Fall of a Scribe

Ancient Egypt Murder Mysteries #2

by Keith Moray

Something evil is plaguing the Ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria! Perfect for fans of Nick Drake, Wilbur Smith and Bernard Cornwell.

Two murder cases. Are they connected?

275 BC, Alexandria

Hanufer of Crocodilopolis, the captain of the Medjay police is being plagued by nightmares. Strange shadows haunting him in the night that are not banished by the gods he prays to.

He is worried it is a sign of evil to come.

And when two separate murder cases land at his door, he fears he is right.

Two prostitutes have been brutally slain in separate incidents, pointing towards a serial killer.

And a Necropolis guard has been stabbed through the eye by one of his colleagues – the murderer rambling about an evil spirit.

Things are complicated further when Hanufer is summoned to court by the High Priest to investigate rumours of a witch manipulating the Pharaoh and his queen.

As his shadowy nightmares intensify, Hanufer struggles to unravel all the threads.

Are the crimes all related? Is some evil force infecting the city?

Or are these foul deeds the work of man….?….?

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 23, 2023

About the author

Pen name of Keith Moray Souter, also writes as Keith Souter and Clay More.

Reviews

[Mary Heron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very satisfying mystery.

The second in the series sees our hero (I can't spell the names) now.firmly ensconced as the chief of police in Alexandria. But he is about to be tested in ways he never imagined. His relationship with Nefet the High Priestess of Isis has progressed and the couple.are busy planning their wedding. Unfortunately a new High Priestess dedicated to.Hekate manages to make trouble between them. In Alexandria it is the time.if year most sacred where the floods come and replenish the nile, nothing can anger the God's at this time. So murders in the city with no apparent motive are greeted with concern and our hero is assigned to find answers quickly.........

[Christopher Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty well done book set in Alexandrian Egypt, much later than usual, during the second Ptolemy. A series of apparently unrelated murders take place, and the highest cop in the city has to dig into them just as there is a potentially destabilizing event at the crown.

Its fairly straight forward police work from the time, using the limitations of the time and one of my favorite features in a historical story: heavy emphasis on the religious culture of the time which is really complicated because Alexandria has been Hellenized so Greeks and Greek religious ideas are mixed together with more traditional Egyptian.

There are a few drawbacks; some sections are repeated a bit too many times almost word for word, and its pretty clear that a few were added in just because the author read about something and thought it would be great to include. Also it has a bad bit where one entire plotline is brought up early then left fallow because it would reveal too much too early. But its a decent mystery in a pretty unique time setting.

[MaggieDay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in a series of mysteries centered around Hanufer, the Overseer of Police in Alexandria during the Ptolemaic dynasty. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! I especially enjoyed the author's pacing; every scene whether it be action, dialogue, or description plays a part (something other historical mysteries lack). I was never bored with characters, whether they were introduced in the first novel or new to this story. I highly recommend this book and hope there is more to come.

[Kofoworola Emily (Read Till You Drop) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I've ever read an Egyptian murder mystery, so this was quite the experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the history lesson, and the writing. I did find that the end was not as enjoyable as I hoped. I didn't think that the reason behind all of the killing was as interesting as it was built up to be. We could have had more.

Still a great read!



***Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good addition to this excellent historical series. Well researched and well plotted, plenty of twist and surprises
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[John Newey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good story but lacking in narrative detail in some parts. Was the Artimisa character a red herring? It appeared so. I was looking for a more explosive ending too. My rating is based on the excellent historical detail, and the interesting plot.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexandria 275 B.C. The death of two prostitutes and a Nedropolis guard are investigated by police captain Hanufer and his men. But is there a connection and what of the other deaths.
An entertaining and well-written ancient Egyptian mystery with its interesting characters.

[John Mehlhopt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yup

Gotta have more,good mix sleuthing,violence and a tad of romance plus the history.Ideal for a wet crazy day or days,bring them on please.