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Published Jul 2010
384 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
As Egypt's young king is crowned, a vicious killer waits in the shadows...
Egypt's next Pharaoh, the young Tutankhamun, is ready to claim his birthright—a vast, powerful, and sophisticated empire. It should be at the height of its glory, but it is troubled by long-lasting foreign wars, public dissent, and internal struggles. With his new wife, Ankhesenamun, the daughter of Nefertiti, Tutankhamun undertakes an audacious plan to consolidate his power and return tolerance and enlightenment to his land. But not everyone wants the ambitious new Pharaoh to succeed, and soon sinister "gifts" begin appearing in the royal palace—evil objects designed to terrify the nineteen-year-old King.
Rahotep, the stalwart chief detective of the Thebes division, is summoned to the palace to investigate. As he begins to piece together the clues, he realizes that the mysterious gifts have much in common with a series of sadistic murders plaguing the city. Rahotep's determination to protect the vulnerable King and Queen makes him a target, too, and he is soon enmeshed in a web of intrigue and danger that reaches from the top command of the army to the dark heart of the empire's government. What he discovers will change his life and put everything he loves at risk.
In this compelling second novel, set against the dazzling splendor of the golden age of the Pharaohs, Nick Drake takes an imaginative and historically accurate look at one of the most fascinating reigns in ancient history. Drawing on the latest archaeological evidence, he crafts a sophisticated and gripping thriller that explores one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of ancient Egypt—the untimely death of young Tutankhamun.
"Starred Review. Admirers of such great historical novelists as Robert Graves and Mary Renault will hope that he continues working in the field after concluding this series." - Publishers Weekly
"Marked by fine writing, Rahotep’s story will captive historical mystery fans." - Library Journal
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Nick Drake is a British poet, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He has published two award-winning collections of poetry, and his play Success was performed at the National Theatre. His screenplays include the critically acclaimed Romulus, My Father (starring Eric Bana), which won Best Film at the Australian Film Awards in 2007. Drake is the author of Nefertiti, the first book in the Rahotep detective fiction trilogy, and is currently working on the final volume. He is also a literary associate at the National Theatre in London, the city in which he lives.
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