2019/50: The Jackal's House -- Anna Butler

"I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, Master Winter." I would have said more, but I couldn't offhand remember the words of the ritual of exorcism, and a simple "Avaunt, ye daemonic spawn of Satan!" was likely to hurt [his father's] feelings. [p. 22]

Not as much fun as The Gilded Scarab, possibly just because it was set in Aegypt rather than London Londinium (and there was rather less coffee, and fewer cold-fusion pistols). Ned Winter's excavations are plagued by sightings of a jackal-headed figure, and by a myriad of little 'accidents' that, taken together, don't seem so accidental. Meanwhile Rafe, seconded by the head of his House to pilot the expedition, is beginning to realise that he can't escape the schemes and toils of the Houses: even so far from Londinium, relations and acquaintances show up with tedious inevitability.

Somewhat reminiscent of the Amelia Peabody books, The Jackal's House features intriguing world-building (the Imperium is [even] more ruthless than the British Empire) and some interesting developments for Rafe. I felt the machinations became overly complex towards the end of the novel, but of course life is sometimes like that.

I look forward to the next in the series, though can't help hoping it sees a return to Londinium ...