Miss Knight and the Pyramid's Puzzle

Spoiler Alert: I am a rabid fan of Ms. Ehsani and her Society for Paranormals series. So I jumped on the chance to get my hands on this book. Vered's tag line is Africa, With a Bite. Remember to take your walking stick with you. You're going to need it.It is no wonder that Beatrice Knight is a bit raw around the edges: she's still smarting from an encounter with a demon whose true form is a giant praying mantis. And now her employer wants her to return to the neighborhood of the scene of the crime. Not that Lagos and Egypt are that close together, but still. When a vacation cruise gets so bad that all you want to do is go home, it is imperative to figure out why. The series this book belongs to is filled with inhuman characters. Inhuman, not inhumane. This is a prequel to the Society for Paranormals series, a sequel to The Night in Lagos (where the demon lives). There are tasty tidbits here and there; crumbs that will take one on a series of excellent adventures; if one chooses to follow the crumbs. Meanwhile, make careful note of the types of characters Miss Knight comes in contact with. You'll see their kind again if you take up the challenge.This story has an easy plotline: a young woman, recently widowed, who makes an unusual living as a paranormal investigator, is enticed (coerced?) by her employer, who just happens to be a werewolf, to take a relaxing voyage, by ship, from England to Egypt to return an important artifact. Sounds like fun, right? Well, yes, but. What is a proper, well-bred, young Victorian-era lady supposed to do when that artifact, whose location is supposed to be a secret, disappears? The list of suspects includes nearly everyone on the ship's manifest. Her employer is thrown into the brig, leaving Beatrice to explore and deduce all on her own.The story is set in 1898 against an excellent backdrop of what life in England was like. It is historically accurate, except when it isn't. Take the time to read on after the story ends. Vered includes a section called Fact and Fiction which I am certain you will find intriguing. You may read this section first, if you're one of THOSE, the information includes bits of what's going on elsewhere. On the other hand, be warned. If you DO read this section first, you WILL need a comfy chair, a pot of tea, and a bit of uninterrupted time because you will be compelled to complete the rest of the journey.

The adventure in this book occurs before those in THE GHOSTS OF TSAVO and after Miss Knight's encounter with Koki in THE NIGHT IN LAGOS. Koki is a West African demon who takes the form of an elephant sized mantis. Koki is just one of the creatures and characters of African mythology and legend to appear in Vered Ehsani's series the SOCIETY FOR PARANORMALS aka AFRICA WITH A BITE. Mix this mythology with African and British history circa 1900 and you have an entertaining and almost intoxicating cocktail.In this volume Miss Knight is already contemplating resigning as an investigator for the Society for Paranormals. Against her better judgment she accepts an assignment to accompany the Society director Professor Runal in delivering an artifact to Egypt. She is told that this artifact will end the war in the Sudan known as the Mahdist War. The artifact is stolen on board the ship but, with limited aid from the Professor, she recovers it. During the mission questions are raised about the integrity of both the Society and the Professor. Miss Knight exercises wisdom reminiscent of Solomon to resolve the immediate problem. This leaves long term questions about the Society to be answered in future volumes.The events aboard the S.S. Suez would probably push a normal person to go ahead and resign. However the intrepid Miss Knight is not normal. At the close of the book she remarks, "And if I’m being honest, normalcy is terribly overrated.” Which attitude is fortunate for readers as it helps insure that these witty, well written adventures will continue.

This was a really good story. The characters are always good. I won't bore you with a plot summary as I know other reviewers are fond of doing that. If you liked the first prequel in the series, and especially if you happened to read one or more of the regular series books before the prequels, I think you'll like this one. Have at it because I don't think you'll be disappointed. I can't wait to read the next book in the series I was going to start before I knew about this second prequel.

Absolutely gorgeous tale of Ms Knight, a Victorian proper lady with walking stick, hiding murderous blades, paranormal skills and cold blood runs the mystery of an ancient puzzle aboard a ship full of strange passengers. With lots of humor, quick pacing action and thrilling discoveries - a lovely way to start the biggest adventure of your life!

Too often prequels disappoint, but not this one. Vered Ehsani has successfully gone back into her characters' past and delivered a satisfying romp through the Victorian era with Miss Knight, and a surprisingly positive view of a certain werewolf! I was surprised, enchanted - and fully engrossed.Must read for Paranormal fans - Must read for anyone, really.

I enjoyed seeing how Ms. Knight handled cases before moving to Africa (although she had been there before). It was an enjoyable book with unique characters (loved Ms. Devin). All in all it was a delightful story that came at a time I needed it.

A ship full of ship full unusual characters both dead and alive, human and not. What fun!

This is my first book from this author. I enjoyed it. Great weekend read!

Who doesn't love Miss Knight. Soo english & genteel - but !!!!!! You must love tea & go along with her uncanny adventures. This one is another brilliant book and adventure.