The Alexandria Affair (Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries Book 11) - Kindle edition by Gardner, Ashley, Ashley,Jennifer. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

I have been waiting for this book for what feels like ages. It was worth the wait! This might be my favorite one so far. Having been to Alexandria, Giza, and Cairo, myself, I was overjoyed with the setting. While things have certainly changed since Lacey's time, the area around the pyramids is still vast and covered with long stretches of sand. Gardner did a good job of capturing the feel of the area around the pyramid and the cramped tunnels leading to the chambers inside. Going into a pyramid, while well lit theses days, visitors must hunch over, almost in half (and I'm not even that tall), and traverse carefully down a very steep slope. I can't imagine doing it with only a candle, and without the little bumpers that have been put in to keep you from going down at a full on slide.Lacey and Grenville are the perfect gentlemen friends. I love their friendship, and bond they've formed over the years, despite their differences in styles and social standing. While I missed a lot of the regular characters, I was happy Mattias and Bartholomew were there, and thrilled Brewster was in it so much. He and Lacey have become friends of a sort, and respect each other a lot. While Brewster works for Dennis to keep Lacey out of trouble (as if that were possible), he seems to enjoy their adventures, even if he grumbles a lot, and can't figure Lacey out. I hope we see more of him.The new characters were perfectly drawn, and very realistic, IMO. Learning part of the mystery that has been part of an overall arc in several of the books was thrilling. Of course it wasn't entirely resolved and left me wanting to know more.I'm so excited Gardner has more Lacey books planned. They, along with CS Harris' St. Cyr novels, are my favorite series. It will be an agonizing wait for the next installment.

According to the author's notes at the end of this, Book 11 of the Captain Lacey Regency Mystery Series, she has had this book's basic idea in mind since early days of the series. And now seemed like a good time in Lacey's life to have him hie off to Egypt with good friend Lucius Grenville. But however much Lacey has always wanted to accompany Grenville on his travels to Egypt, it's just *not* at this particular moment in his life. His wife Donata will be giving birth to their first child in a few months and he feels the need to hover. But Donata does not feel like being hovered over and arranges for his "abduction".So off they go: Grenville, his two footmen Bartholomew and Mattias, Lacey, and Thomas Brewster, strongman of London crime lord James Denis (and whom Denis has been having serve as "bodyguard" to Lacey for some time now). This is not just a sightseeing tour of foreign parts. Enigmatic Denis also has tasked Lacey with the finding of a valuable manuscript which had once resided in the library of Alexandria. Naturally, Lacey being Lacey, finding this and doing sightseeing won't be all he'll spend his time on.Since most familiar recurring characters have stayed behind in England for this book, there'll be new secondaries to meet up with, many eccentric expats from various European countries, and native Turks and Egyptians. Of course there will be a murder to investigate and, if you read Book 10, you'll remember the mysterious man back in England who was threatening Lacey and his family and actually even shot Brewster in one attempt on Lacy's life. Wonder of wonders, he shows up here in Egypt.So Lacey and Company find danger and mysteries on the streets of Alexandria and Cairo, in the desert, in temples, tombs and tunnels of ancient times, and, of course, they manage to come out relatively unscathed and with a few mysteries solved. Then it's back home before Donata is to deliver their new baby (who Lacey is convinced will be a girl. We shall see.).This was a fun change of pace. I enjoyed the exotic setting, the comradery of Lacey and Grenville and the growing friendship and respect between Lacey and Brewster, and am looking forward to Book 12, A MYSTERY AT CARLETON HOUSE, which will obviously take place back in London.(One more thing must be said: I would like to express my appreciation to Ashley for this historical mystery series. It continues to be of excellent quality and, in addition, the bargain-hunter in me loves the very reasonable price of the books. Thanks, Ashley Gardiner/Jennifer Ashley.)

"In late August, 1818, my wife had me abducted, trussed up, and taken down the Thames to be put on a tall ship bound for Egypt."FINAL DECISION: These books just keep getting more amazing. This book is a blend of a buddy travel book, an adventure story, a mystery and a look into Regency antiquities. I love Lacey more and more in each book and I can't wait for the next one!THE STORY: Captain Lacey's wife is determined that Gabriel is going to Egypt with his friend Lucius Grenville. Gabriel has been wavering because of his wife's pregnancy. Trussed up and sent away, Gabriel and Lucius quickly turn to the adventure of exploring the exotic locale. Unfortunately, Gabriel gets mixed up in a murder and treasure hunting prompted by his crime boss contact Dennis. There is much danger and the return of Gabriel's "twin" who has been trying to murder him and those he cares about.OPINION: One thing I have always loved about the Captain Lacey Mysteries is the intriguing mix of mystery and romance. Well, in this book the romance element is lessened -- although Lacey never forgets about his beloved wife -- but there is a new adventure element to take its place. The emphasis of this book is the mystery so readers should not be fooled. Here, I was much more intrigued by the adventure story than the mystery. I became fascinated by the descriptions of Regency Egypt and the expeditions going on there. There is some progress on some ongoing stories including Lacey's mystery stalker.This has become one of my favorite series because it has so many good characters with twisty stories that I want to follow. I can't wait until the next book because I knocked off 1/2 star merely because I love the interaction with Lacey and his wife and I missed that here.WORTH MENTIONING: This book has a lot of cool information about Regency Egypt and the discovery of antiquities. It feels like an adventure book as well as a mystery.CONNECTED BOOKS: THE ALEXANDRIA AFFAIR is the eleventh book in the Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries series. The mystery in this book is self contained but there are some overarching storylines and relationships. I think a new reader could read this book without missing much.STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.