The Museum Detective by Maha Khan Phillips
Where to find this book at Reed Memorial Library:
- New Fiction
- Call number: MYS Phillips
- View it on our catalog
The Museum Detective hit the shelves earlier this year and we highly recommend this tale of mummies, missing girls, and a female museum-curator-turned-detective. The story is loosely based on a real-life antiquities scandal in Pakistan.
Dr. Gul Delani is one of Pakistan’s leading archaeological experts and a curator at the Museum of Heritage and History in Karachi. They story centers around her discovery of a life-sized mummy, decorated with Persian symbols. The find, if it is authentic, would rock the foundations of the archaeological community. A tangential storyline is Gul’s missing niece – a politically active young woman who disappeared three years prior.
This book is a great combination of mystery and insight into modern Pakistani life, especially for a woman. The main character is an anomaly; a degreed woman with a career in a traditionally male dominated world of museum curation. You experience the difficulties of Gul’s professional life as she struggles to maintain control of the mummy discovery to both preserve her professional integrity, the museum’s reputation and authenticate the mummy.
The mystery is the main storyline and the author interweaves the social and cultural aspects into her character’s lives, rather than letting it take over the storyline. The characters are richly rounded out and her descriptions of Pakistan are evocative. Phillips storyline is complex and the pacing is tight. The mystery is well-constructed and keeps you guessing throughout.
We highly recommend The Museum Detective to any mystery aficionado and for fiction readers interested in Pakistan. It balances the story and details about another country and culture extremely well. A definite thumbs up.
You can enjoy The Museum Detective as an e-book, audiobook, and hardback.
Sincerely, Cornelius 