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The Key: Lost Necropolis - Book 2
The Key is the second and final part of my first novel, Lost Necropolis. In part 1, Secrets to the Grave, ancient Egyptian artefacts were discovered in a temple by the Red Sea. These strange objects were brought back to a stately home in the distant north east of England.
In The Key, we move forward into modern times when all forms of ancient Egyptian and Greek writing have been deciphered. Thus, the mysteries locked inside the ancient artefacts, which are discovered quite by chance, need be mysteries no more. It is just a matter of time before their secrets are translated. When that happens, the chronology of events in a time of great uncertainty become clear. What's more, an artefact echoing the wooden horse of Trojan war fame, reveals scrolls that suggest unimaginable treasures may be found in a secret location not far from Cairo.
But is it all genuine ? Forgers in the modern era are both skilful and resourceful. Could it be that convincing artefacts have been created to fool modern experts ? The experts working on the preservation and translation of the relics are torn, some convinced of their authenticity while others are equally convinced they are an ingenious deception.
News of the artefacts eventually escapes the confines of scholarly Durham, reaching the ears of a ruthless criminal determined to possess the artefacts at any cost, including mass murder. As work progresses, one of the experts, Diana Ovenden, a Ph.D. student specialising in conservation of written artefacts, gradually becomes obsessed with the history the artefacts reveal. Even sleep provides no release for her.
Eventually, the entire cache of finds are transferred to the British Museum in London and in a state of increasing mental torment, Diana goes to the museum where she steals one of the artefacts and then flees England, heading for the place where the artefacts were found.
Now in possession of a priceless stolen object, her career most likely in ruins, Diana expects a visit from the police at any moment. But what she is supposed to do in this remote location ? All she has to go on are dreams and visions that might be the product of her increasing instability and scripts that might be forgeries.
Can Diana discover what it is she has to do ? Is she supposed to put right an ancient wrong ? Can she achieve this, even when faced with a murderer to whom human life has no value ? And what is it in any case, this ancient wrong ?
In The Key, we move forward into modern times when all forms of ancient Egyptian and Greek writing have been deciphered. Thus, the mysteries locked inside the ancient artefacts, which are discovered quite by chance, need be mysteries no more. It is just a matter of time before their secrets are translated. When that happens, the chronology of events in a time of great uncertainty become clear. What's more, an artefact echoing the wooden horse of Trojan war fame, reveals scrolls that suggest unimaginable treasures may be found in a secret location not far from Cairo.
But is it all genuine ? Forgers in the modern era are both skilful and resourceful. Could it be that convincing artefacts have been created to fool modern experts ? The experts working on the preservation and translation of the relics are torn, some convinced of their authenticity while others are equally convinced they are an ingenious deception.
News of the artefacts eventually escapes the confines of scholarly Durham, reaching the ears of a ruthless criminal determined to possess the artefacts at any cost, including mass murder. As work progresses, one of the experts, Diana Ovenden, a Ph.D. student specialising in conservation of written artefacts, gradually becomes obsessed with the history the artefacts reveal. Even sleep provides no release for her.
Eventually, the entire cache of finds are transferred to the British Museum in London and in a state of increasing mental torment, Diana goes to the museum where she steals one of the artefacts and then flees England, heading for the place where the artefacts were found.
Now in possession of a priceless stolen object, her career most likely in ruins, Diana expects a visit from the police at any moment. But what she is supposed to do in this remote location ? All she has to go on are dreams and visions that might be the product of her increasing instability and scripts that might be forgeries.
Can Diana discover what it is she has to do ? Is she supposed to put right an ancient wrong ? Can she achieve this, even when faced with a murderer to whom human life has no value ? And what is it in any case, this ancient wrong ?
458 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 8, 2024
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