Anish lives in Kathmandu and is the administrator for a mountaineering company. He secures climbing permits from the Nepali government, orders supplies, and troubleshoots problems any of the teams in the Himalayas encounter.

It is a Wednesday like any other Wednesday. But wait: in my business, no two Wednesdays are alike. Or any other day, for that matter! It is one of the things I love about my job: you never know what can happen.

I am awakened at five o’clock by the bells from the Buddhist temple around the corner from my apartment. It is a suitable way to wake up! The bus takes me to the office, and it is there the fun really begins! It is a nice office, with posters on the wall that are drenched in color: posters of Hanuman Dhoka, pictures of prayer flags and mountains and even of the Terai. We in Nepal, we love color.

I brew my tea—we make it with yak’s milk, very good, very fortifying. And then I open my emails. My inbox is full when I arrive, because there are many details to take care of. Right now, Supreme Summits has several trekking groups on the trail, and two have just flown yesterday from Kathmandu to Lukla to begin their hike up to Everest Base Camp.

I saw them off to the airport and made sure the correct expedition members were matched with the correct guide and porter. Two of the esteemed ladies in the group are frightened of the flight, because Lukla is a small and dangerous airport, so I was sure to reassure them.

I have many more important administrative duties, and many telephone calls to make, even sometimes bribes to be paid, because that is how sometimes things work. I do not allow it to worry me.

For lunch, there is dal bhat. Have you heard of this dish? Here is what we say: dal bhat power, twenty-four hour. And it is true! It is most delicious as well.

This afternoon I meet a very important client who wishes to see a famous temple, called Swayambhu, one of the holiest Buddhist stupas here in Nepal. It has many, many steps to go up! The esteemed lady, Mrs. Farragut, is on time, and together we take a taxi out to the stupa and begin the climb. She is very fit, but me, I am a different story! I have to stop every few steps to catch my breath.

It is now that the monkeys descend.

Ah, I see I caught you by surprise! Over four hundred monkeys live here, and when they see tourists toiling up the steps, they are anxious to see if there might be food. I can see her up ahead of me on the stairs, and she is not faring well. One monkey is on her shoulders, pulling her hair; there is another one tugging at her purse, the little thief.

I hurry up the steps as quickly as I can manage, and I shoo the monkeys away; they go, chattering, but stay in the underbrush and trees beside the stairs. She looks quite shaken when we return to the office, where I offer her tea as a restorative. She refuses and leaves quickly after that.

What can I say? Nepal is full of marvels.

I decide to dine at a café that is on my way home, and even have a glass of Gorkha beer. Mrs. Farragut is not the only one whose nerves need restoring after the temple visit!

The Everest Enigma – An Abbie Bradford Mystery, Book 1
Genre: Traditional Mystery
Release: May 2025
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Abbie Bradford is at a crossroads.

Fresh off earning her doctorate in history, she’s unsure of her next move—until bestselling novelist Emma Caulfield, an acquaintance of her brother, presents an irresistible challenge: join her on a grueling trek from Kathmandu to Everest Base Camp in Nepal.

When the adventure takes a deadly turn, Abbie starts to question Emma’s true motives as she finds they may hold the key to unraveling a century-old mountaineering mystery—if they can survive long enough to solve it.

About the author
Jeannette de Beauvoir is an award-winning author of historical and mystery fiction and a poet whose work has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies. She has written three mystery series along with a number of standalone novels; her work “demonstrates a total mastery of the mystery/suspense genre” (Midwest Book Review). She’s also a theatre critic and hosts an arts-related program on WOMR. More at jeannettedebeauvoir.com.