Slayer of Gods

Lord Meren #6

by Lynda S. Robinson

In the sixth novel of the celebrated series set during the reign of Pharaoh Tutankhamen, Lord Meren recruits a clever female counterpart to help him find Queen Nefertiti’s murderer.

Armed with the certainty that Queen Nefertiti did not die of the plague but was murdered with poison, Lord Meren is hot on the trail of her killer. His investigation leads him from the Egyptian countryside to the mysterious tombs of the dead kings, entangling him in a conspiracy so treacherous he fears for his life. Meanwhile, back at the palace, a mourning King Tutankhamen grows more distraught each day the murderer, hidden within a network of subordinates, agents, and slaves, goes uncaptured. Desperate, Meren looks to the one person who can help him bring the assassin to justice, and appease the pharaoh. She is Anath, the fabled Eyes of Babylon, a mistress of secrets with a mind as incisive as Lord Meren’s, who may—or may not—prove trustworthy.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Egypt, Fiction, Historical, Mystery Thriller

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Lynda Suzanne Robinson (b. July 6, 1951 in Amarillo, Texas) is an American writer, author of romance (under the name Suzanne Robinson) and mystery novels (under the name Lynda S. Robinson). She is best known for her series of historical whodunnits set in Ancient Egypt during the reign of Tutankhamun and featuring Lord Meren, "the Eyes and Ears of Pharaoh." She lives in Texas with her husband and has a doctorate in anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The final book in Lynda S. Robinson's Lord Meren mystery series was an incredible disappointment. A true let-down that left me feeling robbed, and more than a little angry after having traveled with Meren through so many near fatal adventures. The writing failed to measure up to her previous outstanding efforts and I am quite certain some of the content was actually used (possibly word-for-word) in another previous novel. I need to go back and re-read the others to place just where it came from.
The final climatic scene was laughable and ridiculous! Belonging in some freshman romance effort, but only if the editor failed to receive their afternoon dose of caffeine, because I can't think of any other excuse for what was printed. This was not the way to end a series containing such a marvelous multi-faceted character, he deserved better and so did the reader.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry back to the library. Someone in the Wall Street Journal had listed this as a favorite historical mystery series, but it wasn't hard to see that Ms. Robinson also writes romance novels. If one more Egyptian had let a thunderous look cross his brown or let her eyes question his deeply, I would have volunteered for mummification myself.

Sheesh

[Raquel Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

E a série acaba em grande, sem nunca se tornar maçadora.

[Darth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the worst of these books by any means - nice to have it all wrapped up.
Still one more short story in the mammoth book of Egyptian whodunnits, but then this whole series can go out and be recirculated so another may enjoy them.

[Marsha Valance · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the 6th volume of her series about Lord Meren, the Eyes and Ears of Pharoah Tutankhamun, Lynda Robinson again portrays the troubled Egyptian New Kingdom in 1329 BC. Lord Meren, chief spy for the young ruler of Egypt, still is investigating the mysterious death of Queen Nefertiti, Tutankhamun's mother-in-law. Although she died when the young pharaoh and his queen were children, they believe her to have been murdered, and as they expect their first child, the pressure is on Lord Meren to uncover the truth. As he attempts to discover what really happened, 2 more deaths occur; and attempts are made on the Lord Meren's own life, and those of his son and daughters. Then Anath, Pharoah's Eyes and Ears in Babylon, returns to Egypt, and after she and Lord Meren become lovers, although she too is attacked, she works with him to determine the real circumstances of the queen's death. SLAYER OF GODS is another well-researched historical mystery whose characters come to life with all their concerns and motives. Robinson finally completes her thread on Nefertiti's death-a thread which opened the world of 18th Dynasty theology and politics to the reader. It will be well worth waiting to see what Lord Meren tackles next.

[Rev. M. M. Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lord Meren, the Eyes and Ears of Pharoah, is engaged in discovering who poisoned Queen Nefertiti and caused her death. The unknown evil one that he seeks is very powerful and his quest puts Meren's family in danger. Meren believes that everything can be traced back to the reign of Akhetaten, the "heretic king", who wanted to replace the gods of Egypt with worship of the Aten, the Sun Disk. Meren is assisted in his quest by Anath, an Egyptian spy who worked in Babylon. She becomes something more than an assistant, but don't be fooled by appearances.

The mystery will be solved in the final chapter, but I think it is an unsatisfactory conclusion. It almost seems as if it was plucked out of thin air. Looking back, there were minimal clues to allow the reader to solve the mystery (which is really the whole point of reading them), but the conclusion was something of a surprise. The earlier Meren novels were better.

[Filip · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't got that far and say that the book was weak, but I must admit I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the previous ones. While the circumstances made it plausible, Meren did little to impress us with his skills, mainly reaching blindly and rushing in panic. The identity of the culprits also didn't come as big surprise though there were some good twists on the way. Seeing as it is the final book in the series I would liked a longer denouement, tying up more of the loose threads. All in all not a bad book and I'm grateful for the time I've spent with Meren in Egypt.

Ps. I adore Bener.
Ps2. for a book taking place in ancient Egypt it could have had more kittens.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of historical fiction set in ancient Egypt will enjoy this series. As a reader who gains all her historical knowledge through novels such as these, I am intrigued and fully engaged as I learn about the religion and culture of Tutankhamen’s era through Robinson’s novels.

The brutality of the period, the reverence for their gods, and the methods of displaying wealth and position are fascinating to me. The protagonist, Lord Meren, is not your “ warm and fuzzy” detective, but his intelligence and guile are perfect for the intrigues of the era. I love this series and will enjoy reading more of Meren’s adventures.

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

2022 bk 332. Lynda S. Robinson writes with a sophistication of style indicative of the best of the mysteries produced in the 1980's/1990's. Her attention to detail, knowledge of not just what has transpired in earlier books but of the characteristics of places, people and things is amazing. This 6th book ties together many of the mysteries that Lord Meren has to resolve in his life. Above all, this book binds him more closely to his son and daughter. It could be read as a standalone - but don't deprive yourself as a reader - find the entire series and give it time, not rushing from one book to the next. This is a dish to savour, not fast food.

[A.L. Sirois · Rating 5 out of 5]

The "Lord Meren" series comes to an end with this exciting, plot-propelled novel. Meren closes in on the actual murderer of Queen Nefertiti -- and it isn't who he expected. Along the way, he faces romance, violence, threats to his family, and betrayal. most satisfying conclusion to the arc that began several books ago. I don't want to say too much about it, because I don't want to spoil the experience for readers. I'll be keeping all the Lord Meren books as part of my permanent collection. Robinson has done an excellent job with her characters and plot twists. Highly recommended, especially for fans of historical fiction and mysteries.

[Doreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific!

What a fantastic series about murder and spies in ancient Egypt in the early reign of young King Tut! All 6 books are excellent, with the main characters the center of each story. Author is an excellent historian and writer. Each story is complete alo NJ e except for the last 2 books. They complete a murder investigation that has been started earlier in the series! It is a wonderful reading experience and problems existed 3500 years ago similar to those currently still experienced!

[Juliette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to give this three and a half stars, but that wasn't an option. It was a quick, easy read and I was never bored, but it's not a book I would read again. I love historical fiction, but the setting and the characters never really came alive for me. The protagonist, Meren, is not that interesting.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this would have earned 4 stars if it hadn't been the last book in this series. It wraps things up but only superficially and there was a lot more that I think could have been done. As a final chapter, it's just ok.

[Baron Greystone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a quick note here in volume six, because I basically reviewed the series under volume one.

I have to say that the ending to this book, and to the series, was something of a let-down. I won't spoil it in advance, but once you read it you'll know what I mean.

[Karen Hogan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mystery series set in the time of King Tut and the Egyptian empire. Pretty sophomoric and basically a poor romance touted as a who-dun-it. Sorry I didn't like it more because I love Egyptian history.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Lord Meren. This is the last book in this series, and the ending caught me off guard. I did not expect the outcome. Understand, I love anything about Ancient Egypt so this might not be for everyone but I find these books fascinating.

[Tomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Good mystery. Awesome historical detail.

[Ian Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good wrap up to the long running mystery, but sad there are no more Meren tales to be had.

[Katie England · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this historical fiction narrative set in the time of Pharaoh Tutankahmen. There were so many twists that I want to go back to reread the clues that I missed this first time!

[Snakeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable Egypt Murder mystery !

[Heatherinblack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odd ending

Is this the last book? I think it is. The ending is odd. A multi-book problem that ends with shrugged shoulders. Meren creates a new question in his mind and then thinks “glad I don’t have to deal with that”. I mean, the readers overwhelmingly need for things to be tidied up is one thing, but for the main character to suddenly be ho hum about something that is basically his job to deal with? Odd.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the Eclectic Reader Challenge I needed to read a 'historical mystery' novel, so I chose a period of history that has always fascinated me - Ancient Egypt. Slayer of Gods is the sixth and final book in Lynda S. Robinson's 'Lord Meren Series' and the mystery in question is the death of Nefertiti.

Back when I studied Ancient Egypt at university I was drawn to the reign of Akhenaten - the pharaoh who abolished the worship of multiple gods in favour of just one, Aten. Akhenaten's wife was Nefertiti so when I saw this book was about her death I quickly chose it.

In hindsight it would probably have made more sense to start reading the series from the first book because it was obvious at the beginning of Slayer of Gods that I'd missed a whole host of past Lord Meren adventures. That being said, Robinson did provide past details to fill the reader in so I wasn't completely lost.

Something that bothered me in the first few chapters was Robinson's use of a character mumbling to themselves as a method of exposition. While I appreciated the necessary knowledge being revealed, I found it quite unrealistic that a person would go around mumbling important information to themselves. They might think it but they certainly wouldn't speak it out loud in that way.

But after this initial hiccup I really got into the story. It kept up a quick pace and successfully threw me off guard a couple of times so I wasn't sure who the killer was. Slayer of Gods is a typical mystery novel that follows the formula of this genre. I'm not a huge fan of mystery novels, but the historical appeal was enough to keep me interested. And it was good fun to read a genre that I wouldn't normally.

What I loved most about this book was its setting. While reading I was constantly reminded of my own trip to Egypt and this really helped to make the book come alive in my imagination. It's obvious that Robinson has a love of Egyptian history and has done thorough research to make her book as authentic as is possible for a fiction story. I found reading about Nefertiti, Tutankhamun and Akhenaten very exciting. I'd happily recommend this book to people who enjoy the mystery genre and who have an interest in Ancient Egypt.

[Caleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read a book for my Humanities 111 class. I went to the library and asked the librarian to help me pick out a book. I chose this one because all the other books we could find were all 350+ pages, which I definitely didn't want to take the time to read lol. I actually didn't realize it was the last book of the series until about a week later when I was already about 25% done with the book, so I figured I would still just go through with reading it.
I was skeptical about how good a historical fiction book would be, I thought that it was probably going to be boring. It actually turned out to be very good.
The book starts out with a girl names Satet, who is chasing her pet goose. Satet ends up getting pushed into a well and dying. I thought it was funny how Lynda almost gets you to not like Lord Meren at first (Satet doesn't really like him, and since you start off from her perspective, it causes you to think as she does), but then he ends up becoming the main character and you start to like him. The story is about how someone murdered Queen Nefertiti and Lord Meren's journey to discover who it is. They have about 4 or so possible suspects who Meren thinks could have killed her.....I don't want to give away the ending, but I definitely didn't suspect who it actually was lol.
If you like ancient Egypt and/or mystery novels, then I think that you would definitely like this book.

[J. Else · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read this book before, so the ending did not come as a surprise. I could also spot many clues to the perpitraitors' identity during the read, which felt rather obvious this time around. Though I do not remember it being that subtle either on previous reads. What's captivating about Robinson's books are how ancient Egypt breathes within her pages. She paints a strong picture of how life back then was the more well-to-do population. But her characters are not as strong as the setting they reside in. While Robinson describes actions that have happened to the main character in the past, she does not paint an intimate picture well of who that person is. I find little to connect with in terms of characterization. I don't mind reading a male's point of view, but the author did not make the character relatible to a modern audience. While set in ancient times, there has to be relevant situations and feelings. So I found it to be an interesting exploration and an easy read, but it was not fantastic. I've learned a lot more about ancient Egypt since the first time I read this book, and now I find myself underwhelmed by the depth given during this pivitol period of Egyptian history.

[Holly Lindquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've really enjoyed the Lord Meren series.. up until the last 2 books, that is. The writing, which had previously been assured and engaging seemed to go rapidly downhill like a lumber truck with a brake problem. I found myself cringing, wondering whether the series was going to conclude successfully or end up in flames at the bottom of a ravine. (It did the latter, unfortunately.)

It's as though the author suddenly got sick of Meren and company and simply went into a rush job ending in the last 2 books. It's a shame because these characters have been nicely developed over the course of the series.* We know how smart they are, or how smart they should be. However, the major mystery arc of the series gets wrapped up in such an unsightly and ramshackle way, that it absolutely requires the characters we know and care about to drop a bunch of IQ points all at once. Especially poor Meren, who we've followed faithfully all this time. He ends up looking like a chump and the author treats the readers like chumps too. We all deserved a bit better than that.

* Except for some of the same annoying stock female characters which seem to be on a rotational basis.

[Dawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading the five previous books in this series, this book was a disappointment. It failed to live up to the level of quality that the author had achieved in the other books. This one was poorly written and overly predictable. The identity of those involved in the murder were fairly obvious from the beginning. One of the things I had liked about her previous books was her presentation of the characters and their personalities. Here, the characters seemed very flat and more like chess-pieces that she moved around to advance the plot than people. I believe she made an error in wandering a bit into the romance genre in this book. While it played a role in the plot as she created it, it doesn't seem to be something that she does well and actually made the plot itself even less believable for me. I think if this is an indication of the turn her writing was taking, it’s good that this was the last one in the series.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about sn unsolved murder in 1300 B.C. Lindia Robinson, an Egyptoligist, suggests an answer to the murder of the well known Queen Nefertiti, beloved mother to Tutankhamun. A murdet buried in the efforts of her husband, Aktenaten who tried to convert Eyptians to montheism and destroyed or attempted to destroy all the old gods they worhshiped causing havoc through the empire.

It is interesting to delve through the people and custons that are the subject of the mummy movies of my youth. This is a fun read and enlightening of the times, beleifs and behavior of a land, nation and culture past.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slayer of Gods satifyingly ties up the mystery of Queen Nefertiti's death that Lord Meren began investigating in the previous book. This investigation tests all of Meren's resources and over the course of both books, Drinker of Blood and Slayer of Gods, manages to test the resolve, courage, and intelligence of all of his family and devoted servants as well. There are clever twists and vivid characters and descriptions as well. This series is a good addition to any mystery lover's bookshelf.

[Phair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Been a while since I read a Lord Meren so it took a while to get back memories of his character. I kept confusing him with Wilbur Smith's Taita. Once again a good mystery set in ancient Egypt but not the best of the series. I like the relationship between Meren and Tut.

[Doug]

Lord Meren must find the killer of Nefertiti while his family is being threatened. I got a feel of what life in Egypt might be like during the reign of Tutankhamun. The story was told well and the book kept my attention.