Review of The Heart of the Mummy (Avery & Carter 3) by Shane Carrow
BlurbEgypt, 1919. Cairo smoulders in the aftermath of a failed revolt against British rule, and Lucas Avery arrives in the city intent on escorting his sister back to the safety of England. But Emily, a promising young archaeologist at the Museum of Antiquities, has no interest in being rescued. She and her fellow scholars are on the eve of a desert expedition in search of Nekharis, the ancient City of the Damned – a venture which also happens to be employing Avery’s old friend, the American gunslinger Sam Carter.
Recruited against his better judgement, Avery joins Emily, Carter and the rest of the Museum’s retinue as they sail up the Nile and strike out into the Sahara. But rumours of ancient Egyptian curses are no mere superstitions. A rival French expedition has vanished; a colleague of Carter’s is found murdered in his Cairo hotel; and an uncanny presence shadows them across the desert sands. Avery and Carter have battled the supernatural before, but nothing will prepare them for what lurks in the tombs beneath the City of the Damned…
This is the third, and I think last, book of Avery & Carter series, and this time they have to deal with a Mummy in Egypt. The war is over, and Carter now works as a guide in Egypt while Avery is there to look for his sister who’s an assistant at the British Museum there. An expedition to Nekharis, the City of the Damned is planned with the help of Carter who has got a map from one of his fellows. Unknown to them, an ancient entity is stalking them, having killed the previous expedition and taken over the body of one of the members. It’s purpose is to stop anyone from awakening whatever is buried in the lost city. However, it senses Avery’s vampire abilities and hence hesitates to attack, despite getting Bedouin warriors to help.
The evil that is interred in the city is awoken by the leader of the expedition, and the unknown entity attacks the party as well. Carter, Avery and Avery’s sister, Emily manage to escape with a few others. The Bedouin take them in and they meet the entity named Braxis who tells them they’ve awakened an ancient evil and that they must help him in destroying it. It will be going to Cairo to get its heart and once that happens, nothing can stop it. The evil is an ancient royal named Usarhet who led a rebellion against the Pharoah and learned forbidden dark arts. Braxis is a medjai who chose to be buried with Usarhet to keep him from rising.
In Cairo, Emily learns that the heart is in England and Avery and Braxis track down Usarhet only for the mummy to destroy Braxis’ soul. Avery escapes and meets up with Emily and Carter and the three make their way to England while Avery apprises his bosses about the mummy and its purpose. In the meantime, Sam and Emily strike up a romance which Avery approves of.
There are parallels to the mummy movie, but for all that, this one stands on its own. It’s considerably longer than the other two, but no less interesting. I was at the edge of my seat throughout. I’m sad the series is at an end, but I hope that perhaps more are in the making?
If you loved fast paced, thrilling books with a darker shade of fantasy, flawed characters who try to do the right thing, ancient evil curses and historical setting, this book is perfect for you!
