Murder in the Place of Anubis - Hardcover

Robinson, Lynda S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0802732496 ISBN 13: 9780802732491

Publisher: Walker & Co, 1994

Synopsis

In ancient Egypt, during the fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh Tutankhamen, Lord Meren, a courtier, must discover who murdered the scribe, Hormin, in the sacred Place of Anubis.

About this title

Reviews

More than a period puzzle, this exceptional debut melds ancient Egyptian religious belief and practice with court intrigue to produce a riveting mystery. The court of the young Pharaoh Tutankhamun still suffers some of the tumultuous aftereffects of the reign of his father, the iconoclastic monotheist, Akhenaten. When the body of the scribe Hormin is found with an obsidian embalming knife sticking from its neck at the Place of Anubis, Tutankhamun assigns the task of finding the murderer--and the desecrator of holy places--to his "Eyes and Ears," Lord Meren. Meren and his adopted son Kysen begin with Hormin's family, whose members lay both murder and the theft of an expensive beaded collar at the feet of Hormin's mistress, the sultry Beltis, who returns the charges. To solve the murder, Meren and Kysen retrace the scribe's last day, using surprisingly sophisticated, but credible, investigative techniques. Especially appealing is the personality of the boy king who wants desperately to join the investigation but refrains in deference to his exalted position as monarch. His interaction with Meren, who thinks of him as a son, is a poignant addition to a memorable tale. Even readers who aren't usually drawn to historical mysteries will likely delight in Robinson's fully developed characters and her deft building of suspense.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A Tutankhamen-era mystery loosely inspired by Agatha Christie's Death Comes as the End (now, incredibly, celebrating its 50th birthday) starts with the discovery of an extra body in the embalming shelter. Hormin, the vizier's contentious scribe of records and tithes, was well-hated by his wife Selket, his slow-speaking son Imsety (who managed the family farm with no hope his father would ever turn it over to him), and his sly younger son Djaper, an apprentice whose only use for his father was what he could get out of him. As in Christie, there's also another woman in the picture, a main-chance concubine named Beltis who could teach Raymond Chandler's femmes fatales a thing or two. Detective honors are shared by Meren, counselor to the young Pharaoh, and Meren's adopted son Kyser, who turn out to have a stake of their own in the case. First-novelist Robinson's modern sensibility shines through the period trappings in the particularly repellent (and contemporary- seeming) crime that the murders--yes, there'll be two more--are committed to conceal. First of a promised, and promising, series. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Investigating protagonist Lord Meren, a keen-minded 34-year-old, serves Tutankhamun as privy councilor and friend, so when Theban embalmers find a stabbing victim in their sacred precincts, the teenaged king dispatches Meren to solve the crime. With the aid of his adopted son, Kysen, Meren questions artisans in the Valley of Tombs and members of the victim's family. The key to the murder ultimately resides in a shapely and aggressive concubine who uses sex as a tool. Not bad for a first historical mystery and series opener.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Walker & Co
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0802732496
• ISBN 13: 9780802732491
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 190