An 1815 parlor diversion leads to a fizzy, frothy caper. Agnes is a Regency debutante with an inquisitive mind, a nose for trouble and some not-insignificant feminist objections to the process of finding a husband. When she pockets the trinket she finds among the linens at her neighbor's mummy-unwrapping party, she unwittingly sets off a series of catastrophes will that include burglaries, violent attacks and murder. Her guilt drives her to investigate the mysteries surrounding the mummy and the party guests, drawing her into a tenuous partnership with a British Museum janitor while at the same time dodging the advances of Lord Showalter, the party's host and the most sought-after suitor in London. The secrets she uncovers have consequences both personal and political, giving her quest a heightened urgency. Bradbury weaves Egyptology, Napoleonic conquest and a flirtation with the supernatural into a spy thriller that is a marked departure from her 2008 debut, Shift. The story is steeped in the historical details of the period, even as the author's note outlines the liberties taken with the timeline. Austen fans who wish her characters would get up off their settees and risk an adventure will enjoy Bradbury's smart, feisty heroine (who is herself an avid reader of A Lady). (Mystery. 12 & up)
