Hieroglyphs and Homicide

A Historical Mystery Romance in 1920s Egypt

De: Tracy Higley

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

Step into the sultry heat of 1920s Egypt, where ancient secrets hide beneath the shadow of the Great Pyramid.

Dr. Clarissa Bell came to Giza to prove herself a serious archaeologist, not to sort pottery while her male colleagues claim the glory.

But when she discovers a mysterious scribe's palette stained with rare blue pigment, she uncovers more than just an artifact—she stumbles into a deadly conspiracy.

Armed with nothing but her Cambridge education, an alarming tendency toward sarcasm, and a talent for finding trouble in supposedly empty tombs, Clarissa navigates a world where British imperial power meets ancient Egyptian mysteries, taking her from the bustling streets of Cairo to the steaming bathhouses and glittering auction houses of the colonial elite.

And what about the enigmatic Benedict Quinn? Charming, mysterious, and far too handsome for her peace of mind. Her carefully ordered world is beginning to crumble like ancient limestone.

But when professors pack pistols and black market dealers have government connections, the only thing Clarissa can trust is her own sharp wit—and her ability to sort pottery under pressure.

"A gripping historical mystery that blends Agatha Christie's puzzle-solving with the exotic danger of 1920s Egypt—perfect for fans of atmospheric period adventures and clever heroines who refuse to stay safely on the sidelines."

Good story, bad AI narrator.

This is a cute story and topic, but the AI reader is terrible. With a better narration it would be a very good book.

Clean and fun!

The virtual narration was better than most other virtual ones. I really enjoyed the characters and story. I look forward to the sequels.

virtual voice :-(

im sorry, i couldn't finish it. that virtual voice just doesn't keep my attention. the story line sounds good but that voice, theres just not much emotion and theres no character changes in the voice, they all sounded the same to me. my attention span is that of a squirrel at times and it just didn't find this appetizing

Automated voice is awful

I really liked the story itself but the automated voice almost ruined for me. I’ve never listened to an audiobook like that and it will definitely be my last. It is missing the natural cadence of a human voice.

A fun archeology mystery set in 1920’s Egypt

I love the author’s storytelling style and her plots. The characters were well developed and intriguing. I loved everything about this book except the virtual voice narration. The narration had the sing-song characteristic of people who are not good at reading for an audience (“up” tones at the beginning of a sentence and “down” tones at the end, regardless of the content of what is being read). Higley’s writing is full of witty comments, but they tended to come out rather flat with the virtual voice. Of course, there were also mispronunciations and improper inflection. It’s a shame to listen to virtual voice when a good narrator would have made it so much more enjoyable.

Fun story- too bad about the AI Reader

The AI voice has some issues but overall the story was good. Good adventure, interesting characters that keep you guessing.

AI narrator is terrible

The AI narrator is terrible. No character voices, intonation and pacing is all wrong. I don’t want to listen to a robot. Hire humans!

Al is reallly not for me

Quite honestly, I checked out at the complete hack Al made of Tutankhamun in the first chapter and after that, this reading was just background noise while I cleaned the house. Virtual voice can't distinguish the correct pronunciation from context, so can be confusing or laughable depending on the word, and that's a little distracting and the lack of inflection and emotion detracts from the story. Unfortunately, as I've "listened" to this all the way through, I'm afraid I'll probably get more suggestions featuring non-human readings. Which really doesn't interest me at all. Stories are for telling. By humans. Otherwise, what's the point.

Virtual Voice Monotone

Difficult to understand who was speaking due to the monotone virtual voice. Very typical story line and plot that was uninteresting due to the virtual voice.