Soul and Shadow

Susan McLeod
Lulu Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9780615178448
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (9/08) 


Susan McLeod’s “Soul and Shadow” is an enchanting and surprising little book. At barely over 120 pages, I was amazed at the wealth of layers Ms. McLeod managed to fit in it. To best illustrate this, let me borrow a little excerpt from the very book here:

“A mysterious old woman. Ancient magic and restless spirits. A tall, dark and handsome stranger. English aristocracy. Money. Madness. What are we missing? Ah, danger. I do not suppose there was a deranged servant lurking around their house?”

Well, I could add a good few more things to this mix, but I am going to limit them to just a handful: a handsome ex-boyfriend, meddlesome mother, demanding boss, jealous cat and fascinating relics. By now you probably get the picture…

Lily Evans, an artist and a research assistant to a famous archeologist, got approached by another, quite eccentric archeologist to help solve an ancient mystery of a songstress in the temple of Hathor, Amisihathor. Amisihathor obviously loved one man, but was married to another and buried in his tomb. What happened, all those millennia ago?

As in any good mystery, all is not what it seems and when the reader thinks she or he has already solved the mystery, yet another layer appears. In many ways, past and present overlap. Deception and love get mixed up. Seemingly great people are not so good after all. Villains might just turn out to be wearing white hats.

Fascinating tidbits about life in old Egypt as well as about the excavations of ancient tombs will keep you amused as well as informed. The lovable characters should have you rooting for them. The plot moves quickly and deftly, with many a witty remark. I am sincerely hoping for a sequel – or a series of them. This is a perfect book to kill a couple of hours on a plane or in a waiting room somewhere, and “Soul and Shadow” by Susan McLeod should appeal to a wide range of readers.

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