The Museum Detective

“On thinking about Hell, I gather my brother Shelley found it was a place much like the city of London. I, who live in Los Angeles and not in London, find, on thinking about Hell, that it must be still more like Los Angeles.”
–Bertolt Brecht

Dr. Gul Delani is the curator of the Heritage and History Museum in Karachi, Pakistan. When she is awakened one night by a call from the police, asking her to travel from her home in the capital to a remote desert area for an unspecified reason, she is not exactly pleased. But it’s the police, and it is not in her nature to refuse such a request.

However, what she finds upon arriving at the site astounds her: during a bungled drug raid, the police have discovered, hidden in a cave, an ancient life-sized mummy, complete with a decorated sarcophagus. From a brief inspection, Gul believes the items are most likely authentic, but she urgently needs to secure them and move them to a controlled environment where she can verify her initial assessment.

We soon learn that Gul has traveled a difficult road to reach her current position at the museum. Born into a wealthy family—her father founded the country’s first homegrown financial institution—she was determined to pursue her studies and build a career of her own. But her conservative parents had a different plan, one involving marriage, children, and a life of subservience. Gul found a way to achieve her ambitions, but the path was far from easy. Now, following her father’s death, the family business is run by her brother, Bilal—a shrewd financier with whom Gul fell out some time ago. Their estrangement, however, is overshadowed by the disappearance of Bilal’s daughter, Mahnaz, a sharp and witty young woman with whom Gul had formed a close bond. Despite extensive searching, Mahnaz’s whereabouts remain unknown.

After securing the mummy and sarcophagus, Gul assembles a small team to fully assess this extraordinary find. Could it really be, as the symbols on the ancient sarcophagus suggest, over two thousand years old and linked to Persepolis, the capital of the Achaemenid Empire? Her work is quickly hindered—first by the unwanted interference of a well-connected male colleague at the museum, and then by a ruthless drug lord determined to steal the artifacts back. It is far from certain that Gul will be allowed to complete her examination.

This novel delivers plenty of mystery and adventure, with intricate puzzles waiting to be unraveled. The fast-paced narrative is driven by compelling characters, particularly the intelligent and determined Gul. But beyond the action, the book also offers a vivid portrait of modern-day Pakistan—especially Karachi, a city shaped by relationships, networks, and deeply ingrained hierarchies. It highlights the challenges of being a career-driven woman in a society that often resists change. Once a cosmopolitan haven for minorities and those fleeing persecution, Karachi, as some now claim, has changed.

If you’re looking for a novel that delivers both a thrilling story and insightful social commentary, this one will certainly fit the bill.