Cleopatra Almost Slept Here, the Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries: Book 11

By Heather Haven

THE ALVAREZ FAMILY IS ON THE VACATION OF A LIFETIME -
IF IT DOESN'T KILL THEM FIRST

When the entire Alvarez family - including private investigator Lee Alvarez and the rest of the members of the family's P.I. business, Discretionary Inquiries, Inc. - is offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance to volunteer on an archaeological dig, they're airborne in hours. It's billed as "a nice, relaxing family vacation"- all they have to do is identify Cleopatra's mother But they've barely landed in Cairo when someone tries to run their van off the road.

Author Haven hasn't missed a trick in this modern-day interpretation of the classic mystery-at-a-dig genre.

It's got everything - pyramids, train rides, a Nile cruise, the requisite cobra, exotic history, mysterious messages, and, of course, there's a haboob (That's "sandstorm" to us boobs.)

Naturally, Haven adds her own delightfully off-center flourishes: imagine the witty banter of the statuesque P.I. and her hunky ex-SEAL husband dropped into Death on the Nile with a world-class chef, a computer genius, hovering in-laws, two cats, a toddler, and a hat maker. Dame Agatha meets Nick and Nora Charles, if you will. If Nora had a blueberry yogurt stain on her shirt. And a charming camel called KFC standing in for Asta.

What is nearly unimaginable is Alvarez matriarch Lila loosening up enough to wear Birkenstocks - in public. Otherwise, the extended Alvarez family is up to their usual hijinks: brother Richard, the computer genius, has the answer before the question is asked; Tugger the cat inadvertently reveals the culprit(s); hunky husband Gurn needs rescuing; Lee goes rogue; and T o the chef, as always, plies them with delicious food.

As spoofy and goofy as the set-up is, the danger is real: two waiters have disappeared from the hotel boat housing the dig crew. The boat is peopled almost entirely by eccentric and suspicious characters who are hiding something - right up to and including Lee's father-in-law At the heart of the mystery, as always when ancient treasures are involved, is a solution as old as time: greed, running rampant in every imaginable form in a witty and refreshing tale that would make even the Dame laugh out loud.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HFZRYZ6F
• ISBN13: 9798988050223
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Wives of Bath Press, The
• Length: 362 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.9" x 6.0"