Lori C. (dollycas) reviewed on 11/18/2023 + 705 more book reviews

Dollycas's Thoughts

Jane Wunderly and her beau Mr. Redvers arrive back in the States so Redvers can meet her father. But her archeologist father isn't home and hasn't been there for a while. Jane finds some concerning mail from their bank and after checking in with her father's housekeeper she learns he is off on one of his missions.

Jane and Redvers embark on another journey, this time to Istanbul formerly known as Constantinople to try to find her father and get some answers. They are met by Aunt Millie who tells them her father is on a quest to find a legendary relic from the Ottoman Empire - the lost heart of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. It is said to have mystical powers. She has no idea where he actually is but that he had left his belongings behind and didn't check out from the hotel.

Jane will do anything to find her father and after a little investigating, she learns her father probably was headed to Budapest. She, Redvers, Millie, Lord Hughes, and a couple of locals continue their journey boarding the Orient Express knowing they are probably being followed.

Will they survive the trip and find her father? or will they be too late?

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I really enjoy traveling the world with Jane and Redvers and we were treated to some very interesting destinations this time including a ride on the Orient Express. Ms. Neubauer always gives wonderful details to help her readers clearly envision each city and the sites that Jane visits. Since I will never actually travel to these far-off places this makes me very happy.

Jane and Redvers continue to grow closer but when they are tracking down Jane's father romance takes a backseat even though they are traveling as husband and wife. Something Aunt Millie isn't happy about but she tries to stay focused on finding her brother. I love that Lord Hughes truly loves Millie and knows how to handle her and keep her very happy. I found it interesting to get another peek into Redver's past when we met some "friends" he made the last time he was in that part of the world. The four of them "work" well together. I laughed at how Redvers and Jane came up with things for Millie to do, usually as far away from them as they could get. When we catch up with Henry, Jane's father, he is just what I expected and the interactions between him and his daughter are priceless.

This mystery is very well-plotted with a lot of moving parts. Others were trying to find the lost heart of Suleiman and were following Jane and Redvers most of the time. They did do their best to lose those tails but it never lasted long. The entire story was like a game of cat and mouse right up until the end. Jane did make an unwise move during their travels that I was surprised by after all the danger around their adventure. And I believe because the search was for her father was second-guessing herself a lot about everything.

Intrigue in Istanbul was a very entertaining mystery that kept me engaged from start to finish. I am very excited to travel again with Jane and Redvers in Secrets of a Scottish Isle which will be released March 26, 2024. 

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