The Curse of Senmut

Ardis Cole Mystery Series, Book 1

By: Loretta Jackson, Vickie Britton

Narrated by: Stephanie Brush

This is book #1 in the new Ardis Cole mystery series. Ardis is an archaeologist (a female Indiana Jones), and in this adventure she travels to Egypt to help excavate a minor tomb of ancient origin recently discovered by her mentor, Jane Darvin. When Jane is murdered, Ardis must assume responsibility for the project. With the help of mysterious Blake Lydon, She must unravel the tomb’s mystery - an ancient secret concerning two miniature obelisks of gold hidden by Queen Hatsheput’s lover, Senmut, over 2,000 years ago. As Ardis uncovers the ancient mystery she finds herself personally involved in a modern action tale of hatred, murder, and revenge.

©2011 Books In Motion (P)2011 Books In Motion

Truly a curse?

Always looking for a good mystery set in Egypt, This story fit the bill. It had well developed characters. Some you began to feel protective of, others you feared. The details of the area were exceptional. The heat and swirling sand and desolation actually felt real. The temple appeared and you could see the hieroglyphs carved on the tall columns, feel its vastness.
The reader was good but the pace seemed slow. After a while I no longer wanted to read ahead, but re!axed into the rhythm.
All together a good believable story!

Great Mystery for Those who Love Tales about Egypt

This mystery, the first in the Ardis Cole series, centers around the legend of Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt's only woman pharaoh. A tomb has been discovered that is believed to be the burial place of the queen's lover, Senmut. When archeologist Ardis Cole takes over the project, she is threatened by unknown rivals who compete for a hidden treasure.

The story is both interesting and informative. In addition to an exciting mystery, it gives the reader much more, with a larger-than-life storyline and strong characterization. I enjoyed it so much I intend to read more books in the series.

Dumbest Archeologist in Literature

Ardis Cole must be the dumbest archeologist and the most naive traveller in the world. The authors have done a disservice to the image of archeologists with their portrayal of an
archeologist who follows none of the protocols of the field and who constantly is put in positions that threaten her life. The plot is unbelievable, the characters shallow and the history questionable. Save your points and don't buy this book or others in the series.

Oh My!

What was most disappointing about Loretta Jackson and Vickie Britton ’s story?

The authors set this in present day Egypt but failed to note that there is a very nice modern bridge between Luxor and the Valley of the Kings. The ferries are gone! As for the train, I am not sure where that came from. All in all very disappointing. Too many errors which made the reading an irritant and not fun.

What didn’t you like about Stephanie Brush’s performance?

Everything.Stephanie Bush did not do her homework. Her pronounciation of words was very poor. She could have found out how to pronounce different Egyptian words without too much trouble.

Utterly predictable

The story was utterly predictable and there was very little character development. Despite the what the blurb says, Ardis Cole is not Indiana Jones. The narrator was just as dull the story and the recording quality was very poor. I usually download at least 2 books in a new series, but I didn't this time and I'm so glad I didn't waste money or credits.