Emily B. (LibraryEm42) reviewed on 6/11/2011 + 26 more book reviews

I really like the idea of a mystery series set in ancient Egypt, and the actual bones of this mystery were good. Unfortunately, I found the prose awkward. I could forgive that, but I also noticed an odd pattern: the victim's wife is a jealous bitch, his concubine is a stupid slutty bitch, Meren's ex-daughter-in-law is a snobby bitch, some scribe's wife is a jealous bitch, Ankesenamun is an evil conniving bitch... by the end I was wondering whether the author thought there were any women in Egypt who weren't one-note stereotypical bitches. (Perhaps Meren's wife, but she's dead, so it's hard to say.) You would think that Ankesenamun, at least, would get some sympathy since she's portrayed as being forcibly married to Tutankamun and forced to give up the one god of her beloved father (who was murdered by the people who put Tut in power). Her reaction might not be in Egypt's best interests, but that just makes her a complex, sympathetic villain, which is more interesting. There's also a bisexual artist guy who hits on everything, just in case you didn't have enough stereotypes. It all made for very irritating reading.

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