Travel to the setting of The Collector’s Daughter with Gill Paul

Submitted: 2nd September 2021

Travel to Egypt with Gill Paul

Travel to the setting of The Collector’s Daughter with Gill Paul – A treat instore today for even before Gill’s book The Collector’s Daughter is published in either he US or the UK, The BookTrail takes you in the world of Egyptian tombs, the curse of Tutankhamun and a link to Downtown Abbey itself (aka Highclere Castle)

BookTrail the locations in The Collector’s Daughter by Gill Paul

This entire novel rests on what is perhaps the most alluring mystery of all time; the curse of Tutankhamun’s tomb. These final resting places of Kings and Pharaohs were highly sacred. Once sealed with the mummified body and their most treasured possessions, riches and other important items, then it was meant to stay sealed for all time.

Of course, years later, explorers were very keen to discover them and even pillage the riches inside. One of the most famous cases featured in the novel was the expedition led by Howard Carter as he travelled to find Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Gill places Lady Evelyn Herbert whose father, the Earl of Carnarvon owned Highclere Castle. She travels to the Valley of the Kings with the team and is the first person to see the treasures inside the tomb in more than 3000 years.

BookTrail the locations in The Collector’s Daughter by Gill Paul

BookTrail the locations in The Collector’s Daughter by Gill Paul

She calls it the “greatest moment” of her life—but soon afterwards a string of tragedies affect her and she starts to question what the real value of that visit was. Newspapers claim it is “the curse of Tutankhamun.” Howard Carter dismisses this as saying there is no such thing.

Fifty years later, an Egyptian academic comes asking questions about what really happened in the tomb in 1922. That starts a spiral of events which makes Eve wonder if there could be some truth behind the stories of an ancient curse after all……

The party outside the tomb (c) Gill Paul

BookTrail the locations in The Collector’s Daughter by Gill Paul

The story of Evelyn is remarkable – she comes from a privileged family and it is her father who funds the exploration of the Tutankhamun’s tomb. Her mother wants to marry her off to someone of her station but Evelyn is unique and she wants to make her own path in life. She’s travelled to Egypt with her father many times but when she comes with Howard Carter, her dreams of becoming an archealpogist come to fruition and she takes part in her first dig….

Imagine what this must have felt like, especially for a woman?

Six months after her father’s sudden death in Cairo, #LadyEvelynHerbert married Sir Brograve Beauchamp; the bride was 5 foot 1 inch and the groom 6 foot 4

BookTrail the locations in The Collector’s Daughter by Gill Paul

Just imagine that feeling of opening up the tomb and finding the treasures within…

It must have been so rewarding and exciting and this novel captures that moment and more from the viewpoint of Evelyn, a woman not usually included in the main narrative when this story is told. Her view point makes this so interesting and Gill has perfectly captured the time, emotions and the landscape of the discovery. It’s like actually being there. This is such an immersive novel you have to read!

Travel to the setting of The Collector’s Daughter with Gill Paul

Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus held three coffins, the innermost one made of thick beaten gold. When Howard Carter removed the iconic funeral mask he could see the dried-out skin, lips and nose of a king who died in 1323BCo died in 1323BC

The mystery of Tutankhamun continues to this day. Gill Paul paints scenes with such care and they are extremely rich in detail. You feel the sand under your feet, the sun on your back and then smell the musky and mysterious scent of the opened tomb, then the dampness and darkness as you enter…

BookTrail the locations in The Collector’s Daughter by Gill Paul

$Autopsies show Tutankhamun was 5 ft 5.5 in tall and 18 years old when he died. There was evidence of a head wound thought to have been caused during burial. The most likely cause of death was a fractured femur that became infected, causing blood poisoning.$

Autopsies show Tutankhamun was 5 ft 5.5 in tall and 18 years old when he died. There was evidence of a head wound thought to have been caused during burial. The most likely cause of death was a fractured femur that became infected, causing blood poisoning.

The background detail to this mystery and curse are just spellbinding and the attention to detail woven into a seamless dual timeline plot make up an extremely intensive and immersive reading experience.

Travel to the setting of The Collector’s Daughter with Gill Paul

BookTrail the locations in The Collector’s Daughter by Gill Paul

Many years after the discovery of the tomb and the tragedies which followed it, Lady Evelyn Herbert offered to release her fiancé Brograve Beauchamp from their engagement. She wanted to protect him from Tutankhamun’s curse. He refused, saying that if the curse were true, she needed him more than ever….

This is such a mystery, a story inspired by a story we all think we know. Remarkably, this is one which Gill has managed to breathe fresh life into. A forgotten voice tells the story of a remarkable world event and the build up and the consequences of that historic find..

Travel to Egypt with Gill Paul from the safety of your armchair!