The Metropolitan Affair by Jocelyn Green Book Review

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.

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.

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

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.)