The stolen queen A novel

Two timelines intertwine in the latest from prolific historical fiction author Davis (The Spectacular, 2021), following the lives of Charlotte Cross and Annie Jenkins. In Egypt, 1937, Charlotte, an anthropology student in the Valley of the Kings, makes life-altering discoveries and falls in love, leading her into the dangerous world of stolen antiquities and the rumored curse of Hathorkare, a misunderstood female pharaoh. Meanwhile, in 1978 New York, after years of caring for her mother, 18-year-old Annie struggles to find her own path. Charlotte's and Annie's stories converge at the Metropolitan Museum during preparations for the lavish Met Gala. Older, wiser, and still haunted by her past in Egypt, Charlotte reconnects with an artifact she hasn't seen in 40 years and must finally confront her long-buried secrets, while Annie learns to take control of her own life. With its themes of antiquities repatriation, personal loss, and women's resilience, The Stolen Queen is a captivating exploration of identity and strength, with twists that will compel readers till the very end.

In this alluring outing from Davis (The Spectacular), two women team up to find an artifact that's gone missing from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's 1978 and curator Charlotte Cross, who specializes in Egyptian antiquities, has spent the past three years working to prove female pharaoh Hathorkare was not "universally reviled," and that her visage was not damaged directly after her death, as conventionally believed, but decades later. Charlotte must visit Egypt to prove her thesis, a trip she's avoided because of devastating memories from when she studied abroad there in the 1930s. In a parallel narrative, 19-year-old housekeeper Annie Jenkins dreams of becoming a fashion designer. When she lands a job as the assistant to Met Gala organizer Diana Vreeland, she thinks she's hit the jackpot. But the night of the gala, one of the museum's most famous Egyptian pieces disappears, and Charlotte and Annie join forces to track it down. Their search leads them to Egypt, where Charlotte will finally face her past--if she and Annie aren't killed first. The action-packed novel brims with Davis's customary meticulous research and adds insight to debates over whether artifacts should remain in their country of origin. There's plenty of substance to this rousing adventure. Agent: Stefanie Lieberman, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Jan.)