Cleopatra's Dagger
- Downloads：4754
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-04-24 11:21:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Carole Lawrence
- ISBN：1713646773
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Susan Pope
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Victorian mellow-drama at its best。 A great story。 Well written well paced well researched。 A delightful read。 An author I will follow。 It’s a 10 from me。
Dean Neidholt
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i enjoyed the story。 It was set in New York， women were still very marginalized in our society。I enjoy historical novels and this had a lot of twists and lively characters。 Elizabeth our main character was the first woman reporter in a major newspaper。 The plot runs from there。。。I recommend this story to anyone that enjoys murder and mayhem set in early 1900's late 1800's New York i enjoyed the story。 It was set in New York， women were still very marginalized in our society。I enjoy historical novels and this had a lot of twists and lively characters。 Elizabeth our main character was the first woman reporter in a major newspaper。 The plot runs from there。。。I recommend this story to anyone that enjoys murder and mayhem set in early 1900's late 1800's New York 。。。more
Elizabeth Ducie
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Nineteenth century New York; a feisty female protagonist; lots of red herrings; and a touch of romance on the side。 What's not to like。 A very readable addition to the genre。 Nineteenth century New York; a feisty female protagonist; lots of red herrings; and a touch of romance on the side。 What's not to like。 A very readable addition to the genre。 。。。more
Sonya Gray
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Excellent mysteryThis was a very well written， enjoyable read。 The author did an excellent job of concealing the identity of the killer until the end。 She gave several options to consider， and none of them were obvious。
Tina E
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Love this book！Very well written and thought out。 I was transported in time to the year 1880。 A time without all the convenient electrical devices we have now to communicate with。 Loved the characters and the story。
Norman
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Great plotEnjoyed this book。 The author did a great job building the characters and their relationships。 Elizabeth was a strong woman making her path in a mans world。
Linda
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I chose this book as a March First Reads selection at Amazon Prime since I have an interest in all things Egyptian。 The story takes place in New York City 1890 where Elizabeth van den Broek， a descendant of New York City's wealthy founders， is the first crime reporter for the New York Herald newspaper。 The first crime involves the body of a young girl found in the pit dug behind the museum to place an obelisk called Cleopatra's Dagger。 The story has several directions it takes including Elizabet I chose this book as a March First Reads selection at Amazon Prime since I have an interest in all things Egyptian。 The story takes place in New York City 1890 where Elizabeth van den Broek， a descendant of New York City's wealthy founders， is the first crime reporter for the New York Herald newspaper。 The first crime involves the body of a young girl found in the pit dug behind the museum to place an obelisk called Cleopatra's Dagger。 The story has several directions it takes including Elizabeth's sorrow at her sister's mental illness。 Actually I thought that her hospitalization and treatment was far above what I have read about treatment of the mentally ill in the 19th century。 There was enough drama in the story and I liked the occasional paragraphs looking into the mind of the unnamed killer。 Like other people， I wonder about the assault in the middle of the book that was never solved。 I have an idea who the perpetrator of that was and it was not the murderer。 I did enjoy reading the book， though。 。。。more
Scilla
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The book takes place in 1880 in New York City。 Vassar graduate， Elizabeth van den Broek， is the only female reporter at the Herald。 On her way to work on the Elevated， she sees a man strangling a woman in a 3rd floor window。 Her boss tells her to forget what she saw and go to Mrs Astor's home on 5th Avenue to cover her garden party。 Elizabeth does write up something about the garden party， but begins to investigate the murder she watched。 She lives in the Stuyvesant and becomes friendly with you The book takes place in 1880 in New York City。 Vassar graduate， Elizabeth van den Broek， is the only female reporter at the Herald。 On her way to work on the Elevated， she sees a man strangling a woman in a 3rd floor window。 Her boss tells her to forget what she saw and go to Mrs Astor's home on 5th Avenue to cover her garden party。 Elizabeth does write up something about the garden party， but begins to investigate the murder she watched。 She lives in the Stuyvesant and becomes friendly with young artist Carlotta， who has a studio there。 They meet on the steps of the Metropolitan， and they find what appears to be an Egyptian mummy in a hole in the ground。 When Elizabeth looks closer， she recognizes the woman she saw strangled from the El， and Elizabeth begins her assignment as a crime reporter。Soon there is another "Egyptian" murder。 Elizabeth is not appreciated by most of the male reporters， but she continues her reporting。 Soon， she is getting messages from the murderer。 When her older sister who is in Belleview disappears， Elizabeth must put herself into danger in order to save her sister。 I might add that it's easy to forget how unrealistic Elizabeth's actions are for a woman in 1880's because the story is well told and very exciting。 。。。more
Kate
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When I was a kid， every summer we would go on a roadtrip to our vacation destination。 And my parents would listen to audiobooks in the car while we drove。 Which was how I was introduced to Caleb Carr's The Alienist。 I can't help but be reminded of that book when I was reading Cleopatra's Dagger - a book that takes places in 19th century New York City while the protagonist searches for a serial killer preying on the lower classes。I enjoyed both books， so it was an easy comparison to make。 The adv When I was a kid， every summer we would go on a roadtrip to our vacation destination。 And my parents would listen to audiobooks in the car while we drove。 Which was how I was introduced to Caleb Carr's The Alienist。 I can't help but be reminded of that book when I was reading Cleopatra's Dagger - a book that takes places in 19th century New York City while the protagonist searches for a serial killer preying on the lower classes。I enjoyed both books， so it was an easy comparison to make。 The advantage of Cleopatra's Dagger was that the protagonist was a woman。 As a woman， it's always enjoyable when women get to take the lead and allows the story to comment on the roles of women at the time。 My complaint about the book （and I still gave it 4 stars， so it wasn't a complete deterrence） is that I felt it went off on unnecessary tangents to paint the picture of their version of young "anarchists" who were fighting for social change。 Most of these scenes didn't really add much to the narrative and I would have enjoyed spending more time exploring the inner workings， desires， and history of the protagonist and antagonist who became more figureheads than persons in their own right。 And without giving away anything about the ending， I was disappointed in the way it all wrapped up。 。。。more
James Lurie
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Worked in NYC for many years。 Although my time there was in the 1970s and 80s rather than the 1880s when the story is set， I could easily picture each scene （having watched the movie "Gangs of New York" helped。 Usually I am aware of "who done it" well before the characters are， and it irritates me when that happens。 Not in this case。 Not obvious until near the end。 Worked in NYC for many years。 Although my time there was in the 1970s and 80s rather than the 1880s when the story is set， I could easily picture each scene （having watched the movie "Gangs of New York" helped。 Usually I am aware of "who done it" well before the characters are， and it irritates me when that happens。 Not in this case。 Not obvious until near the end。 。。。more
Jeffry Miller
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disappointing endingNothing in the killers backstory even hints at who he is， until poof， crime solved。 Unless I missed the clues。
Donna
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It wasn’t bad until the …seemed to me…。hurriedly wrapped up ending。
Lynn Forbes
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Didn't see that comingDespite the fact that the author uses fancy words when plain ones will do， I enjoyed this story。 The heroine is strong and determined。 I liked her drive to succeed when the men surrounding her didn't believe she was strong enough to get the job done。 The killer was well disguised until the very end。 Read it， you will like it。 Didn't see that comingDespite the fact that the author uses fancy words when plain ones will do， I enjoyed this story。 The heroine is strong and determined。 I liked her drive to succeed when the men surrounding her didn't believe she was strong enough to get the job done。 The killer was well disguised until the very end。 Read it， you will like it。 。。。more
Tracey
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Only just started， and had to give up - not for me！
Kiki
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Very niceI especially appreciated the opening descriptions of the scenes， characters and landscape。 What a master。 I thoroughly enjoyed this book。
Sharon
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Interesting premise and lots of good "ancient Egypt facts" woven into the plot kept me turning pages in this mystery。 SPOILER ALERT: I gave it four stars rather than five because I felt the ending was contrived and could have been good if another character had been the real murderer。 Interesting premise and lots of good "ancient Egypt facts" woven into the plot kept me turning pages in this mystery。 SPOILER ALERT: I gave it four stars rather than five because I felt the ending was contrived and could have been good if another character had been the real murderer。 。。。more
Kay Wright
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Writing makes all the difference。 This woman can not write well。 Even the main character， a socialite working as a newspaper reporter in 1870 is dry and stilted， very uninteresting， her mentally ill sister doesn’t even have any life to her。 Just a good idea with an author who doesn’t have the skill to make it work。
Diane Mackereth
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Great readI really enjoyed reading this historical mystery。 I can't wait to start another book by the same author。 I highly recommend this book。 Great readI really enjoyed reading this historical mystery。 I can't wait to start another book by the same author。 I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Cheryl
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Meh。 This could have been a very interesting story but it is not very well written。 Certainly does not measure up to other Amazon Prime first reads I've read in the past。 Meh。 This could have been a very interesting story but it is not very well written。 Certainly does not measure up to other Amazon Prime first reads I've read in the past。 。。。more
Patricia
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Interesting combination of 1880 NYC， a femal reporter and a mystery。
Christy
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I feel on the positive side of neutral about this one。 The story was interesting， and the protagonist was a lovely and progressive young woman of her times。 There were just a ton of odd details and subplots never taken。 Almost all the personal details for the protagonist were extraneous detours。 What did the potential suitors add to the story？ Were they seen as necessary to prove that she was attractive？ Ridiculous。 What about the new friends dropped into the middle of the story just for kicks？ I feel on the positive side of neutral about this one。 The story was interesting， and the protagonist was a lovely and progressive young woman of her times。 There were just a ton of odd details and subplots never taken。 Almost all the personal details for the protagonist were extraneous detours。 What did the potential suitors add to the story？ Were they seen as necessary to prove that she was attractive？ Ridiculous。 What about the new friends dropped into the middle of the story just for kicks？ Just stuffing really。 Unfortunately I think the most disappointing blow was that there wasn’t a way to guess the killer much in advance of the protagonist。 A few pages early， yes， but not a novel where you started thinking back to that funny inkling you got 10 chapters back but ignored your instinct because you liked them and find yourself shook。 Also for those （like my hubby） who were interested in this First Reads offering because of the historical timeframe AND promise of Egyptian lore， lower your expectations now so you aren’t crushed later。 。。。more
Minna
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This definitely reminded me of the Gaslight Mystery series。 I enjoyed the characters and would like to read more with them。 Hopefully this will turn into a series。
Karli
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Not great， not terribleAlthough I don’t have many exceedingly good things to say about this book- it was entertaining enough and that is why I gave it 2 stars instead of 2。 The world-building is terrible。 Are they in New York city？ Is this the 1800s？ I was only reminded of the time when they mentioned horses pulling around their carriages and what-not。 The author tried to put Too many events into one book and by events I mean small plot lines that are really unimportant to the actual book and co Not great， not terribleAlthough I don’t have many exceedingly good things to say about this book- it was entertaining enough and that is why I gave it 2 stars instead of 2。 The world-building is terrible。 Are they in New York city？ Is this the 1800s？ I was only reminded of the time when they mentioned horses pulling around their carriages and what-not。 The author tried to put Too many events into one book and by events I mean small plot lines that are really unimportant to the actual book and could have either been elaborated on or excluded completely。 。。。more
Nancy C
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A Good Mystery I was pleasantly surprised with this novel。 Set in the late 1800s， a time period I haven't often read about， a female newspaper reporter struggles to find a serial killer while fighting sexism at work and from her family。 While some may figure out the culprit before the end （there are several subjects）， a surprise still awaits。 Recommend。 A Good Mystery I was pleasantly surprised with this novel。 Set in the late 1800s， a time period I haven't often read about， a female newspaper reporter struggles to find a serial killer while fighting sexism at work and from her family。 While some may figure out the culprit before the end （there are several subjects）， a surprise still awaits。 Recommend。 。。。more
Puchowska
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I had to DNF this book because not only is the plot severely lacking （the protagonist conveniently stumbled upon/was handed every clue without actively seeking it）， but the main character herself is yet another case of a modern-day privileged insufferable virtue-signalling leftist hypocrite wedged into a completely different era and self-righteously teaching everyone around her how terrible they are because they don't all share this brat's exact thoughts and feelings。Boring。 Next。 I had to DNF this book because not only is the plot severely lacking （the protagonist conveniently stumbled upon/was handed every clue without actively seeking it）， but the main character herself is yet another case of a modern-day privileged insufferable virtue-signalling leftist hypocrite wedged into a completely different era and self-righteously teaching everyone around her how terrible they are because they don't all share this brat's exact thoughts and feelings。Boring。 Next。 。。。more
Jaime
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Rating: 3。5 starsThe story follows Elizabeth Van Den Broek， a young and ambitious aspiring journalist who discovers a horrific crime and oddly arranged dead body in New York’s Central Park one morning。 Elizabeth is tasked with following serval clues and mythological ideas to help uncover who the killer is and why they are wreaking havoc on New York City。 This was a captivating and interesting read。 It was the first e-book story I have ever read and what a great novel to start my journey。 The aut Rating: 3。5 starsThe story follows Elizabeth Van Den Broek， a young and ambitious aspiring journalist who discovers a horrific crime and oddly arranged dead body in New York’s Central Park one morning。 Elizabeth is tasked with following serval clues and mythological ideas to help uncover who the killer is and why they are wreaking havoc on New York City。 This was a captivating and interesting read。 It was the first e-book story I have ever read and what a great novel to start my journey。 The author has done a fantastic job at transporting me to NYC in the 1880s。 I really enjoyed the time and research Carole Lawrence put into both explaining and integrating Egyptian mythology into this story， I cannot wait to learn more about this classical period。Our main character Elizabeth was incredible， she was breath of fresh air。 A go-getter， confident， yet complex character navigating the problems and issues that women faced in the 19th century。 She was the perfect protagonist， especially because she had her foot in all aspects of society。The novel gave me Mindhunter vibes。 While I had absolutely no clue who the killer could be， I saw similarities to notorious serial killers， particularly Ed Kemper and the Zodiac Killer。 I’m not sure whether or not this was intentional but I enjoyed it a lot。 There were a couple of aspects that I didn’t enjoy。 I personally， wished for some more clues as to who the killer could have been。 I also think the cover could be more eye-catchy and compelling。 This title， synopsis， and the story， in general， are so captivating， that I think it would be more successful with a different cover。 I want to thank both Carole Lawrence and NetGalley for my free online copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review。 。。。more
Natalie Moore
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This was a fast paced historical murder mystery set in NYC in the 1800’s。 It wasn’t a perfect story or a literary work of art， but I really enjoyed it。 Piecing together locations I have visited and historical things I’ve heard about the city with this story were fun for me。 There are some plot holes and storylines that go nowhere and there are some serious subjects that just glossed over and go quietly into the night but it was a fun little murder mystery from my Amazon First Reads。
sherry revill
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Over Too SoonI enjoyed this book very much because of both the time period and the author's use of color and scent。 Nice to read a book that involves sensory imagery。 Over Too SoonI enjoyed this book very much because of both the time period and the author's use of color and scent。 Nice to read a book that involves sensory imagery。 。。。more
Clare Anderson
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Delightful and educational Not knowing much about New York history other than some of the famous families， this book enlighten me as on some of the more infamous characters and locations in the city。 All the while， I was being entertained by a murder mystery involving a serial killer。 I found it hard to put the book down and I had concern for certain characters in the book while uncertain about others。 For those who like historical mysteries， this is a great read。
John Orvidas
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