Nefertiti: The Book of the Dead - Hardcover

Drake, Nick

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060765895 ISBN 13: 9780060765897

Publisher: Harper, 2007

Synopsis

She is called "The Perfect One," the most famous and beautiful woman in the ancient world. She rules with her husband Akhenaten over the most powerful, sophisticated and affluent society the world has ever seen and across an empire that stretches from Africa through the Middle East.

But behind these glorious scenes an epic power struggle is taking place: Nefertiti and Akhenaten inaugurate an enlightened new religion and build a magnificent and mysterious new capital, Akhetaten, in which to worship the Sun God, the Aten. The delicate balance of power in Egypt is thrown into confusion. The priesthood is stripped of its traditional authority and wealth, the army is enraged by the growing turbulence in the empire, and the people resent the loss of their gods. Old alliances are brought into doubt, and generations of inherited power and wealth are suddenly at stake.

And then, just days before the crucial festival to celebrate the new capital, Nefertiti suddenly vanishes. Rai Rahotep, the youngest chief detective in the Thebes division, with a rising reputation for his original methods, is secretly assigned by Akhenaten himself to investigate. He has ten days to find the Queen and return her in time for the celebrations. Success will bring glory—but if Rai fails, he and his family will die. . . .

About this title

About the Author

Nick Drake is the author of Nefertiti and Tutankhamun, the first two books in the Rahotep detective trilogy. He has published two award-winning collections of poetry, and his play was performed at the National Theater in London. His screenplays include the critically acclaimed Romulus, My Father (starring Eric Bana), which won Best Film at the Australian Film Awards in 2007. He lives in London.

From the Back Cover

She is called "The Perfect One," the most famous and beautiful woman in the ancient world. She rules with her husband Akhenaten over the most powerful, sophisticated and affluent society the world has ever seen and across an empire that stretches from Africa through the Middle East.

But behind these glorious scenes an epic power struggle is taking place: Nefertiti and Akhenaten inaugurate an enlightened new religion and build a magnificent and mysterious new capital, Akhetaten, in which to worship the Sun God, the Aten. The delicate balance of power in Egypt is thrown into confusion. The priesthood is stripped of its traditional authority and wealth, the army is enraged by the growing turbulence in the empire, and the people resent the loss of their gods. Old alliances are brought into doubt, and generations of inherited power and wealth are suddenly at stake.

And then, just days before the crucial festival to celebrate the new capital, Nefertiti suddenly vanishes. Rai Rahotep, the youngest chief detective in the Thebes division, with a rising reputation for his original methods, is secretly assigned by Akhenaten himself to investigate. He has ten days to find the Queen and return her in time for the celebrations. Success will bring glory—but if Rai fails, he and his family will die. . . .

Reviews

Starred Review. Rai Rehotap, the complex sleuth of this excellent mystery debut from British poet and playwright Drake (The Man in the White Suit), is very much a creature of his time—ancient Egypt—but is possessed of investigative instincts that will be familiar to readers of classic whodunits. The author artfully places his plot during a time of great significance to ancient Egyptian society—the reign of King Akhenaten, whose reforms included an effort to do away with the established religious order, and who consequently evoked the wrath of powerful figures vested in the status quo. The king summons Rehotap to track down the ruler's powerful and charismatic partner, Queen Nefertiti, whose disappearance weeks before a great festival threatens the stability of the new regime. Drake displays great mastery of period detail, and if some readers are able to anticipate the identity of the person behind the novel's chaos, they'll still find themselves swept away to a far-off time with contemporary echoes. (Apr.)
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A colorful background will entice readers into the adventures of detective Rai Rahotep, whose beat is ancient Egypt. Summoned by the powerful Akhenaton, Rahotep must find Queen Nefertiti, who has disappeared. To find her, he ventures through crowded back streets and palace corridors, talking to those who loved the queen and those who would do her or her strange, powerful husband harm. Enemies and secrets are everywhere, and at the center of Rahotep's own puzzle is another conundrum, born of political and religious turmoil and fueled by murder, violence, and a hunger for power. Drake cites a few facts about the unrest of the times, but more background might have made the book stronger. Still, if the political dynamic is a little confusing, especially as the novel draws to a close, there's still sufficient adventure to keep pages turning in the author's fiction debut. Suggest this one to fans of Lynda Robinson's mysteries. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060765895
• ISBN 13: 9780060765897
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352