Tutankhamun: The Book of Shadows

"Tutankhamun, The Book of Shadows," Nick Drake's much anticipated second episode featuring Medjay policeman Rahotep, is well worth the wait. Drake's foray into a familiar historical period (18th Dynasty of ancient Egypt) with the first, "Nefertiti, The Book of the Dead," clearly established himself as a viable--and worthwhile--author of historical police procedurals. In this episode, the young King Tut is relatively new as the leader of the Two Lands. Having ascended at around the age of eight, it is now some eight or nine years later. The government has been ruled by Ay, the regent, but a fierce struggle for power with the general of the armies, Horemheb, makes this novel indeed a relevant political novel as well. The intrigues mount, the pressure builds, and, alas, as this is a murder mystery, the bodies begin to pile up. Rahotep, officially the Seeker of Mysteries and chief detective of the Thebes Medjay (police), is called to investigate a particularly gruesome murder of a young boy. The clues left behind are not only puzzling but mysterious. Not long after, another body is found with additional clues. Rahotep sees a pattern and that pattern leads him to the royal family. Both the King and his Queen request his special help and attention, owing to his successes in the first book. From this point on, politics provides the foundation, as bitter--and deadly--rivalries begin to focus. The country has a young, untried, king and there are enemies within and without. It is a time of great confusion and frustration. Still, Drake sidesteps the obvious political sermons and concentrates on presenting an exciting story line, one filled with excellent characterization, historically-based plot developments, and a style of writing that moves well. He seems to capture the atmosphere of the time and place (his research seems well-founded). Students of history certainly know the time-line--the young king doesn't live forever (at least not in Egypt) and there seems to be enough "mystery" historically to provide Rahotep and Drake with follow up stories. We hope so.

As a person that loves the ancient culture that is Ancient Egypt, Nick Drake really puts you in this place and time. Awesome novel and a must read.

While a good mystery is always enjoyable, when that mystery is mixed with history it's even better. Such is surely the case with TUTANKAMUN. Intrigue, rich atmospheric detail, and more twists than are found in the narrow streets of ancient Egypt are seamlessly woven by Nick Drake (Nefertiti) to produce a can't-put-down tale. Our narrator is Rahotep, a detective in ancient Egypt's police force. Happily married he is the father of four, three daughters on the cusp of womanhood and a young son. Yet despite the many blessings life has given him he still cannot resist intrigue, a mystery to be solved. In fact, he is known as a "Seeker of Mysteries." He need not look far in our story. Rahotep is first called upon to investigate a truly sadistic murder - a young man's bones have been broken and his eyes removed. It is a particularly gruesome crime. At the same time Tutankhamun, the young king, is the recipient of frightening gifts which more than disconcert him. Ankesenamun, daughter of Nefertiti now not only Tutankhamun's queen but his half sister, calls upon Rahotep to find out who is responsible for these terrifying gifts and also protect the king and queen. Not an easy task as there are enemies within and without. The actual power in the palace is an evil man, the elderly Regent Ay. His enemy is Horemheb - obviously, the political climate is highly charged . When another equally ghastly murder is committed Rahotep begins to believe that somehow the killer and the implicit messages in the king's gifts are related. Tutankhamun and his wife want to claim the power that is rightfully theirs but unknown forces are aligned against them, using fear as a major weapon. It is not long before Rahotep realizes that what he is learning may very well place his family in jeopardy. TUTANKHAMUN is alive with vivid descriptions of daily life, beliefs held at that time, political factions, and more. For this reader those descriptions sometimes seemed so lengthy that the narrative movement was hampered. Nonetheless, for those interested in ancient Egypt, particularly at the time of Tutankhamun, will find much to satisfy them. - Gail Cooke

With this engrossing Egyptian trilogy (following NEFERTITI), Nick Drake's writing style easily can be called "faction," enthralling fiction woven around astounding history. Protagonist Rai Rahotep becomes a detective, a protector --- whatever King Tutankhamun, older son of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, wants him to be. Tutankhamun became king at age nine and died about a decade later, setting the scene of this fact-based novel for his formal ascension to the throne. The boy king, who never suffered the "moral arrogance of youth," was occupied with warring factions and trying to unite the Two Lands, Upper and Lower Egypt. A hauntingly defaced stone carving has complex implications for the teen king, "for this has the intention of creating fear where it does the most damage. In the mind of the King, and those close to him." With the ultimate insult, "the King's royal names had been completely erased." Voodoo-like figurines appear in the royal palace contemporaneously with seemingly unrelated gruesome murders of young people in the seedy side of Thebes. Readers are reminded that "Names are powers. They bring forth into reality that which they declare." Tutankhamun is a combination of names, meaning the "Living Image of Amun," Amun being a god who created the universe, exquisitely explained in this richly written historical thriller. Aten is the sun disk, the god worshiped by Tutankhamun's father, Akhenaten, and his half-sister and wife, Queen Ankhesenamun, daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Convoluted marriages and stillborn offspring suggest incestual genetic disorders 33 centuries ago. For [...] readers, Nick Drake expounds on the "wonderfully complex" combination and meanings of Egyptian names. "Living (Ankh --- literally, "life") Image (Tut) of Amun. When Tutankhamun was born he was named TutankATEN. After the death of Akhenaten, Tut changed his name to TutankhAMUN to distance himself from his father's reign. Amun (or Amun-Ra) was the most important god in the ancient Egyptian pantheon." There is a wealth of knowledge here without being stodgy or overwritten, with a style that only Drake possesses. For forensics experts, "[m]ost murder victims reveal the story of their end." A teen beauty, except "where her face and hair should have been there was now a mask of gold foil. For someone had, with an exquisite and appalling skill, scalped her...and removed her face and her eyes." The third eye-gouging criminal investigation finds a young man at the brink of death, told with a maggot-gagging description of a "facelift" that will cause surgeons to cringe. After blood-filled sacs are thrown at the royal procession, Tutankhamun observes: "Nowhere is safe. It is all shadows...the palace of shadows." As the subtitle indicates, "Shadows have powers...shadows have names." Those names are deciphered by "Rahotep, Seeker of Mysteries," who finds plenty, with the help of Drake's magnificently poetic prose. Rahotep accompanies Tutankhamun on a lion-hunting exp

As the Thebes Medjay Chief Detective, Rahotep has seen his fill of gruesome crime scenes. However, in Year 10 of the Reign of King Tutankhamun, a ritual homicide may be the worst yet. A young male was mutilated with his eyes removed. A second killing identical to the first concerns Rahotep, who fears someone is using murder to pressure the nineteen years old Pharaoh Tutankhamun and the two men who run the Kingdom in his name, Ay the regent and Horemheb the army commander. Rahotep knows the culprit is clever and probably has high level backing if his premise of testing the leaders is valid. He conducts his investigation discreetly to keep his beloved wife Tanefert and their three daughters and baby son safe while also performing his duty. This is a superb Ancient Egypt serial killer investigation that brings to life Thebes in the 14the century BC. The inquiry is terrific as Rahotep tries to balance his duties with his fears for his family from vicious insidious killers. Fast-paced, readers will appreciate this strong whodunit wrapped inside a great historical (see Nefertiti for Rahotep's previous case). Harriet Klausner