What do you think?
Rate this book
A River of Blood
Egypt 1099 CE, Qahira (Cairo)
Samuel, a Jewish doctor versed in alchemy, and Gregory, his English apprentice, are investigating a terrifying plague. The Nile has turned red with blood and fish are dying.
Near a small island, they wrangle a badly torn body from the jaws of a crocodile — but was this beast the killer? Samuel suspects foul play yet the authorities block his efforts to find the truth at every step. Ignoring the warnings from people in high places, and with nothing more to guide him than his scientific method, Samuel is determined to persist in his quest, especially after a series of gruesome murders seem to confirm his early suspicion.
Little does he know that the secret he will stumble on could shake the empire.
Assassins are on the prowl. A child is being hunted. Who finds him first will change the course of history..
Samuel, a Jewish doctor versed in alchemy, and Gregory, his English apprentice, are investigating a terrifying plague. The Nile has turned red with blood and fish are dying.
Near a small island, they wrangle a badly torn body from the jaws of a crocodile — but was this beast the killer? Samuel suspects foul play yet the authorities block his efforts to find the truth at every step. Ignoring the warnings from people in high places, and with nothing more to guide him than his scientific method, Samuel is determined to persist in his quest, especially after a series of gruesome murders seem to confirm his early suspicion.
Little does he know that the secret he will stumble on could shake the empire.
Assassins are on the prowl. A child is being hunted. Who finds him first will change the course of history..
- GenresHistorical Fiction
382 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2025
1 person is currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Adam Williams
167 books29 followersThe son of a Hong Kong Taipan, Adam Williams was born and raised in Asia, though educated in the United Kingdom. His family has been in China since the 1880s and he has fulfilled his destiny by joining Jardine Matheson and rising to head its operations in China as well as those of Jardine Fleming. He has undertaken an expedition by camel into the heart of the Taklamaken Desert to seek the lost cities of the Silk Road, and having survived this, competed in the 'Rhino Charge'. He is also an OBE.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 3, 2025
I was provided with an ARC of this by the publisher, and for the purposes of the ARC it has been split into two parts. This review covers the first part - 400 pages.
A new novel from Adam Williams, an interesting author - the son of a Hong Kong Taipan, he is the fourth generation of his family living in China. He was also a part of the legendary trading company Jardine Matheson and rising to head its operations in China, although I gather retired to concentrate on his writing.
Williams has written a historical fiction serial killer mystery, set in Egypt in 1099. There is a short historical foreword that explains the setting - the first crusade, returning control of Jerusalem to Christendom. The commencement of the jihad by the Muslim faithful. The great powers of the eastern Mediterranean -
The Byzantines Greek Orthodox inheritors of the ancient Roman Empire, had lost their possessions in Asia and Africa to Islam. From their capital in Constantinople, its emperors longed to regain their territories in Asia Minor.
The Turkish tribes over the last centuries had conquered Asia Minor and the Middle East and now ruled from Syria and Palestine to Persia. The most powerful of these tribes were the Seljuk Turks who had made Baghdad their capital, maintaining still the Abbasid Caliph as a figurehead, and claiming to represent Sunni Islam.
The Fatimids, centred in Egypt were a strange ruling dynasty, even for its own times. Few of the subjects of its Arab monarchs shared their rulers’ unconventional version of Shi’ite Islam, but no one could deny that the Ismaelis, as they called themselves, with their half divine Caliph claiming descent by direct line the Prophet, presided over one of the most glittering and powerful empires in the world, with a capital, the double city of Qahira and Fustat (later known as Cairo).
It is within this wide sweeping framework that the story is set.
The blurb is on point:
Samuel, a Jewish doctor versed in alchemy, and Gregory, his English apprentice, are investigating a terrifying plague. The Nile has turned red with blood and fish are dying.
Near a small island, they wrangle a badly torn body from the jaws of a crocodile — but was this beast the killer? Samuel suspects foul play yet the authorities block his efforts to find the truth at every step. Ignoring the warnings from people in high places, and with nothing more to guide him than his scientific method, Samuel is determined to persist in his quest, especially after a series of gruesome murders seem to confirm his early suspicion.
Little does he know that the secret he will stumble on could shake the empire.
Assassins are on the prowl. A child is being hunted. Who finds him first will change the course of history.
The story was fast paced, it builds suspense to keep me reading this book, and not the other two I have on the go. There were twists and turns, some that could be foreseen, others that were cleverly revealed and I didn't see coming. There were enough characters to spread plenty of interest, but not so many that they couldn't be afforded the depth they need to flesh them out.
I am looking forward to the second part...
4 stars so far!
A new novel from Adam Williams, an interesting author - the son of a Hong Kong Taipan, he is the fourth generation of his family living in China. He was also a part of the legendary trading company Jardine Matheson and rising to head its operations in China, although I gather retired to concentrate on his writing.
Williams has written a historical fiction serial killer mystery, set in Egypt in 1099. There is a short historical foreword that explains the setting - the first crusade, returning control of Jerusalem to Christendom. The commencement of the jihad by the Muslim faithful. The great powers of the eastern Mediterranean -
The Byzantines Greek Orthodox inheritors of the ancient Roman Empire, had lost their possessions in Asia and Africa to Islam. From their capital in Constantinople, its emperors longed to regain their territories in Asia Minor.
The Turkish tribes over the last centuries had conquered Asia Minor and the Middle East and now ruled from Syria and Palestine to Persia. The most powerful of these tribes were the Seljuk Turks who had made Baghdad their capital, maintaining still the Abbasid Caliph as a figurehead, and claiming to represent Sunni Islam.
The Fatimids, centred in Egypt were a strange ruling dynasty, even for its own times. Few of the subjects of its Arab monarchs shared their rulers’ unconventional version of Shi’ite Islam, but no one could deny that the Ismaelis, as they called themselves, with their half divine Caliph claiming descent by direct line the Prophet, presided over one of the most glittering and powerful empires in the world, with a capital, the double city of Qahira and Fustat (later known as Cairo).
It is within this wide sweeping framework that the story is set.
The blurb is on point:
Samuel, a Jewish doctor versed in alchemy, and Gregory, his English apprentice, are investigating a terrifying plague. The Nile has turned red with blood and fish are dying.
Near a small island, they wrangle a badly torn body from the jaws of a crocodile — but was this beast the killer? Samuel suspects foul play yet the authorities block his efforts to find the truth at every step. Ignoring the warnings from people in high places, and with nothing more to guide him than his scientific method, Samuel is determined to persist in his quest, especially after a series of gruesome murders seem to confirm his early suspicion.
Little does he know that the secret he will stumble on could shake the empire.
Assassins are on the prowl. A child is being hunted. Who finds him first will change the course of history.
The story was fast paced, it builds suspense to keep me reading this book, and not the other two I have on the go. There were twists and turns, some that could be foreseen, others that were cleverly revealed and I didn't see coming. There were enough characters to spread plenty of interest, but not so many that they couldn't be afforded the depth they need to flesh them out.
I am looking forward to the second part...
4 stars so far!
October 27, 2025
A River of Blood by Adam Williams is a rich and complex novel that makes demands on the reader and then amply rewards him for immersing himself in the religion, politics, and culture of Egypt on the eve of the First Crusade. On one level it is an intriguing mystery—a badly mutilated body, a serial killer with a political motive, and Samuel, a Jewish physician and alchemist who is determined to find the culprit. On a deeper level, Williams takes us to a time and place that will be new and wonderfully strange to most readers, and Williams is an excellent guide. He layers his story with the politics of the Fatimid Caliphate, the divisions within Islam, and the sights, smells, and rituals of the city that would become Cario. He has thoughtfully included a Dramatis Personae to help the reader keep track of the many characters and a Glossary of terms and concepts that are key to the mystery.
Williams keeps the reader guessing about the motives and loyalties of the Dramatis Personae, and none are more fascinating (and surprising) to me than Jahwah, the top cop, and Mevorakh, the head of the Jewish community in Egypt and a thorn in Samuel’s side. The twists and turns bring an unexpected conclusion. I should say “of sorts,” because A River of Blood gives us only half a solution to the mystery. We know the who and the why but the culprits, not all of whom have been identified, are still at large, and Samuel’s determination to get to the truth has not lessened. They are all fated to meet in Jerusalem where the answers lie and where the First Crusade is about to break on the city.
Williams is at work on the follow-on to A River of Blood. I for one look forward to it, and it cannot arrive too soon.
Williams keeps the reader guessing about the motives and loyalties of the Dramatis Personae, and none are more fascinating (and surprising) to me than Jahwah, the top cop, and Mevorakh, the head of the Jewish community in Egypt and a thorn in Samuel’s side. The twists and turns bring an unexpected conclusion. I should say “of sorts,” because A River of Blood gives us only half a solution to the mystery. We know the who and the why but the culprits, not all of whom have been identified, are still at large, and Samuel’s determination to get to the truth has not lessened. They are all fated to meet in Jerusalem where the answers lie and where the First Crusade is about to break on the city.
Williams is at work on the follow-on to A River of Blood. I for one look forward to it, and it cannot arrive too soon.
October 28, 2025
A River of Blood by Adam Williams is a richly textured historical mystery set in 1099 Egypt, where science, faith, and power collide. Set across Fustat and Qahira (old Cairo), the book opens in a world of scholarship, court intrigue, and gathering dread. Author Williams anchors the story in a striking image: the Nile “turning to blood” and fish dying, a scientific mystery that echoes Exodus while refusing easy mysticism. It’s a hook that blends atmosphere, theology, and empiricism in one sweep, and it pulled me in immediately.
The characterisation is brilliant and the world-building is superb. Author Williams weaves theology and politics into the mystery, so the stakes are never just “whodunnit,” but who gets to define truth: the scholar, the priest, or the state. The prose is clean and vivid; action beats snap, but what really stays with you are the moral compromises people make to survive the empire.
Without spoiling the turns, I will share that the volume closes on an earned pivot toward Jerusalem, with a neat blend of intimate vow and geopolitical fuse. It’s a satisfying end-point for Book 1. I turned the last page both satisfied and hungry for the continuation. A River of Blood is a learned and atmospheric historical crime mystery that mirrors Umberto Eco’s curiosity with Michael Jecks’ momentum. For readers who like their mysteries braided with theology, politics, and human tenderness, this will be a perfect read.
The characterisation is brilliant and the world-building is superb. Author Williams weaves theology and politics into the mystery, so the stakes are never just “whodunnit,” but who gets to define truth: the scholar, the priest, or the state. The prose is clean and vivid; action beats snap, but what really stays with you are the moral compromises people make to survive the empire.
Without spoiling the turns, I will share that the volume closes on an earned pivot toward Jerusalem, with a neat blend of intimate vow and geopolitical fuse. It’s a satisfying end-point for Book 1. I turned the last page both satisfied and hungry for the continuation. A River of Blood is a learned and atmospheric historical crime mystery that mirrors Umberto Eco’s curiosity with Michael Jecks’ momentum. For readers who like their mysteries braided with theology, politics, and human tenderness, this will be a perfect read.
November 11, 2025
In this exciting new historical mystery, readers travel to Cairo, Egypt, in the year 1099 CE at the height of the First Crusade. As the world is torn apart by war, Jewish doctor Samuel and his English apprentice Gregory must continue their work as a plague sweeps across Egypt, fills the Nile with blood, and kills the fish. However, the appearance of a body near a small island pulls Samuel into an investigation that the authorities do not want him to pursue, and as the bodies pile up, Samuel’s investigation brings him closer to uncovering a secret that threatens the empire and could keep people from being murdered in gruesome ways. Packed with historical details and thrilling elements, readers will love this historical thriller and its fascinating blend of two distinct genres. The medieval setting, with the backdrop of the crusades and Egyptian politics, pulls readers into the story, and the author’s note at the beginning offers essential context for readers of all backgrounds. Williams’s prose throughout the book is intense, detailed, and exciting, and he’s created a fascinating mystery, complex time period, and engrossing story that readers will not be able to put down in this brilliant new release.
Thanks to Earnshaw Books for the advance copy.
Thanks to Earnshaw Books for the advance copy.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews