From Library Journal
Tutankhamun's investigative agent Lord Meren suspects that the death of Nefertiti, wife of Akhnaten, was murder. As he searches among those at court for a murderer, he disturbs the status quo. Meanwhile, several horrible deaths terrify the public. First of a trilogy on Nefertiti's death, this is another entrancing historical. From the author of Murder at the Feast of Rejoicing (LJ
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Another in Robinson's series featuring "the pharaoh's eyes and ears," Lord Meren. Although the overriding premise of this new trilogy will be the investigation by Lord Meren into the death of Nefertiti, that plotline is only suggested here. Lord Meren has other things on his mind at the moment, namely the appearance of Eater of Souls, a creature of the netherworld who is responsible for a series of gruesome murders in Memphis. The passages that are written from the Devourer's perspective are compelling and suitably grisly--Stephen King on the Nile. Some readers may stumble a bit as they try to wade through Robinson's cast of characters, which is almost as large as the pantheon of Egyptian gods. But her descriptions of ancient Egypt are sure and sharp, and she also has a fine knack for showing how, despite the trappings of different times, human nature--complete with fears, foibles, and occasional bursts of nobility--has changed very little through the ages. A satisfying historical novel for Egyptologists or just-plain mystery buffs. Ilene Cooper
From Kirkus Reviews
When the boy pharaoh Tutankhamen wants to know who poisoned Nefertiti, Great Royal Wife of Akhenaten, Tutankhamen's heretic predecessor on the Egyptian throne, he naturally turns to Lord Meren, his Eyes and Ears. But Meren, just as zealous as his king to root out the mystery behind Nefertiti's death, has his hands full already with a brutal series of killings in Memphis. The victims--an inoffensive farmer, a tavern woman, a thief--don't seem to have anything to do with each other--except that they've all been stunned, slashed and hacked to death with razor-sharp claws, and relieved of their hearts. A terrified witness identifies the killer by her crocodile head, lion's paws, and hippo's hindquarters as the goddess Ammut, the Devouress, Eater of the Dead, against whom there can be no remedy. But when Prince Mugallu, the quarrelsome Hittite king's emissary, becomes the latest victim, Meren finds himself with a potential diplomatic disaster--just at the time that he's trying to repel Lord Reshep, the fawning, narcissistic suitor who's attached himself to Meren's willing daughter Isis. (Now why doesn't the Devouress dispatch him?) Lord Meren's fourth case (Murder at the Feast of Rejoicing, 1996, etc.) taxes all his skills as investigator, statesman, warrior, householder, and father, while displaying his author's powers of invention and intrigue at their peak--and still leaving plenty of mystery for two promised sequels on Nefertiti's murder. (Mystery Guild featured alternate) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
"A dandy whodunit." -- The New York Times Book Review
"Another entrancing historical . . . from the author of Murder at the Feast of Rejoicing." -- Library Journal
From the Inside Flap
something--is slaying innocent persons on the night streets in the royal city of Memphis. Frightened citizens believe it is the gruesome work of the Devourer, the eater of souls, one of the most fearsome gods in the Egyptian pantheon. Even Lord Meren, the Eyes and Ears of Pharaoh, is baffled by this series of horrific crimes whose victims have only one thing in common: the grisly manner of their deaths.
Is the evildoer truly the Devourer, risen from the netherworld, or just a mere mortal? Between Lord Meren and the truth lie dangerous mysteries--in the city's back alleys and in the bosom of his own noble family. . . .
From the Back Cover
Someone--or something--is slaying innocent persons on the night streets in the royal city of Memphis. Frightened citizens believe it is the gruesome work of the Devourer, the eater of souls, one of the most fearsome gods in the Egyptian pantheon. Even Lord Meren, the Eyes and Ears of Pharaoh, is baffled by this series of horrific crimes whose victims have only one thing in common: the grisly manner of their deaths.
Is the evildoer truly the Devourer, risen from the netherworld, or just a mere mortal? Between Lord Meren and the truth lie dangerous mysteries--in the city's back alleys and in the bosom of his own noble family. . . .
About the Author
Lynda S. Robinson holds a Ph.D. in anthropology, with a concentration in archaeology, from the University of Texas at Austin. She is the author of three earlier Lord Meren mysteries: Murder in the Place of Anubis, Murder at the God's Gate, and Murder at the Feast of Rejoicing. In addition to her crime fiction, she also writes romance novels under the name Suzanne Robinson. She lives in Texas.
