The Metropolitan Affair by Jocelyn Green Book Review

About the Book:

Bestselling author Jocelyn Green sweeps you away in a dazzling novel of secrets, betrayal, and romance within one of New York City's most esteemed museums.

For years her explorer father promised Dr. Lauren Westlake she'd accompany him on one of his Egyptian expeditions. But as the empty promises mounted, Lauren determined to earn her own way. Now the assistant curator of Egyptology for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lauren receives two unexpected invitations.

The first is her repentant father's offer to finally bring her to Egypt as his colleague on a new expedition. The second is a chance to enter the world of New York's wealthiest patrons who have been victims of art fraud.

With Egyptomania sweeping the city after the discovery of King Tut's tomb, Detective Joe Caravello is on the hunt for a notorious forger preying on the open wallets of New York's high society. Dr. Westlake is just the expert he needs to help him track the criminal. Together they search for the truth, and the closer Lauren and Joe get to discovering the forger's identity, the more entangled they become in a web of deception and crime.

You can read an excerpt here.

My Review:

This is an informative novel centered in an era about which I knew nothing. I have heard of the discovery of King Tut's tomb but had no idea of the influence it caused, a mania for Egyptian artifacts. That provided a great opportunity for creating and selling fake objects. The mystery in this novel revolves around the framework of the deception.

I appreciate learning about the Egyptian craze and how fakes could be identified. It was also interesting to learn some about the history and workings of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Lauren is a good heroine, trying to make her way as an expert at a time when women professionals were not appreciated. Joe is an adequate detective and potential person of romance for Lauren.

This book runs a bit longer than most in this genre and was slow in a few areas. There is a great deal of interesting information contained in it and there is a good faith message near the end. I appreciate that Lauren was based on the actual first woman to become an Egyptologist, according to the Author's Note. I do appreciate Green clarifying fact and fiction in that Note.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Jocelyn Green (www.jocelyngreen.com) inspires faith and courage as the bestselling author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books, including the Christy Award-winning The Mark of the King and Drawn by the Current and her On Central Park series. Photo Credit: © Double-Wide Design

Bethany House Publishers, 400 pages.

I was given the opportunity to read and review this book by the publisher. While I never have received a copy of the book from them, I was able to access it through my local library and complete this review. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)