3.75 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The story follows two women with a dual timeline- during the 1930’s and the 1970’s. One thing I love about Davis’s stories is her ability to write a mystery within a historical fiction piece. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, I do feel like we took a moment to get to that point though- the story dragged on a bit in the first third of the book. Additionally, I love the details the author puts in her stories; this one specifically had a lot of research that was involved and you can definitely see the passion that is involved with such research.

Overall I enjoyed it, it was a fun read!

Loved the descriptive paragraphs of Cairo, the Valley of the Kings, and the Met in NYC. Behind the scenes glimpses are always instructive and fun. The pace was perfect in that there were only a few very short lulls in the action. Also good were the red herrings on the way to solve multiple mysteries. The characters were well developed and mostly believable. This is a very enjoyable mystery and would make a good beginning to a series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton Books for the ARC to read and review.

Wow! What a story! Totally creative and filled with interesting facts about Egyptology and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fiona Davis does her research and spins together a tale of suspense and intrigue that kept me riveted from begin to end. . Her characters are three dimensional with assets and flaws that totally ring true.

In 1936, Cassandra Cross becomes part of a team on an archeological dig in Egypt. The previously buried antiquities which are unearthed are beyond valuable. Not only does Cassandra help uncover rar jewels but she also enters into a personal relationship that will affect her future forever.

In 1978 Cassandra is employed at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art as an assistant curator. The antiquities of Egypt have remained her life’s work. It is at the museum that she crosses paths with Annie, an 18 year old who has been hired to assist preparation for the renowned Met Gala. During the event there is an unimaginable theft of a rare cerulean queen with no clues left behind. The stolen object is priceless. Annie is held accountable by her boss although she had followed all the required protocols and is fired so when Cassandra invites her to Egypt to investigate the theft, Annie jumps at the opportunity.

This is a riveting tale of lost objects, lost love, friendship and determination wrapped up in a blanket of mystery. I just loved it. Fiona Davis is a remarkably talented author with a penchant for writing brilliantly original plots. Five dancing stars for a great read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for providing an ARC in exchange for my review. USA publication date is January 7, 2025. Be sure to put it on your must read list.

Fiona Davis's books are always enjoyable, and this one was no different. It follows Charlotte, an associate curator at the Met who is attempting to prove her theory about a female pharaoh, and Annie, a young woman trying to find her place in life who ends up working at the Met. It flips between 1978 in New York City and the 1936 in Egypt.

I liked that this one had a fairly unique perspective about Ancient Egypt and tied into the Met well. The chapters were woven together seamlessly despite having different points-of-view. There were mysterious aspects, which related to a wonderful ending that tied the book together well.

This is my first Fiona Davis book and i truly enjoyed it. Ive personally went to Egypt a few years back and it was such a wonderful experience to relive it through this book. The plot was incredible and storyline is easily digestible that you cant put it down! Thank you so much netgalley and penguin random house for the chance to read this The Stolen Queen in advance

Fiona Davis has done it again but with a twist. This story starts off in 1978 New York at The Met museum where you meet Charlotte who is an assistant curator in the Egyptian Art department. From there Charlotte takes you on an adventure into her younger years to 1936 Egypt where she gets a spot on an archaeological dig. She fall in love with Henry a fellow archaeologist and thought her life was complete until a tragic accident happens on their way home to New York.
You also met Annie a young girl who loves The Met museum and the Egyptian displays along with a passion for fashion. Which actually get her a job one fateful night when making a delivery to the fashion dept that preparing for the Met Gala.
Charlotte is determined to tell the story of a pharaoh queen Hathorkare who she believes has been written out of Egyptian history and couldn’t care less about the upcoming Gala until that fateful night when a priceless Egyptian artifact is stolen.
Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing artifact as an unlikely pair and brings Charlotte back to Egypt where she never wanted to return. Charlotte needs to confront her past but could lead them both into dangerous territory.

Dual-timeline book about an Egyptologist at the opposite ends of her career--in 1936, on a dig in Egypt, and in 1978, while working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Young Charlotte's experiences in Egypt are full of youthful adventure, early career-making success, and tragedy that changes her life. Older Charlotte is has found a quieter, safer way to live with her passion for the past but has her life upended by the combination of a new exhibit at the museum and run-ins with a young woman at the start of discovering her own life path, Annie.

I loved that the dual timelines in this book weren't a gimmick and were connected by the same character's experiences. The unrolling of the past within the challenges of the present of the 1970s was well-paced. The settings were vivid--while I can't speak to the authenticity of the Egyptian setting, the descriptions of the Met were spot-on. The characters were strong, interesting, realistically flawed women who I cared about and was invested in, and there was a lot of interesting history (of both time periods) woven into the narrative. Loved all of that and that the storylines kept me interested and excited to read to the end. Recommended for anyone who is interested in museums, history, fashion, strong women characters, and stories about finding and following your passion at any age.

I enjoyed this book! I wasn't familiar with Fiona Davis before getting into The Stolen Queen but right out the gate I realized this was going to be the a cozy read in the vein of a Hallmark movie or something from the Netflix Christmas Cinematic Universe. Think a cozy version of The Mummy mixed with The Devil Wears Prada.

If you're looking for a something where people fall in love quickly and there are no real stakes because you know things are going to work out, this might be for you!

There _are_ things that would be problematic outside of a frosted glass fantasy of lives that just work out for the main characters... and they sort of still are problematic because the book nods at them directly but doesn't back down or change course. Things like the romance of archeology in Egypt in the early 1900s being effectively theft and the people of the place not being worthy stewards of the history being unearthed as tombs are plundered and literally crumble around them

As a fan of historical fiction, I was excited to read The Stolen Queen as I have not read any historical fiction based in Egypt.

I have very mixed feelings about the book overall. I found the plot interesting and I felt pretty engaged with the story for the entire book. However, the writing felt pretty cheesy and everything that happened was always so easy and perfect. No one had to struggle to solve mysteries, they just immediately figured things out. It just took me out of the story.

I think if you are a big fan of historical fiction you’d probably enjoy this one but if not, I’d suggest skipping it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc.

This was a fantastical historical fiction to pick up! Highly recommend if that’s your genre of choice. Took me a while to get through but that was more because I wasn’t in the right mood

The Stolen Queen is the story of Charlotte Cross spanning several decades. In the beginning it alternates between the 1930s when she was in Egypt on an archeological dig an the 1970s when she works at the Met Museum in New York. We also meet a teenage girl named Annie. Their stories intertwine when Annie gets a job at the Met Museum. Charlotte has a sad past from her time in Egypt that catches up to her in an exciting way towards the end of the book. I liked all the characters but I especially loved Annie. I loved seeing how she grew out of her shell and found her own path. I loved the bits of Egyptian culture interspersed also.

4 1/2 stars
Her whole life Charlotte has been given to finding Egyptian treasures and proving her theory about a much maligned female pharaoh. When tragedy strikes ripping her husband and infant daughter away from her she turns her back on Egypt but not its treasures. Years pass and Charlotte is working for the Met and when a treasure is stolen right under their noses it will lead Charlotte and her new young ally back to Egypt to find the necklace and unearth the secrets of her past. Not only are we transported back to the golden age of Egyptian discoveries and the sometimes unsavory methods used to collect them but also behind the scenes in the 70's at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and one of its treasures Diana Vreeland creating the Met Gala the showstopper event it still is today. Fiona Davis once again shares her love of New York and invites us to love it as well. This is a must for historical fiction buffs as well as those fascinated by the world of stolen art/antiquities around the world and armchair Egyptologists. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

An intriguing novel about the early days of Egyptian exploration and the retrieval of Egyptian artifacts. Charlotte Cross, as a young researcher, is enamored of all things Egypt and has the opportunity to participate in an expedition that will change her life. Many years later, as a curator of the Met museum in New York, she comes upon an artifact that upsets her current world and she makes the return to Egypt after many years to resolve its mystery.
Davis is a master of historical fiction and this novel continues her tradition. But, at times, it becomes predictable and ends get tied up too abruptly.
Recommended for readers of historical fiction.

Fiona Davis delivers another fabulous story revolving around the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Egypt. Going between two time periods, the reader is put into a mystery, a love story, and the archaeological find of the century.

In my mind, Fiona Davis can do no wrong. The Stolen Queen is another home run by the author, and I loved that the setting was in Egypt.

Another amazingly well done book by Fiona Davis! While the book is historical fiction, it also has a bit of a mystery to it as well. It follows Charlotte during her time in Egypt as a young adult on a dig for the Met and then years later as a curator for the Met. During the Met gala an artifact goes missing that is tied to Charlotte’s past. She and Annie, who is a young woman helping with the gala, team up to find the stolen piece of art. There is so much more to Charlotte’s story and I was really captivated by her story. It touches on how difficult is was for a woman working in archeology in the 1930’s.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC of this book.

Fiona Davis is one of my favorite authors and The Stolen Queen is another exciting novel. I love it and can not wait until her next book!
Thanks,NetGalley for the opportunity to read this and review this book.

Fiona is an auto buy author for me! The spectacular is my favorite audiobook! This one was amazing too, I loved the story so much!

I always enjoy Fiona Davis’ work! She makes historical fiction very accessible and appealing. I love how she spins a special magic over the places of New York City. I recently also enjoyed Isabel Ibanez’s What the River Knows & Agatha Christie’s Death of the Nile. It was wonderful to explore the lands of Egypt again in this novel & still find something incredible to unearth (I think Charlotte would agree that there’s always something to uncover in Egypt’s mysterious lands). I appreciate that Charlotte eventually came to find what she was looking for in this novel (in more ways than one). I’d highly recommend giving this book your time.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an advance copy of this novel that looks at history, spectacles, legacies, legends, and how women through different stages of history have to deal with events.

I like to lose myself in a book, but I think I love to learn things from a book, especially if it is something I would never think of investigating for myself. Things like the Met Gala. I would have no interest in something involving rich people playing dress-up nor would I read a book devoted to something like that. As part of a story, a well told story,involving secrets, lies, curses and Egyptology and the legacy of museum theft, well I am going to learn a few things. And have a very good time doing so. Especially when the author is Fiona Davis. The Stolen Queen is a story of two women, both trying to make their way in the world at different times, who find themselves working together to solve a mystery, one that might be thousands of years old.

In the year 1936 Charlotte Cross is a young anthropology student who is offered the chance of a lifetime. A chance to work and learn on a anthropological dig at the Valley of Kings in Egypt. This is a huge chance and one that make a young lady's career, even in early part of the century. Things do not go well, leading to tragedy and heartbreak, and Cross vows never to return to Egypt. Annie Jenkins is a young girl in the most exciting and dangerous city in the world New York City in 1978. Jenkins has scored a job working on the premiere social event of the season, possibly the Met Gala. There Jenkins crosses paths with Charlotte Cross who works at the Metropolitan Musuem's Department of Egyptian Art, specializing in the life of Hathorkare a female pharaoh, who many consider a legend, or just a space filler for male pharaohs. On the night of the Gala, things go missing, a rare piece of art with ties to Hathorkare, and a curse that Charlotte Cross is more than familiar with. Jenkins and Cross must work together to find out what is going on, even if Cross must go back to the place she vowed never to return, Egypt.

Fiona Davis is a gifted writer able to write not only stories that hold the reader, but also teach the reader about the world that lies outside their purview. Davis creates characters that are seem real, dealing with real issues, and is able to mix these fictional characters with actual historical persons, and move the story along. Davis does not lecture or make it seem like oh I did all this research let me dump it on you, like some authors do. Davis takes her time, feeds the information when necessary and allows the characters to breathe, and develop. Davis does quite a bit of research, as shown in Davis's Author's Notes, and it is appreciated. The narrative is split between the two characters Cross and Jenkins, and both have different ways of looking at the world, and people, so the narratives are never confusing. Cross and Jenkins show their generational gap in different ways, which again helps move the story along.

Fiona Davis has written another strong book, one that fans will enjoy and one that new readers can easily get into, and discover a very rich reading history ahead of them. A writer who creates stories that enlighten and entertain are rare, especially writers this good. I look forward to the next Fiona Davis book.