This gripping series debut introduces whip-smart Pakistani archaeologist Dr. Gul Delani, whose investigation into the discovery of a mummy gets complicated—and personal—when it collides with her years-long search for a missing family member. This gritty crime thriller inspired by a real-life antiquities scandal is perfect for fans of Sue Grafton and Elsa Hart. In the large, diverse, and densely populated city of Karachi, a young girl can vanish and never be found. This, Dr. Gul Delani understands well: It’s been three years since her niece, Mahnaz, went missing, and the investigation has been called off. Gul does her best to distract herself through work—she is a talented and trusted archaeologist and museum curator, Pakistan’s preeminent Egyptologist—but try as she may to keep her mind on the ancient past, somehow the thought of Mahnaz always sneaks back in. When Gul receives a call in the middle of the night from the Sindh police, she thinks they may finally have an answer. Instead, Gul is summoned to a narcotics investigation in a remote desert region, many hours away. There, in a cave, they find a mummy—intact, seemingly authentic, its sarcophagus decorated with symbols from the ancient city of Persepolis. Gul is astonished. If it’s a genuine archaeological discovery, it will rewrite history. Taking matters into her own hands, Gul will stop at nothing to authenticate the mummy—even as her quest brings her into the throes of a black-market scramble and a high-level conspiracy—and at last, just maybe, to the truth of what happened to Mahnaz, however difficult it is to face. Praise for The Museum Detective A Paste Magazine Most Anticipated Book of 2025 A CrimeReads Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of 2025 “The action of The Museum Detective largely unfolds in 21st-century Karachi, but it abounds in such arcane information about distant eras . . . But even as Ms. Khan Phillips fascinates us with antiquity, she fixes our attention on the modern mystery surrounding the gilded treasure and on Gul, whose investigations lead her to a very different underworld.” — The Wall Street Journal “Inspired by a real-life antiquities scandal in Pakistan, Phillips’s novel immerses readers in the teeming Pakistani city as she details how Delani’s quest for the truth may imperil not just her but also her family and friends.” — The Washington Post “A must-read.” — The Concord Bridge “Dr. Gul Delani, who works at the country’s Museum of Heritage, has more than a dash of Indiana Jones, as she mistrusts local police who dropped the disappearance of her activist niece Mahnaz several years prior, when they come calling for her to investigate the significant discovery of a mummy found in a remote cave. It’s the first in a planned espionage and archeology series that mixes Gul’s personal and professional investigations." —Everything Zoomer “Gorgeously evocative and absolutely riveting—as immersive as The Da Vinci Code , and as elegant and revealing as history itself, this unique and suspenseful thriller will keep you turning pages as fast as you can. Clever and smart, with irresistible research and deep characterization—Sue Grafton fans will swoon!— The Museum Detective is entertaining, propulsive, and, like the precious artifacts involved, an absolute treasure. I adore Dr. Gul Delani, and cannot wait for her next adventure.” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of The House Guest “Maha Khan Phillips’s The Museum Detective is an extraordinary and mesmerizing blend of ancient and modern murder mysteries brought to life by the author’s profound knowledge of history and archaeology. Phillips’s intricate detail and expert storytelling lead readers into a thrilling and mysterious world where past and present collide, and truth and life hang in the balance. A fascinating novel.” —Kwei Quartey, Edgar-nominated author of Wife of the Gods “Maha Khan Phillips’s Karachi is a place I didn’t know, of damp alleys and grand homes, overworked cops and underfunded museums. The workaday world of archaeologists was also unfamiliar. But the crimes—corruption, murder, vicious contempt for good people—are universal. Gul Delani is a force to be reckoned with as she refuses to give in and go along. I was so glad to have her as a guide through the world of The Museum Detective .” —SJ Rozan, bestselling author of The Murder of Mr. Ma “What’s not to love? Mummies, murder, gangsters—and a brilliant archaeologist trying to uncover the truth of mysteries, past and present. A thrilling read.” —Kamila Shamsie, author of Home Fire “ The Museum Detective is everything you want in a crime novel: twisty, unputdownable, and with a brilliant, lovable heroine who will take up permanent residence in your head.” —Tahmima Anam, author of The Startup Wife “A gripping plot that immerses the reader in worlds that are personal, archaeological, and political, and that had me thundering, breathlessly, to the end.”