The Collector’s Daughter by Gill Paul #publicationday #thecollectorsdaughter @AvonBooksUK

From the internationally bestselling author comes a tale of long-buried secrets and a discovery that will change everything, perfect for fans of Dinah Jefferies and Lucinda Riley.

An unforgettable discovery
In 1922, Lady Evelyn Herbert’s dreams are realised when she is the first to set foot inside the lost tomb of Tutankhamun for over 3,000 years.
A cursed life
But the months after the discovery are marred by tragedy, when Eve’s father dies suddenly and her family is torn in two. Desperate to put the past behind her, Eve retreats into a private life with her new husband.
A deadly choice
But she is harbouring a dark secret about what really happened in Egypt. And when a young woman comes asking questions years later, the happiness Eve has finally found is threatened once more…

Gill Paul writes such beautifully involving historical fiction and I’ve adored all of her books so far. I have a huge fascination with the subject matter of her latest book though and couldn’t wait to see how she worked her usual magic into the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922. Gill has taken the real life characters of Lady Evelyn Herbert, her family and Howard Carter and carefully crafted a fictional plot that is still very much based on fact. There have been rumours and whispers throughout the years of how the curse of Tutankhamen struck those who sneaked into his lost tomb over 3,000 years after he was was buried there and, whether or not you believe them, it’s hard to escape the fact that some very strange things occurred to them all afterwards.

The amount of research that has gone into creating this storyline must have been huge and it benefited greatly from it, with a smooth transition between past and present as the reader explores the Egyptian landmarks alongside Evelyn. I waited until I had finished reading it before I delved deeper into the family’s history as I hadn’t wanted any spoilers! And I hadn’t realised until reading The Collector’s Daughter that Evelyn’s family had their family seat at Highclere where Downton Abbey was filmed. There are some books recommended at the back here if you want to find out more about the family and their beautiful home.

I absolutely loved The Collector’s Daughter and can highly recommend it for fans of historical fiction and fact based historical fiction. It was almost like being there at the opening of the most spectacular discovery of the century alongside Evelyn as she makes decisions that she may come to regret…

The Collector’s Daughter is published today by Avon Books.