Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer

Murder at the Mena House is the perfect mystery for any Poirot-heads out there. It takes place in a similar time period - post Great War but before WWII - and in Egypt, where, of course, Death on the Nile takes place. We get to enjoy lush descriptions of the pyramids, traditional Egyption clothing, camel races, textiles, and a lovely market full of spices. This book is probably more style over substance, but that’s often what I like in a mystery. I like the learning (ala Dan Brown) aspect and the ambience and a little puzzle to noodle on.

There really is something about the prohibition time period: glamorous costume parties, cocktails before dinner every night (& I don’t even really drink!), the sliver of independence that women have! A glamour of modernity and yet the nostalgia of the past. Pre-modern technology, but still the social conventions are similar enough to not feel foreign. Maybe the Baz Luhrmann version of The Great Gatsby ruined me.

I love to read about an intrepid, tall, young woman detective, with a mysterious past! Even if the mystery isn’t incredibly compelling, all of the elements to a good time are present.