At this point I’m a bit fuzzy on the finer points because I finished this book about a month ago. We pick up with our protagonists about a year or so since we left them. They have gone their separate ways again for the time being, and they’re still struggling to get their retirement from the Museum sorted out. Naomi – the new or interim new head of the Museum approaches them with an off-the-books job tidying up a mess that a mole in the Museum has made and potentially identifying the mole.
Details of the Sphinxes’ first job have been leaked to parties that are interested in revenge. It’s now up to Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie to figure out who would be interested in and capable of revenge and take them out before they get taken out. Their adventure takes them across the Atlantic (by boat) and through Europe on the trail of their adversary.
As with the first book, there are periodic interludes into the Sphinxes past work. In general, it served as an adequate sequel – engaging enough, similar character dynamics (mostly), similar adventure plot, similar level of danger, etc. It was the same narrators (I think) as the first book, and they do just as good of a job. There were a few irritating tidbits that I don’t remember featuring in the previous book. Billie was much more of a main character both in the present day storyline as well as the flashbacks, and that got a bit tiresome. Why do you need four characters if Billie can just do everything herself? Similarly, the author really ramped up the petty, bitchy bickering between the characters and especially Mary Alice and Natalie. Something I certainly could have done with less of.
