Murder at the God's Gate
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4.4 • 5 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
A “complex and exciting” mystery set during the reign of Tutankhamun (The New York Times Book Review).
Egypt is under threat from the Hittites, and the teenage pharaoh has additional troubles stemming from the heresy of his late father, Akhenaten. Fate seems to be pointing a finger at him when a priest topples to his death—from a statue of none other than Tutankhamun himself. Now Lord Meren, the confidential agent who protects the boy king, must struggle to uncover Tutankhamun’s most threatening enemies, some within the court at Thebes . . .
“Robinson knowledgeably instructs readers in the cultural and political life of a fascinating period in history while entertaining us with a puzzling plot, accessible characters, and the domestic details of their daily lives.” —Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine
“Delightful . . . Robinson makes ancient Thebes come alive as she describes the personalities, clothing, golden jewelry, the intrigue, and the smells of the desert, the terrors of a hippo hunt.” —San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle
“A compelling narrative comprised of vividly depicted background and characters and a well-plotted mystery.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Ms. Robinson is an archeologist by training and a storyteller by inclination. Using her scholarship to penetrate the inner precincts of court and temple, she has written a complex and exciting narrative that reflects the twisted machinations of politicians—royal and otherwise.” —The New York Times Book Review
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
More than the sum of its parts, this second (following 1994's Murder in the Place of Anubis) in the series featuring ancient Egypt's Lord Meren, advisor to the court of Tutankhamun, is a compelling narrative comprised of vividly depicted background and characters and a well-plotted mystery. When Unas, a priest at the Temple of Amun, falls to his death from a colossal unfinished statue of the young king, Meren sends his adopted son Kysen to investigate. Unas's death, although raising suspicions in the deeply political court, appears to be accidental until another priest is killed by cobras hidden in his box of writing materials. As Meren tries to determine why someone would kill holy ones, Tut confirms his intention to lead his army on a campaign to secure the country's borders. His advisors, including Meren, wonder how they can tell the 14-year-old god that he is too young to go into battle. Breathing life into her scholarship through deft characterization and lucid plotting, Robinson frees her cast from frieze-like immobility, allowing Meren and Kysen to solve the murders and ferret out the source of the unrest at court.
