Wrapped

It is 1815, and all of England lives under the threat of the Emperor Napoleon.  But seventeen year old Agnes Wilkins’ attention is drawn to preparing for her debut to London’s elite class—a time of one social gathering after another that will ultimately lead to adulthood, marriage and a quiet life running her husband’s household. 

Agnes would rather work on her Hebrew translations or read A Lady’s books, like Sense and Sensibility or Pride and Prejudice.  She could care less for her mother’s politics in finding a suitable match in the wealthy Lord Showalter, and she definitely would prefer not to attend his unwrapping party—a party where guests are invited to cut through the wrappings of a genuine Egyptian mummy to find the ancient artifacts within.  The whole affair seems morbid to her, but things take a turn for the mysterious when Lord Showalter’s servants discovered a body in a carriage.  Then a day later, a burglar visits the homes of all the participants in the wrapping.  Is it the mummy’s curse?

Agnes refuses to believe something supernatural is afoot and sets off for the British Museum for help.  There she meets Caedmon Stowe (worker by day, scholar by night), and they form an unlikely partnership to figure out what the thief was looking for.  As they piece evidence together, it becomes clear that the mummy at Lord Showalter’s party was not just any mummy.  But what connection does Napoleon and the advancing French armies have to it?

Jennifer Bradbury’s Wrapped is a fun read involving Egyptian mummies, spies, and life in 1815 London.  She realistically portrays the limitations of societal expectations, not just for women in the case of Agnes, but also for Agnes’ older brother Rupert as well as Caedmon, who does not think he will ever be a respected scholar simply because he does not have money.  Despite all of that, each character is striving in his or her own way, whether overtly or not, to pursue a life filled with purpose—not just the life society says they should lead. 

At the moment Wrapped is a stand-alone book, however it could easily become part of a series.