The year is 1815, and Agnes Wilkins, a young woman about to make her debut in high-class London society, is attending an unwrapping party. She’s not there to unwrap presents. Rather, she and the other attendees are there to witness – and participate in – the unwrapping of an Egyptian mummy, purchased by a moneyed aristocrat in Egypt and brought back to England to entertain guests.

Agnes is more than a little horrified at the prospect of viewing this, but her mother insists that she attend, since it’s hosted by the season’s most eligible bachelor, Lord Showalter, and she hopes Agnes will catch his eye. She assures her daughter that she need not actually participate in the unwrapping itself, but of course Agnes is forced to when Lord Showalter asks her to be among the first to do so.

Agnes complies, and she discovers an Egyptian artifact hidden within the wrappings. While no one is looking, she secrets the artifact in her dress – Lord Showalter had told her the artifacts found within the mummy could be kept, after all. But when Showalter tells everyone that they got the wrong mummy by mistake, that this one was actually supposed to go to the British Museum and therefore all artifacts needed to be returned, Agnes keeps the trinket.

This sets in a motion a dangerous adventure, since the artifact is not truly an artifact – it’s a false modern-day item made to look as if it were ancient Egyptian. It’s inscribed with French words that indicate it’s a message for a spy – a spy working for Napoleon. Agnes, working with a young employee of the British Museum named Caedmon (whom she quickly falls for, despite being courted by Showalter), deciphers the message and attempts to thwart the spy’s actions – actions that, if successful, could enable Napoleon to conquer all of Europe.

Wrapped is best likened to an adult historical romance/mystery, of which there are legions. In fact, it’s a great teen readalike for the Lady Julia Grey mystery series, which I’m working my way through right now. I had just finished Silent on the Moor before picking up Wrapped, and both coincidentally involve mummies and references to unwrappings as major plot points. I believe Lady Julia would have approved wholeheartedly of Agnes’ adventures.

Wrapped is also a good readalike for Y. S. Lee’s The Agency series (which I love and hope the next volume will be out soon). They’ve both got an intelligent teenage heroine, a well-realized historical setting (although Wrapped takes place mostly in rich London while The Agency delves into the seedier side), a fair amount of danger, and some exciting espionage. They also both require a similar level of suspension of disbelief.

The end of Wrapped indicates that there may be sequels forthcoming, which I would welcome. Agnes is a great character (she taught herself how to speak ten languages), with real faults that complement her almost unbelievable talents (she’s more than a little naïve, which gets her into trouble).

Unfortunately, Wrapped succumbs to the failing of many adult historical mystery/romances: the culprit is a foregone conclusion. It’s such a foregone conclusion that Bradbury doesn’t really bother presenting the reader with more than one possibility in the first place. While detrimental, this doesn’t kill the book. The focus is much more on adventure and the budding romance between Agnes and Caedmon, as well as some fascinating history. Because of this, it’s weaker as a mystery than I would have liked, but enjoyable nonetheless.