‘Murder at the Pyramids’ by Jim Eldridge

Published by Allison & Busby,
22 January 2026.
ISBN: 978-0-74903230-2 (HB)

It is 1901, and renowned archaeologist, Abigail Wilson is excited to return to Egypt to show her husband, Daniel, the Great Pyramid at Giza, the site of one of her greatest excavations. Daniel is a retired Scotland Yard detective, and he and Abigail have combined their unique skills to investigate crimes that take place in the world’s major museums, which has earned for them the title The Museum Detectives.

Unfortunately, Abigail’s pleasure is short lived. When she and Daniel enter the subterranean chamber of the Great Pyramid, they discover the body of a man who has been shot in the stomach. They immediately summon the police and, as the Great Pyramid is now a crime scene, Abigail takes Daniel to walk around the Sphinx. The couple know that they have a duty to assist the police but hope to retain their status as witnesses who discovered the body, rather than investigators. 

However, their fame as the Museum Detectives means that they are not allowed to sink into the obscurity enjoyed by most tourists. The dead man is identified as Simon McGruder, an American journalist, and when Abigail and Daniel return to Cairo, they are requested by Herbert Kennedy, the American Ambassador, to assist the Egyptian police to investigate the murder. Aware that the police force in question is a branch of the army, and has little experience in detection, the Museum Detectives accept the commission. They are aided by Abigail’s fluency in the language, and her knowledge of local customs, as well as her excellent relationship with the man in charge of the local museum, who has great respect for her archaeological achievements. 

One person who is definitely not happy about the Wilsons’ involvement is Sir Evelyn Baring, the British Consul-General, a pompous, dictatorial man who is determined to keep rigid control over Egypt, which the British administer, despite the presence of a puppet Egyptian government. Baring is so concerned about maintaining the prestige of the British in Egypt that he insists on the Egyptian police releasing an English prisoner that they have arrested, even though he has been caught stealing from tourists on two separate occasions. This thief figures on the Museum Detectives’ suspect list, and so do two American confidence tricksters, ‘grifters’, who had targeted McGruder when they were all in America, and had followed him to Egypt to try to get the rest of his money. The detectives discover that McGruder had been a writer of articles for an American magazine called Weird Days, which concentrates on stories about the supernatural. McGruder has made his reputation with these articles, which have made sensational claims, that are usually without credible evidence. He came to Giza to research what he claims are the supernatural powers of the Sphinx: claims that Abigail views with great scepticism. Before his death, McGruder had a heated confrontation with Ahmed Hassan, a senior curator at the museum, a man passionate about preserving Egyptian antiquities and culture, and deeply resentful of British rule. 

Abigail and Daniel’s suspect list continues to grow, as they consider the possibility that McGruder’s fiancée, who has clearly grown disillusioned with their relationship, and even his American secretary, might have reasons to wish McGruder dead. It seems remarkable that a man who arrived in Egypt so recently could have so many people on the spot with possible motives to kill him. It is a relief to them both when they meet an English couple whom they can engage with in a social way, especially as they had encountered the couple before in Manchester, when they had tried to assist Abigail when she was attacked. 

This is a very difficult case for the Museum Detectives because they have to utilise the expertise and knowledge of several of their suspects, even though they know that they cannot totally trust any of them. Another violent death occurs, and the detectives have to deal with more interference from Sir Evelyn Baring, who is more obsessed with maintaining British prestige than in serving justice, and, as they draw near to a conclusion, they find their own lives in mortal danger. 

Murder at the Pyramids is the twelfth book in the series featuring the Museum Detectives. It is a beautifully constructed story with fascinating historical details, which are so skilfully inserted that they never interfere with the pace or lively characterisation of the novel. Abigail and Daniel are engaging protagonists, who are respectful of the Egyptian people and their customs. They have a marriage built on mutual respect, in which they admire and augment each other’s skills. This is a beautifully paced story, with a fascinating setting and delightful protagonists. It is a page-turner, which I wholeheartedly recommend.
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Reviewer: Carol Westron. 

Jim Eldridge was born in the Kings Cross/Euston area of north London in November 1944. He left school at 16 and did a variety of jobs, before training as a teacher. He taught during the 1970s in disadvantaged areas of Luton, while at the same time writing. He became a full-time writer in 1978. He is a radio, TV and movie scriptwriter with hundreds of radio and TV scripts broadcast in the UK and across the world in a career spanning over 30 years. He lives in Kent with his wife. 

http://www.jimeldridge.com/ 

Carol Westron is a Golden Age expert who has written many articles on the subject and given papers at several conferences. She is the author of several series: contemporary detective stories and police procedurals, comedy crime and Victorian Murder Mysteries. Her most recent publications are Paddling in the Dead Sea and Delivering Lazarus, books 2 and 3 of the Galmouth Mysteries, the series which began with The Fragility of Poppies.  

www.carolwestron.com