Cleopatra's Dagger

By: Carole Lawrence

Narrated by: Kate Rudd

A journalist in nineteenth-century New York matches wits with a serial killer in a gripping thriller by the prizewinning author of the Ian Hamilton Mysteries.

New York, 1880. Elizabeth van den Broek is the only female reporter at the Herald, the city’s most popular newspaper. Then she and her bohemian friend Carlotta Ackerman find a woman’s body wrapped like a mummy in a freshly dug hole in Central Park - the intended site of an obelisk called Cleopatra’s Needle. The macabre discovery takes Elizabeth away from the society pages to follow an investigation into New York City’s darkest shadows.

When more bodies turn up, each tied to Egyptian lore, Elizabeth is onto a headline-making scoop more sinister than she could have imagined. Her reporting has readers spellbound, and each new clue implicates New York’s richest and most powerful citizens. And a serial killer is watching every headline.

Now a madman with an indecipherable motive is coming after Elizabeth and everyone she loves. She wants a good story? She may have to die to get it.

©2022 Carole Bugge. (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“The youthful, exuberant voice of narrator Kate Rudd brings to life reporter Elizabeth van den Broek, who becomes personally involved in the fiendish murders of a serial killer who is obsessed with Egyptian mythology.… The youthful photographer, Evans; the drink-impaired old seaman, Sea Dog; the sophisticated Cordelia are a few of the excellent portrayals that enhance this audiobook.” —AudioFile Magazine

“The riveting story of a female journalist in nineteenth-century New York who must match wits with a serial killer…a vivid murder mystery thriller that is superbly performed by the narrative skills of vocal actor and storyteller Kate Rudd. …a fine and recommended pick for…the personal lists of fans [of] historical mysteries featuring a female sleuth trying to catch a killer in spite of the misogyny that surrounds her in latter decades of the 19th Century.” —Midwest Book Review

“Lawrence makes New York City come alive with numerous colorful details…Fans of Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight mysteries will hope for a sequel.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

great historical mystery

I enjoyed this mystery. It has a strong female protagonist fighting to work in a man's profession (Investigative Journalist). Her family is fairly prominent and she should just marry and have babies, and they try to give her all the puff pieces and society pages. She stumbles on a murder scene and coerces the editor to let her report on the crime.

It's mostly straight mystery, though there are some interesting parts about her family, family secrets, and interesting new friends. I like this kind of mystery because it has to be solved without computers, cell phones, cars and modern forensics.

Enola Holmes, Move Over

Don't miss this current five dollar sale novel. I have never been a big fan of narrator Kate Rudd, But she narrated a classic of Meryl Sawyer,Tempting fate an all-time favorite of mine so after listening to it a third time I thought I need to give this narrator a second chance and went looking for a good entertaing listen. This did the trick! Ms Rudd has earned her good ratings. She does mysteries very well as in this early chauvinistic New York setting. BEWARE: ch 20 if you have issues with assault and Rape .
Boy, the ladies who forged ahead to make a living in a predominantly male society in those days was a wonderful listen. As a very strong woman, I could appreciate the guts it took to push forward and attain their goals.
Were my comments of Help?

Cleopatra’s dagger is not sharp

The story line lagged in places either due to the narrator or the plot itself. Some characters also seemed incomplete. That being said it was not a bad book. Just not a novel of the standard of a Conan Doyle.

Late 1800’s New York City

I really enjoyed this serial murder mystery but really was taken with the description of New York of the late 1800’s. This story had many twist and turns and very believable characters andreally kept your attention.

Wonderful story!

I really enjoyed this book! I was sad to see that there was not a second!!