I’ll admit to being a little bit skeptical about reading “The Curse Breaker of Cairo” by Kate McVaugh due to the fact that it is a Paranormal Mystery/Romance. However, I had loved Kate’s writing in her first mystery, “Murder, Jaz and Tel Aviv”, so I thought I would give it a try.
The story takes place in Cairo at Club Cairene where a curse is killing people, especially the musicians. Tangerine has been hired to break the curse. Her first step is to investigate the curse and in so doing ends up traveling throughout Cairo. She meets two very interesting men along the way. She also learns more about the ancient Gods of Egypt.
“The Curse Breaker of Cairo,” grabbed my attention immediately and held it throughout the entire novel. Maybe it was somewhat due to the steamy sex. Yes, this is an R-rated book. But the main reason I was enthralled was due to Kate McVaugh’s brilliant storytelling ability. She is adroit at foreign settings, offering an excellent balance by telling you just enough to fascinate you – without sounding like a travelogue and boring you. She handled the Egyptian Gods in the same manner.
I’ve never read a paranormal story before – but I was buying into the story. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a poet and philosopher stated that if a writer could infuse a “human interest and a semblance of truth” into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgment concerning the implausibility of the narrative. Kate McVaugh has done just that – she has succeeded in my suspension of disbelief in this paranormal story.
Five Stars out of Five.
Thank you Lynn for such a lovely review!
