This is the tenth Cairo Jim/Jocelyn Osgood adventure and has the intrepid pair trying to solve another archaeological mystery in the Egyptian desert. Geoffrey McSkimming’s familiar pattern of arch villains, age-old secrets, dead-pan humour and outrageous puns is once more given full rein but perhaps the formula is just starting to drag a little.

When an old diary is found telling of the “Greatest of the Great” wonders of the world, Jim sets off to find it. Doris the macaw, Brenda the Wonder Camel and “good friend” Jocelyn Osgood join him in following the clues, while a dastardly enemy tries to destroy Jim’s reputation and claim any discovery for himself.

There are none-too-subtle digs at media sensationalism, fast food chains, academic research and a host of other details of modern life as Jim digs, discovers and falls out the nose of the Sphinx. But many of the jokes have been used before in the previous stories and sometimes seem a little forced. Much depends on the already established characters with little new development between them. Doris is still jealous of Jocelyn, Jim is still oblivious to nearly everything, nothing really changes.

In series books like this, the relationship between familiar characters needs to develop to keep things fresh. In The Secret of the Sepulchre this aspect seems more to be recycled than evolving.

However, there are many fans of this light-hearted series and they will enjoy this latest episode. There is much of Indiana Jones in Cairo Jim, though more in humour and situation than character. Jim’s archaeology is more accurate, too, and the Greatest Wonder, when they find it, is rather amazing.
 

Other titles in the series:
Cairo Jim and Doris in search of Martenarten : a tale of archaeology, adventure and astonishment
Cairo Jim on the trail to Cha Cha Muchos : an epic tale of rhythm
After the Puce Empress : a Jocelyn Osgood adventure
Cairo Jim and the Sunken Sarcophagus of Sekheret : a tale of mayhem, mystery and moisture
Xylophones above Zarundi : a chaotic tale of melody
Cairo Jim and the Alabastron of the Forgotten Gods : a tale of disposable despicableness
Cairo Jim and the quest for the Quetzal Queen : a Mayan tale of marvels
Ascent into Asgard : a Jocelyn Osgood jaunt
Cairo Jim amidst the Petticoats of Artemis : a Turkish tale of treachery
Cairo Jim and the lagoon of tidal magnificence : a Sumatran tale of splendour
Cairo Jim and the tyrannical bauble of Tiberius: a tale of ancient atrocity
Cairo Jim and the Chaos from Crete: a tale of underground uncertainty
Cairo Jim's Bumper Book of Flabbergasting Fragments
Cairo Jim and the Rorting Of Rameses' Regalia

Review by David Beagley

© 1999 David Beagley