Digging Up the Dead: A Crispin Leads Mystery

by Meredith Lee, Dixie Lee Evatt, Sue Meredith Cleveland

Overview

After an explosive fight with her father, Crispin Leads, a talented young scholar who studies burial rituals, flees to London from an archeological dig in the Egyptian desert. There she stumbles across evidence that the fabled Curse of King Tut's Tomb was actually an elaborate ruse to cover up ancient thefts. To dig up the truth, she returns to the burial grounds in the Valley of the Kings. There she must outwit con men, overcome lifelong insecurities, identify the true culprits behind a series of murders and, ultimately, unravel horrific family secrets.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780999223321
Publisher:	39 Stars
Publication date:	10/15/2018
Series:	Crispin Leads Mystery , #2
Pages:	268
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.56(d)

Editorial Reviews

“Shrouded left me wanting more and Digging Up the Dead delivers. Crispin Leads is back. She’s smart, she’s gritty, and she doesn’t back down as she uncovers the truth behind a series of murders, ancient lies and, ultimately, dark family secrets. The authors had me rooting for her from the first heart-stopping scene to the last heart-breaking moment.”

—Jennifer Love Hewitt, New York Times best selling author of “The Day I Shot Cupid.”

"Fast-paced and addicting, Digging Up the Dead keeps you on the edge of your seat as Crispin Leads travels back and forth from Egypt, London and New York in search of a connection between a series of murders as well as answers to her life-long insecurities. Author Meredith Lee’s vivid descriptions and extensive knowledge of ancient ruins puts you right there in the middle of the action. I anxiously await the next Crispin Leads mystery."

— Kim Brown, Minerva Rising Press

"Crispin Leads is back and Digging Up the Dead does not disappoint. Crossing continents, Crispin is challenged at every turn and readers will keep up the breathless pace along with our smart, savvy heroine. Meredith Lee has done it again, creating a literary page turner that will enthrall fans of Shrouded. A must read."

–Bethany Hegedus, award-winning novelist and Creative Director of The Writing Barn

"Compulsively readable, the new installment in the Crispin Leads series is emotionally immersive and thrilling; but, most of all, we get to be with Crispin again."

— Katherine Moore, editor and ghostwriter

"Digging Up the Dead dazzles with its intricately crafted narrative and luminous language. The fearless Crispin Leads negotiates uncertain terrains confronting a shadowy and powerful conspiracy involving Egyptian treasures. It’s an exhilarating and compelling read that leaves me wanting more."

— Gloria Amescua, award-winning writer and poet

From the Publisher

In the second installment of the Crispin Leads mystery series by Meredith Lee (pen name for Dixie Lee Evatt and Sue Meredith Cleveland), the intrepid NYU graduate student stumbles upon the truth behind a long-standing family secret concerning her mother’s death and the curse of King Tut’s tomb, which claims that those who disturb it are doomed to die.

Crispin, in Egypt pursing studies in ancient burial rites, is a magnet for trouble, which is evident by the novel’s first line: “There is something decidedly off-putting about waking up to the sight of a dog running into your tent with a human hand and forearm dangling out of his mouth.” This is just the beginning, as Crispin travels to London to continue her research among Egyptian archives at the British Library. There, a man has been found crushed to death under heavy boxes, and the files are in shambles.

There is little opportunity to catch one’s breath as Crispin ponders the coincidence of two bodies in two days and discovers among the jumbled files one suggesting much earlier access to Tut’s treasures than had previously been thought.

As she pursues this possibility and seeks a connection to the deaths, Crispin’s backstory is revealed through her memories. A young child when her mother, an Egyptologist, was killed in a plane crash, Crispin and her twin brother were raised by her father, an esteemed university professor. In Crispin’s eyes, she is never smart enough or successful enough to please him.

Lee creates credible characters, with enviable strengths and a fair share of foibles. She paints evocative London scenes that are gray and damp, the air almost as tangible as the gritty sand and heat of the Saharan desert.

The closer Crispin gets to proving her theory about Tut’s tomb and its curse, the more dangers she and those around her encounter. The fast-paced narrative will keep readers captivated as two mysteries, not just one, are ultimately resolved—but, happily, not as expected.

Starred Review - BlueInk Review