Slayer of Gods - Hardcover

Robinson, Lynda S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0892967056 ISBN 13: 9780892967056

Publisher: Mysterious Press, 2001

Synopsis

In ancient Egypt, during the reign of Tutankhamun, Lord Meren joins forces with Anath, the Eyes of Babylon, a clever female counterpart, to find out who poisoned Queen Nefertiti and to stop a treacherous conspiracy out to bring down the pharaoh. 20,000 first printing.

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Reviews

Adult/High School-In this sixth book in the series, Tutankhamen has been on the throne of Egypt for five years. Lord Meren has been his advisor and sworn protector since the death of his parents, the Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti. Rumors have reached Tutankhamen that Nefertiti was poisoned. The boy king seeks help from his confidant to find out by whom and why. This crime must be solved or else the murdered person's soul will wander the Earth for eternity. Meren fears that the killer may represent a threat to King Tut's life. The investigation is complicated by the fact that the city in which the queen was killed has been abandoned and many palace witnesses have turned up dead before they could be interrogated. Lord Meren's teenaged children Kyson and Bener try to solve the crime; in the process, Bener is kidnapped, and the killer threatens to murder her if Meren proceeds with his investigation. Students will enjoy reading about the two amateur sleuths and the dangers that befall them. The author's narrative style makes the political and cultural details interesting, giving a face to people long gone. Ancient places and historical figures seem real in this fast-paced story of intrigue.

Linda G. Sinclair, Alexandria Library, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

In her sixth masterful historical mystery set in ancient Egypt (Murder in the Place of Anubis; Murder at the God's Gate; etc.), Robinson presents a tantalizing what-if scenario. The story opens in the fifth year of the reign of the pharaoh Tutankhamun. The previous pharaoh, Akhenaten, the heretic king, forced the people of Egypt to abandon the worship of their ancient gods, especially Amun, in favor of a minor sun god, Aten. He moved the royal court from Memphis and Thebes to found a new city, Horizon of Aten. Tutankhamun, in an attempt to restore the old ways, once again worships Amun and has moved the court back to Memphis. Historically, Akhenaten's wife, the beautiful Nefertiti, mysteriously disappeared from the monuments and royal correspondence after the 12th year of Akhenaten's reign. In an imaginative twist, royal adviser Lord Meren discovers that, contrary to rumor, Queen Nefertiti died not of the plague but was poisoned. To give the pharaoh peace of mind, Meren determines to discover the murderer. Enlisting the help of Anath, a seductive female spy known as the Eyes of Babylon, he sets out on a dangerous quest for the truth that will threaten not only his life but also the lives of his family. With a seamless blend of fact and fiction, the author makes ancient places and historical figures seem extraordinarily real. A compelling story does the rest to keep the reader hooked. (June

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Robinson mines the reign of King Tutankhamun for her historical mysteries. Her depth of knowledge (she holds a doctorate in anthropology, with a specialization in archaeology, and has done extensive fieldwork in the Middle East) is united with a clear, straightforward narrative style, making her mysteries richly authoritative in political and cultural detail as well as compellingly suspenseful whodunits. The detective here, who moves easily from court to labyrinthine back alleys, is Lord Meren, advisor to King Tut. In this, the sixth in the series, it is 11 years since the death of Queen Nefertiti--a death that still haunts the Boy King, who regarded her as a second mother. Meren discovers that Nefertiti did not die of the plague, as believed, but was poisoned. There's an urgency attached to the solving of this old crime, since a murdered person's soul is consigned to eternal restlessness and since the killer could still be at large, representing a threat to King Tut's life. Meren's investigation is complicated by the fact that palace witnesses are killed just before Meren can interrogate them. The search for the killer takes us from Memphis to the tombs of the dead kings, with suspense and peril for Meren and Tut growing with every inquiry. Based on actual historical events, this is a cunning combination of scholarship and craftsmanship. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

The fabulous Lord Meren series (Drinker of Blood) continues as Meren tracks the elusive poisoner of the late Queen Nefertiti. At stake is the sanity of Tutankhamun, who revered the woman as a second mother. An Egyptian treat.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Mysterious Press
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0892967056
• ISBN 13: 9780892967056
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 306