The Book of Lost Fragrances, M.J. Rose

An ancient perfume commissioned by Queen Cleopatra; with the power to recover past lives and link souls together. Its just a myth? Isn’t it? 

Days before the his holiness the Dalai Lama is due to visit Paris, TV host Jac L’Etoile’s brother Robbie goes missing; gone too is the artifact he discovered whilst cleaning up the wreckage of his father’s perfumers workshop, shards of pottery, covered in ancient markings and infused with a scent Robbie’s nose isn’t sensitive enough to detect.  Also heading for Paris is a group of hand-picked Chinese art students outwardly loyal to their government but carrying multiple hidden agendas.

Jac flies home from New York to search for her brother and her childhood illness returns with a vengeance; she’s having flashbacks of Ancient Egypt and older France. Hot on her heels is Dr. Malachai Samuels in search of another memory tool, one the Chinese government is desperate to acquire at any cost.  Jac will soon learn she is one half of a love story that transcends time; and leaves tragedy in its wake.