.

I will admit that I am a sucker for an intelligent, cunning, and at times plucky female lead in these types of mysteries. When authors even the playing field between the men and women all the while managing to show the prejudice and bias that is prevalent in the era, it gives license to more complicated and intriguing stories.

For those who have not yet met Veronica Speedwell, I implore you read these books. They are wonderful mysteries infused with unique and refreshing characters.

I greatly enjoyed Raybourn's latest Veronica Speedwell novel, especially with its focus on Ancient Egypt and its antiquities. She always does an excellent job balancing action and detecting throughout the novel, with compelling characters.

Veronica and Stoker are recruited to lend their snooping skills to find a missing explorer and a diadem he may have stolen. The real shock is when they (and we) find out that the missing man is Stoker's old partner. Unfortunately, Stoker and John de Morgan have a bad history and now Stoker's name will be drug through the mug in the newspapers again. He might even be a suspect in the disappearance.

This personal aspect made this book even more compelling and interesting. As a reader who is very attached to these characters, I was eager and even worried about them finding Mr de Morgan and the diadem in order to clear Stoker's name. The future personal aspects of Stoker's past are revealed and they just continue to reel you in. There were a few shocks in this book and twists I did not see coming at all.

The writing is one my favorite things about this series, serious and not serious at the same time. Veronica Speedwell is amazing with her wit, her strength, and her determination to save her friend no matter the cost. She is compassionate even if her words sometimes are harsh.

Another thing I enjoyed about this story was the Egyptology that is included and is actual vital to the plot line. I love books where I'm tricked into learning and this is definitely one of those. The characters of the expedition were not my favorite, but I think that is by the author's intent.

I can't wait for more of these books, I hope the series continues on for a while!

Didn't finish. Not my cup of tea. I don't post negative reviews, however.

Deanna Raybourn’s third Veronica Speedwell, Victorian-set mystery finds her prickly, sleuthing pair, Veronica and Stoker, where they’ve settled since book one’s conclusion: in Bishop’s Folly, setting up the Earl of Rosemorran’s museum from his vast, eclectic, esoteric collection. In A Treacherous Curse, their museological endeavours are interrupted by a mystery that tickles their adventurous spirits and curiosity, challenging and deepening their relationship. Unlike my other favourite historical mystery series, C. S. Harris’s Sebastian St. Cyr, it is interesting to note how Raybourn’s sleuthing protagonists are not endowed with a strong sense of justice. They’re driven by a crossword-puzzle-doer’s instincts, the need to solve the quandary, or as Veronica quips, “To investigate one murder is a curiosity. To investigate two is a habit.” This is not by way of criticism. It isn’t fair to compare persimmons with pineapples, but I do like to muse on authors’ world-building and thematic choices. What gives Raybourn’s series moral impetus, at least in these initial volumes, is the revelation of our main characters’ pasts. (In A Treacherous Curse‘s case, Stoker’s is under scrutiny.) Maybe this will change in future volumes? What else informs Raybourn’s series’ moral impetus is the fierce protectiveness and loyalty that Veronica and Stoker (aka Templeton-Vane) hold for each other. There’s romance dearth for romance readers, but enough of a spark to keep me reading, for this and sundry reasons. (I am delighted that Veronica ogles Stoker’s Laocoönian body, while he exhibits near-prudish bashfulness. So much fun in those scenes!)

When A Treacherous Curse opens, Veronica and Stoker are happily bickering away while they focus on their respective areas of expertise at the Earl of Rosemorran’s estate. It isn’t long before news arrives that Stoker’s former best friend, and the man who married his ex-wife, John de Morgan, disappeared in Dover. He was returning to England, with Caroline de Morgan, from the Egyptian Tiverton Expedition he’d served. It also isn’t long before Veronica and Stoker are embroiled in discovering the reasons behind his disappearance, before mysterious sightings of the Egyptian god, Anubis, appear in London, before Stoker’s tormented history with Caroline and John comes calling. But when we first meet V. and Stoker, we are treated to their delightful banter, with lines such as Veronica’s noting: “He curled a handsome lip. ‘Do not invoke ethnography, Veronica. You know how I feel about the social sciences.’ “ As I have my own social science misgivings, I started the novel with a chuckle. I did not experience, however, that glowing sense of engagement and delight that the first volume invoked.

I was not deeply engaged by the novel’s mystery and its revelation/solution had long come to me before I reached the end. I do admit I found Raybourn’s villainess absolutely magnificent and her nod to high melodrama a wonderful reflection of the best of the Victorian penchant for it. I enjoyed the invocation of an Elizabeth Peters-like setting, even from afar.

What I most enjoyed, however, and what will see my return to the series is the furthering of Veronica and Stoker’s relationship. I liked how Raybourn made it a connection that is deep and abiding, but not exactly romantic. Undeclared love is present, but desire is so much under the surface that it isn’t merely a gentle brook, it’s a subterranean stream. There is, first and foremost, Veronica’s fierce understanding of Stoker:

In the months we had known one another, I had come to understand him better than most. Some stories he told me; others I guessed. But there were secrets within him, dark and spiny things that scuttled from the light of day.

It is feminist and refreshing to have the heroine’s eyes constantly on the hero, scrutinizing his physique and psyche, with love, but also with perspicacity and admiration.

Moreover, Veronica cares about Stoker. She sees him as her creation, someone she has nurtured intellectually and freed from bonds that impeded him in the past:

There was a spark of genius in him, but sparks are fragile things, and they need careful attention. I had seen progress in the past months, a reviving of the spirits and the confidence that had been broken to splinters by his experiences. A surge of dislike for Caroline de Morgan threatened to choke me.

In the past two books, Veronica has proudly, and to the reader’s delight, not coddled Stoker, but challenged him, fought with him, gone into danger with him, and matched him brilliant brain cell for brain cell and courage with courage. What Raybourn has added here is the sense that Veronica also recognizes his vulnerabilities. She also hates that anyone could hurt him and if that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.

Because this is very much the story of Stoker’s fall and Veronica-led resurrection (as Veronica eloquently says comparing her response to Stoker over his ex-wife’s, ” … she saw only the scorch marks whilst I saw the phoenix”), we see less of Veronica’s past and vulnerabilities. Yet they are present and just as Veronica watches over Stoker, he watches over her. Without giving away too much, I quote the sole moment of exquisite touch between them:

… he reached out and brushed a fingertip over my hand. It was a tiny thing, that gesture, but the whole world was contained within it – gratitude, partnership, understanding. I had taken lovers around the world, more than a score of them at last count, but Stoker was the nearest thing I had ever known to an actual partner. And I knew better than to ask him for what he could not give.

Now, dear MBRR-reader, you tell me, with as magnificent a central couple as this, wouldn’t you return for more? I admit I wasn’t immediately blown away by Raybourn’s Treacherous Curse, but, by the end, I was panting for the next book. With Miss Austen’s silent assent, I would say Deanna Raybourn’s A Treacherous Curse contains “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.

Deanna Raybourn’s A Treacherous Curse is published by Berkley (Penguin Random House). It was released on January 16th and may be found in e and dead-tree at your preferred vendor. I received an e-ARC from Berkley, via Netgalley.

ahhhh i LOVE this series. i adore veronica and stoker. i am so mad, because when i saw this on netgalley, for some reason i had it in my head that it was a trilogy, and it isn't! 2 more books! rage! the good thing is, i think with the nature of the books, my (lack of) memory won't matter so much when the next two finally come out. i just wish it was sooner rather than later. it is getting a bit, ahem, frustrating, but i'm totally sucked in. i like what we learned in this one, i love veronica and stoker's relationship, i can't wait for more and really hope we get *something* in book 4!

In this investigation, Veronica Speedwell and Stoker Templeton-Vane must uncover a conspiracy surrounding an exhibit of Egyptology. Further complicating matters is that the missing man is the person who stole Stoker’s wife from him several years before. Thus he must cope with a conniving ex-wife and the risk for being blamed for murder. Thus Veronica takes the lead in this investigation instead of their usual equal-level pairing.

Enter the other key figures. There is Sir Leicester Tiverton, the man who led the expedition to Egypt and brought back the artifacts for the exhibit. Then there is the second wife, Lady Tiverton and his daughter, Figgy. The latter is attempting to run her own investigation. Serving the Tivertons is Patrick Fairbrother, Sir Leicester’s right-hand man. In opposition is his scorned former partner, Horace Stihl and his son, Henry. Lastly is Stoker’s ex-wife, Caroline de Morgan, who grieves for her lost husband as she expects their first child. How do each play into the overall mystery? Who collaborated with whom as various schemes converge? That is what Veronica and Stoker aim to discover.

As hinted above, the entire Veronica Speedwell series has been fun to read. Veronica and Stoker banter effortlessly and both are characters ahead of their era. Veronica is clearly a modern woman and Stoker supports that. Both are afraid of nothing and that helps to drive them towards a solution to the mystery. Looking at the series as a whole now that I’ve read all three book available, each can be read independently. While there is a continuous storyline, Raybourn provides just enough detail to help new readings discover the necessary past. And no part of the mystery is connected to a previous book. That said, to see the development of the relationship between the leading pair, it would still be beneficial to read the series from the start.

Deanna Raybourn delights in this third Veronica Speedwell outing. We've been allowed to get acquainted with Veronica and Stoker slowly. Each personality quirk and talent is revealed exactly when it needs to be, with no wondering why the author chose it. Hints dropped in the first two titles come to fruition as we learn how Stoker earned his unsavory reputation and his distrust of women.

Whew! What a fun read! I'm truly in love with this series. The story line was different (but aren't all of Veronica's adventures?), and I enjoyed learning more about Stoker's dark past. Now comes the waiting for book #4...sigh...

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily chose to review.

I didn't realize this was the third book in a series, and as such am struggling to enjoy it. DNF %20
Maybe one day I'll come back to it after reading the first 2 as this does sound promising.

Veronica is larger-than-life, incredibly ahead of her time, stubborn, and highly intelligent with a sharp tongue and wit. Stoker (Mr. Ravelstoke Templeton-Vane) is cranky and reclusive, a little bitter and struggling with the growing relationship between he and Veronica. Stoker's ex-wife, who told harsh lies that damaged his reputation to get a divorce, is back and Stoker must face her in this book. Stoker's brother, a Viscount, makes a few short appearances, too. Their benefactor who employs and houses them makes a slight appearance. Both their benefactor and the Viscount are enjoyable supporting cast.

The setting is London during an Egyptian craze. The backdrop of a museum display of Egyptian artifacts and an ominous life-size specter of Anubis appearing around town set the eerie tone for this outing. The countryside is used effectively during the climatic events.

The plot begins as a simple robbery of priceless artifacts from an Egyptian dig and a missing persons case. But, complications ensue with a murder and the personal aspects of the missing person in question. The pace of the story keeps the interest with the myriad personal conflicts in addition to the investigation and personal peril to Veronica and Stoker.

The climax includes an unconventional chase scene and a nail biting showdown. The series is making big cinematic-style killer confrontations a regular feature and I love it. The wrap up throws in some interaction with her estranged and distant father.

I like how we learn a little more about Stoker and what has happened to make him who we see on the pages. Veronica shows her teeth toward those who treated him so badly, exhibiting her loyalty to Stoker. Veronica's showdown with the ex-wife is worth the read alone. Veronica isn't your period woman, she fights the conventions and is her own woman. This may bother some, but I love it. The dialog is great.
Rating: Excellent - Loved it, it had a good grip on me! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list

Readers of historical fiction will enjoy this third book in this series. The tension between Veronica and Stoker is getting closer to a full romance. While I enjoyed the first two in the series this one did not have as much suspense. But I amlooking forward to reading more.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this Victorian mystery series, largely due to the two main characters and their relationship. The characters of Veronica and Stoker are so well done and this novel really gave us a good look at Stoker's secret past. I thought the mystery was a bit better in this one than in the first (I've somehow missed book 2 in the series, but will definitely remedy that), plus I love the Egyptology in this one. The books are witty and suspenseful and I like the slowly building relationship between Veronica and Stoker.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a free e-ARC of this book.

Not having realized that this was the third book in a series, I decided to read the previous books before I started this, so that I don’t miss out on the backstories. But I didn’t really like A Curious Beginning a lot. I couldn’t enjoy Veronica’s character much, so I don’t have the motivation to read the remaining books in this series including this book.

Obviously, I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused to the publisher and I thank you for providing me this review copy.

This series has become one of my all time favorites. Veronica is a fantastic character who is unique and strong. She has remained true to the character we were introduced to in the first book, which I love. This installment has all the intrigue and hijinks of the previous books and the relationship between Stoker and Veronica is continuing to develop. We learn a lot more about Stoker in A Treacherous Curse and the more we learn the more I love him. The mystery revolves around the disappearance of his ex-wife's new husband who was working on an Egyptian expedition. I love the Victorian fascination with Egypt and the undercurrent of mysterious curses and ancient unknowns builds the perfect atmosphere for this book. If you enjoyed the first two books in this series you won't be disappointed by this one.

A Treacherous Curse is the third installment of the Veronica Speedwell series written by Deanna Raybourn. It is fun, it is fantastic, and if you haven’t started reading this series now is your chance!

Veronica Speedwell is a lepidopterist, someone who studies butterflies. Raised by her “aunts”, she has an interesting parentage (which you will need to read the other books to find out about because I am certainly not going to spoil it for you). Revelstoke Templeton-Vane is a historian, also with interesting parentage, a bit of a temper, and a somewhat shadowy, scandalous past. In the first book in the series, A Perilous Undertaking, they are thrown together through unforeseen circumstances and through the course of their most interesting acquaintance manage to become investigative partners and dare I say…friends.

In A Treacherous Curse, a priceless diadem discovered on an archaeological dig in an Egyptian tomb has gone missing, along with the photographer that was on the discovery expedition, who just so happens to be a former friend and colleague of Stoker (and oh boy, is that a story!). Everyone suspects the photographer may have taken the jewel, however, he has since disappeared under suspicious circumstances, leaving behind his wife, and putting Stoker under suspicion. Veronica and Stoker are brought in to investigate on the side, not realizing they will be dredging up much of Stoker’s past and possibly incurring the wrath of the mummy’s curse.

I absolutely love the characters of Veronica and Stoker. They make me laugh out loud. The best part of all of the books has been the relationship between the two. I should mention that these books are mysteries, not romance. This is not to say there isn’t any romance or potential for romance in them. If I was a betting woman I would say that at some point Raybourn has intentions to get Veronica and Stoker together because, well, they are perfect for each other, but this is a slow burn romance of the best kind. It is like watching your favorite TV non-couple that you wish were a couple, discover just how much they like each other and slowly gravitate towards each other over several seasons.

I also love the characters because they are just fun. Veronica is very no-nonsense and probably the opposite of what you would think a Victorian lady would be like. She is sassy, she is experienced, if you know what I mean, and she is very much in charge of her own life. Stoker is an aristocrat who never really fit in with his family. After an expedition accident leaves him injured and scarred, he wears an eyepatch and adds the flair of a gold hoop earring giving him the appearance of a hot pirate! Who doesn’t love a hot pirate??? And I love the role reversal in the fact that Veronica is so worldly when it comes to sex, and Stoker, not so much. In fact, he is kind of a prude. On many occasions Veronica purposely makes Stoker blush by teasing him mercilessly and he is such an easy mark.

The mystery in the book is good. I didn’t actually guess who the culprit was until later in the book. Raybourn has a super quick paced writing style, which I love. You can sit down with one of these books and power through it in a day. She even sometimes throws in some old-style language that keeps you in mind of the time period. I admit there were several words I had to look up and every time the dictionary said they were archaic. So, I highly recommend this book, especially if you like a quick, easy mystery, but I do recommend starting from the beginning of the series because you learn things in those books that are important to this story.

A Treacherous Curse is the third book in the Veronica Speedwell series. I absolutely love the main character in this series. Veronica is intelligent, outspoken and strong. Readers looking for a series featuring a strong, female main character will love this series! This third book focuses on Stoker Templeton-Vane. His former partner has disappeared from a dig site along with a priceless artifact from the tomb. Unfortunately, the item is allegedly cursed, causing Anubis himself to appear in London. Wickedly creepy and mysterious, this story was so much fun to read!

I like this series....it's a nice mix of wit, mystery and suspense with a nice dash of creepiness thrown in for good measure. I like the fact that this book focuses on Stoker, revealing more about the character. It keeps the series fresh, and made for a nice action-filled story. Veronica Speedwell is a creative and different sort of main character. She breaks social norms, lives on her own terms and is an awesome strong female character.

Another great addition to this series. I can't wait for the next book!!

Deanna Raybourn is also the author of the Lady Julia Grey series.

**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Berkley Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**