Product Description

His great battles against the sea raiders in the Nile Delta have left Pharoah Tuthmosis II frail, but he finds solace in victory and in the welcome he is sure to receive on his return to Thebes. Across the river from Thebes, however, there are those who do not relish his homecoming, and a group of assassins has taken a witch to pollute the Pharaoh's unfinished tomb. Reunited with his wife, Hatusu, and his people, Tuthmosis stands before the statue of Amun-Ra, the roar of the crowd and the fanfare of trumpets ringing in his ears. But within an hour he is dead and the people of Thebes cannot forget the omen of wounded doves flying overhead. Rumours run rife, speculation sweeps the royal city and Hatusu vows to uncover the truth. With the aid of Amerotke, a respected judge of Thebes, she embarks on a path destined to reveal the great secrets of Egypt.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #68454 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Review
'Doherty excels at historical detail, bringing ancient Egypt to life in his descriptions of daily life and characters drawn from every caste. This novel launches a series - and that's good news' Publishers Weekly 'The historical mystery genre is still thriving and Paul Doherty's THE MASK OF RA is the best of its kind since the death of Ellis Peters. As ever, Doherty dazzles with his knowledge an intimate feel for ancient Egypt' Time Out 'Paul Doherty has a lively sense of history' New Statesman

About the Author
Paul Doherty was born in Middlesbrough. He studied History at Liverpool and Oxford Universities and obtained a doctorate for his thesis on Edward II and Queen Isabella. He is now headmaster of a school in north-east London and lives with his family in Essex.

Customer Reviews

An enjoyable read
Being a fan and part-time student of Egyptology, I didn't have the highest hopes for this book - too many books set in Ancient Egypt fall short on the historical details and tone. However, Paul Doherty obviously has an interest in the Ancients, and has taken some trouble to get things, in general, right. The story itself moves along at a fairly rapid pace, once it gets started. A classic whodunit, it nevertheless manages to spring a few surprises on the way, and I certainly didn't manage to guess who the culprit was. The main characters come to life, although they still feel half-formed in many ways. All in all, this is a good (although not great) book, but will mainly be enjoyed by those who have some interest in Ancient Egypt. I am looking forward to reading "The Horus Murders", and to further development of the characters from the first book.

Good mystery series set in the era of Pharaoh Hatshepsut
This is PC Doherty's ancient Egyptian mystery/detective series, with the lead character a judge, serving under Pharaoh Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh. (The author refers to her by another form of her name: Hatusu ).

P.C. Doherty is a British historian who writes MULTIPLE series under MULTIPLE names (see his website). I have no idea how he keeps up with it all! This series is light and enjoyable, very different from his darker trilogy about ancient Egypt, set in the time of Pharaohs Akhenaten and Tutankhamun: "An Evil Spirit Out of the West", "The Season of the Hyaena" and "The Year of the Cobra". He's also written a non-fiction book about the death and possible murder of Tutankhamun.

Judge Amerotke seeks to solve crimes with the usual group of helpers/ sidekicks. Not as good as Mr. Doherty's more serious books, but light and easy reading, especially if you like mysteries and detective novels. There are multiple books in this series, and I hope he continues to write more.

Intrigue in Ancient Egypt
Paul Doherty is one of my favourite authors and I am always delighted to find one of his books that I have not read before. This one has been a change of direction for the author and he seems to have pulled it off, although for me personally it was not one of my favourites.
The book is set in Ancient Egypt at the time of Pharaoh Tuthmosis II. The Pharaoh is returning to Thebes after successfully doing battle with the sea raiders in the Nile Delta. However there are factions who are less than happy to seem him return. Reunited with his wife and people Tuthmosis celebrates his homecoming, but within an hour he is dead. With the aid of Amerotke, a respected judge his wife Hatusu sets out to find the perpetrators of the crime and embarks on a path destined to reveal many secrets.