The Metropolitan Affair

by Jocelyn Green

Paperback, 2023

Status

Available

Call number

F GRE

Collection

Call number

F GRE

Publication

Bethany House Publishers (2023), 400 pages

Description

Fiction. Literature. Romance. Christian Fiction. Bestselling author Jocelyn Green sweeps you away in a dazzling novel of secrets, betrayal, and romance within one of New York City's most esteemed museums. For years her explorer father promised Dr. Lauren Westlake she'd accompany him on one of his Egyptian expeditions. But as the empty promises mounted, Lauren determined to earn her own way. Now the assistant curator of Egyptology for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lauren receives two unexpected invitations. The first is her repentant father's offer to finally bring her to Egypt as his colleague on a new expedition. The second is a chance to enter the world of New York's wealthiest patrons who have been victims of art fraud. With Egyptomania sweeping the city after the discovery of King Tut's tomb, Detective Joe Caravello is on the hunt for a notorious forger preying on the open wallets of New York's high society. Dr. Westlake is just the expert he needs to help him track the criminal. Together they search for the truth, and the closer Lauren and Joe get to discovering the forger's identity, the more entangled they become in a web of deception and crime.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member alekee
I loved the research that went into this fictional read, be sure to read the author's notes.

This is a story of a accomplished young woman, with a gift for Egyptian art, and finding forgeries! She is also a woman who finds a lost teenage love, and is looking for a relationship with her estranged
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father. Enter a police detective, actually the teenage boyfriend, and now a police detective, he is seeking her help and expertise.

If your looking for a read with a mystery, suspense, gangsters, and forgeries, this one will keep you page turning!

Looking forward to the next read in this series!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.
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LibraryThing member SBMC
"Sometimes people felt what they feared. And sometimes they saw what they wanted to see."

This is my favorite Jocelyn Green book to date! I absolutely adored being in 1925 New York City and seeing the city through the eyes of history. The plot was complex and engaging, with a rousing mystery
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regarding forgeries and stolen guns, corruption, and bribery during the era of Prohibition. There was a sweet, slow-burn romance between Joe and Lauren who shared a history, a thirst for justice, and love for art. A strong faith thread highlighting the all-encompassing love of our Heavenly Father surrounded the characters as themes of acceptance and finding home were explored. Historical details like the emergence of Egyptology as science and art as well as the structuring of the Egyptian artifacts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art were absolutely fascinating. I will have a whole new appreciation and perspective the next time I visit the MET.

Joe and Lauren, though they seem worlds apart as an NYPD detective and PhD in Egyptology, were truly a perfect couple. Their hearts, purpose, and worlds melded so seamlessly that it was hard to believe they'd been apart for more than a decade and a half. Joe's integrity, love for family, loyalty, and devotion made him a fantastic hero. Lauren's intelligence, bravery, and compassion made her an excellent counterpart to Joe. There are some surprises along the way as Joe and Lauren chase down Egyptian forgeries and you won't be able to put down the book when the intrigue picks up speed.

It's a wonderful combination of history, mystery, suspense, faith, and romance. I received the book from Baker Publishing Group via Interviews and Reviews and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.
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LibraryThing member CoverLoverBookReview
History, mystery, family, Egyptian art, and great Christian storytelling. I liked Lauren, although I didn't always understand her. The friendships and romance are a huge plus. I've enjoyed everything I've read by Jocelyn Green!

Thanks to LibraryThing for my advanced review copy.
LibraryThing member claudia.castenir
Set in New York City in the mid-1920s, The Metropolitan Affair is a wonderful Gilded Age mystery complete with the rich and famous, lavish parties, forgers of antiquities, a beautiful Egyptologist, and a German-Italian NYPD detective. The story is original, well-plotted, and contains natural
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sounding dialogue. The author paints vivid mental images including those that impact the olfactory and taste senses, leaving the reader's mouth watering for pastrami on rye or the best cup of coffee with a cannoli on the side. The theme is about discovering the One that, unlike friends and family may do, will never leave nor forsake you, and whose love is never conditional.

I most highly recommend The Metropolitan Affair, the first book in Green's On Central Park series, and her previous series, The Windy City Saga. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.
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LibraryThing member stephvin
This book was about an educated woman , Lauren, who earned a PHD in the study of Egypt. She had a prestigious job at the Metropolitan Museum. Her mother had died and her father, who had little contact with her growing up, re established a relationship with her. Lauren re established a relationship
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with Joe, a young NYPD who began investigating forgeries of antiquities using Lauren as a consultant.

I gave the book 3 stars because it was well written but was a genre I generally do not encounter- a religious one. It was interesting and I do recommend it.
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LibraryThing member lamb521
Title: Metropolitan Affair (On Central Park Series #1)
Author: Jocelyn Green
Pages: 400
Year: 2023
Publisher: Bethany House
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This is a phenomenal tale set during the Prohibition era at The Met in New York where an assistant curator is making her mark. Lauren has earned her
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degree in Egyptology and dreams of eventually being part of a dig in Egypt. Lauren’s love of everything Egypt comes from her father, Lawrence, who would tell her stories about that land and people on the rare occasions he would be home.
Detective Joe Caravello is on the hunt for those responsible for passing forgeries that may be tied into a current murder investigation. He asks Lauren to be a consultant on the case until Lauren begins to receive threatening notes. He has known Lauren for years though they haven’t sought anything beyond friendship. Between the heart-breaking life experiences of their parents neither is sure that a romance or a future together is possible. Joe’s former NYPD partner is currently in jail for suspicion of murdering a suspect after a speakeasy raid.
Lauren’s father is starting a new museum for historical artifacts and wants her to be a part of the future endeavor. However, as time goes by, more forgeries are popping up and Lawrence comes under suspicion as the person responsible.
There is a lot going on in the story as readers get switched between Lauren’s point of view and Joe’s. I loved the flashbacks that occurred in the book, and the history was very interesting! The information about Egyptology, forgery and the era in which the tale is set was very intriguing. I can’t wait to read future novels in the series! While I shared tidbits of the plot in this review, trust me there is so much more happening. The suspense built throughout the story, and the ending was epic! Please read the author’s note at the end of the story to learn about the facts that the author used to tell her audience one of the best stories I have read thus far in 2023!
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.
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LibraryThing member tealadytoo
This is the first book in a new series by Green, this one set in 1920s New York. The historical background that weaves through the story is the Egyptian Mania that swept the world after the discovery of King Tut's tomb, as well as prohibition and the corruption that flourished among those seeking
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to circumvent it. But the personal theme is family. Family that loves you, family that disappoints you, and the heavenly family that is with you always. It's exciting, informative, and well written. I enjoyed it very much.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member JaymeWill
Let me just start by saying, what a beautiful cover! Kudos to whoever designed it!

The main character of The Metropolitan Affair is Dr. Lauren Westlake. She loves all things Egypt and is the assistant curator of Egyptology for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is pleasantly surprised when a old
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friend, Joe Caravello shows up to ask for her help. Joe is now working for the New York Police Department and needs assistance finding a dealer of fake Egyptian artifacts. Because Lauren is an expert on ancient Egypt, Joe knows she will be the best help at spotting fakes. Around the same time, Lauren's father also appears looking to make restitution for the past. He pretty much abandoned Lauren and her mother while her mother was sick and dying, to travel to Egypt on archeological digs. Even after her mother's death, Lauren was raised by an aunt and uncle since her father could not be bothered to come home and care for her. Lauren is skeptical of her father and his motives, but he seems to genuinely grieve his past mistakes.

Lauren decides to trust him and even to help him by writing for his new Egyptian museum's newsletter. But as Lauren and Joe get closer and closer to finding out who the forger is, their lives become endangered. Joe has his hands full keeping Lauren safe, and safeguarding his heart as well.

I found The Metropolitan Affair fascinating! What an exciting book! It has so much history packed in! I really enjoyed reading about all artifacts that Lauren finds to be fakes and how she does it. I definitely recommend any fan of Christian Historical Fiction to read this book. My teen daughter is reading it next!
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LibraryThing member Pat_Bunk_Malecki
I was intrigued by the setting chosen by Jocelyn Green’s book The Metropolitan Affair. With that in mind and not having read her books, I started out with big expectations. As a rule, a book needs to catch my attention quickly for me to keep me interested; I hung on to The Met Affair ONLY because
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it involved museums and a bit of history, and mystery; unfortunately, It started slow and disinteresting.

The author does a fine job depicting New York City’s museums and restaurants. Hopefully in the final print the small inaccuracies are corrected (the lions in front of the New York Public Library (they were either there before the 1920s or not installed until later).

The characters were likable enough but nothing new. Lauren came off as being spoiled and unforgiving. I liked Joe, His personality was too good for her. l concur with some of the reviewers that the mystery was quite solvable.

The minor characters were sound and added background to Lauren and Joe. Confirming daddy issues with Lauren.

All in all, it’s a good historical read that will take you from the back rooms of the Met to the ancient ruins of Egypt to the luxurious mansions, and parties of New York's elite in Jocelyn Green's latest, The Metropolitan Affair.
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LibraryThing member EstherFilbrun
I’ve been a fan of Jocelyn Green’s books for quite a few years now, and I was thrilled to see that she started a new series recently! I eagerly dove into this book, and even though it took me a bit longer to get through it than I expected, I still enjoyed the read immensely.

Lauren is a
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relatable, lovable character. I connected with her almost right away, and could identify with her love of ancient history—although I’ve never, and likely will never, go as deep into the subject as she did! Joe, too, was intriguing and the kind of detective you’d want—so long as you weren’t a perpetrator!

One of the most intriguing parts of this book, for me, was the culture of the 1920s. I’ve read about it in history books, but realized as I was reading this story that I’ve hardly read anything set in that time in America. The problems with speakeasies, high society, the current knowledge of ancient history (and that Ancient Egyptian history was all the rage for a while)…all of these, while not “new” to me, came alive in the pages of this book. It was fun to read about Howard Carter’s discoveries from a contemporary standpoint, rather than as something that happened in the past.

The mystery side of the story? That was well done and kept me guessing the whole way through. The romance was sweet, and some of the characters were absolutely lovely, too—the kinds of people I would love to meet.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I can’t wait for the sequel to be published, whenever that will be!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.
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LibraryThing member cbcmedia
This was interesting and a subject I haven’t read about, Egyptology. There’s a bit of romance, forgery, deceit, mystery, suspense, friendship, faith and the book surprised me in a few ways. This is the first in a new series and after reading the last page, I’m left wondering what will happen
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in the second book.

**This was not my favorite book by this author and it is probably because I just didn't have the time to read it. I was just reading a few pages, maybe a chapter and then having to put it down. It took awhile to read and each time I picked it up I had to refresh myself as to who someone was and what they were talking about. So, I’ll lay the blame on me and my crazy life at the time.
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LibraryThing member Virginia51
I really enjoyed this historical romance with a little bit of intrigue. I enjoyed that this takes place in 1925 during prohibition. I enjoyed the descriptions of some of the items that were in the Metropolitan Museum during this time period. I liked that there were women who had jobs that showed
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how capable women are. I really liked Joe and Lauren and how they worked well together to try to find the forger. I loved that this book had laughs and some tears.
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LibraryThing member Robin.Willson
1925 Lauren is a Doctor of Egyptology at the Metropolitan Museum. She always wanted her father's approval, and to be like him, but he stayed distant throughout her life, mostly in Egypt. Joe is a detective and comes to her for help with some forgeries. Quite a mystery unfolds, full of deception,
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crime, danger and suspense, leaving you unsure of suspects till the end. Three-D characters, realistically draw you in. You have to feel for them as they struggle through the mystery and their relationship, learning to trust. Excellent read.
I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#NetGalley #MetropolitanAffair #JocelynGreen #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #BethanyHouse
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LibraryThing member ang709
I loved the setting of this twisty mystery. It was interesting to read about the Egyptian craze and to see the scenes at the Met. Lauren was a sympathetic character. She had a lot of emotional damage from losing her mother and from being practically abandoned by her father. Still, she came across
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as strong and kind, and I loved seeing her character growth. I liked Joe too. He was honest and dependable. He truly cared about Lauren and what was in her best interest. Lauren's friends seemed nice and had cool jobs too. This should be an interesting series.

Thank you to the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program for this read.
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LibraryThing member tealadytoo
This is the first book in a new series by Green, this one set in 1920s New York. The historical background that weaves through the story is the Egyptian Mania that swept the world after the discovery of King Tut's tomb, as well as prohibition and the corruption that flourished among those seeking
Show More
to circumvent it. But the personal theme is family. Family that loves you, family that disappoints you, and the heavenly family that is with you always. It's exciting, informative, and well written. I enjoyed it very much.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member khoyt
This is a fantastic book by Jamie Jo Wright. It's a well-written story that includes mystery, romance, and wonderful characters. The book also provides a lot of information about ancient Egypt and New York City during the 1920s. I was surprised to learn about the severe consequences Germany faced
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for their involvement in WWI, outside of monetary reparations. This book is a great option for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. Additionally, the author incorporates the message of God's love, which we all need to know.
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Language

Physical description

400 p.; 8.5 inches

Pages

400

ISBN

0764239635 / 9780764239632

Barcode

60009
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