Princess of Egypt

The Mummifier's Daughter #2

by Nathaniel Burns, Anna Drago (Editor)

Egypt, 1233 BC

Neti-Kerty’s reputation as Egypt’s first female mummifier has apparently reached all the way to the Pharaoh. Neti-Kerty and Shabaka, Special Investigator and Prefect of Thebes, are astonished to be summoned to the palace of Ramses II to investigate the sudden death of the Vizier Khay. Thanks to her powers of deduction and knowledge of the dead, Neti soon determines that something is amiss.

As more people disappear during the investigation, the situation increasingly gets out of handl and before long Neti and Shabaka find themselves peering into the deepest recesses of the human soul....

Princess of Egypt returns us to a land steeped in gods, god-kings, ritual and magic. It paints for the reader a detailed picture of Pharaonic Egypt in all its shadowed glory. Faithfully recreating one of the most remarkable eras in Egypt’s history, bestselling author Nathaniel Burns weaves a shudderingly ominous tale of ancient Egypt’s mysteries revealed through a cast of characters the modern reader will recognize even though millenia have passed.

So light up the incense, sit close to the light and draw back the curtains on the shadowed past with this gripping tale of love and intrigue among the living and the dead in one of history’s most intriguing civilizations ...

Customer Reviews

"CSI: Ancient Egypt! Neti was a strong character that I quickly came to care about." - Wendy Scott, Fantasy Author of The Windflowers Trilogy

"The characters wonderfully woven, I could see what they saw, feel what they felt. It was a nonstop read! I loved it!" - Marigoldsnzinnias

"A fun historical mystery with a twist." - Woodsusa

"Compelling and gentle, a mystery and a romance in one." - Ladycaviar, Washington, DC

"I enjoyed this book immensely. Snappy, action filled plot." - Edna Lucretia Williams

"Burns uses a thrilling hunt for a murderer to skillfully reveal the secret practices of ancient Egypt's embalmers and other of its mysteries." - Patricia De Hemricourt

"This Book will take you on a journey like none you've ever experienced before." - Jay V.

"I have only one thing to say: Excellent!" - Rachel "savvygirl"

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Historical, Egyptian Literature, Egypt

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 14, 2014

Reviews

[Mary Heron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A whodunit set in Ancient Egypt.

Neti Kerey is an unusual young woman she was taught by her father to follow in his trade as a mummifier a trade which was strictly make although females.werenot.officially forbidden. The majority of people in her home.town regard Neti Kerey as unholy and evil.spirit who.will bring bad luck. But Shabaka, the Pharaohs prefect finds.her.fascinating and uses any means to see.her and.involve her in the case he is investigating. Net Kerey has an invaluable insight into the.human body, she.is able to look at a corpse and after examining it give a good evaluation of what killed them. After the events in book.one, Neti Kerey and Shabaka have travelled to Pi Ramses to inform Pharaoh of the results of their investigation. They have no.sooner arrived at the palace however when a high official is.found.dear after.Neti Kerey examines the body she declares the man was murdered so now.Pharaoh has her and Shabaka investigating the going.on in the.palace to find the.killer......

[Subrata Chakraborty · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Princes of Egypt” is the second book of the five book Mysteries of Ancient Egypt Series. This book is written in the backdrop of a time during the rule of mighty Pharaoh Ramses-II (1279-1294 BC), when he moved his capital from Thebes to Pi-Ramesses.

The heroine of his previous book Neti-Kerty lands in Pi-Ramesses along with the Chief Investigator and Prefect of Pharaoh Nubian Prince Shabaka. But soon the Vizir Khay is found dead and Neti, the daughter of an embalmer and herself a trained embalmer starts investigation and found it to be a murder. Nathaniel makes her kind of forensic pathologists cum detective in tis book with all the brains and Shabaka, though her boss and an admirer just follows her. Soon more people die, Nebty, Queen Maathorneferure is poisoned, the Chief Healer Nakhtpaaten is brutally murdered. Prefect Shabaka is mercilessly beaten as a warning as he leads investigation through Neti. A book thick in palace mystery and conspiracy till the end and then suddenly brainy Neti-Kerty solves all and find the apparently innocent new Vizir Neferronpet to be the real villain.

The book is well written as a crime thriller. Nathaniel set it in the backdrop of ancient Egypt during the rule of most powerful Pharaoh Ramses-II, but he could never bring the ambience in the book. His characters says good morning to Pharaoh instead of traditional Egyptian greetings, Pharaoh Ramses runs himself around every bush of the palace at every incident, which is kind of laughable and un-imaginable in their palace culture as captured by many writers.

But if you like a crime thriller you may find this book interesting.

[Anne Wingate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Story but. . .

This book is maddening. The plot, setting, and characters work well.
But then the silly errors pop up.
Pipe smoke in a tavern in Ancient Egypt? Men who aren't neutered running around inside the harem? (Actually haram -- forbidden. The only men other than the king allowed inside are eunuchs.) Casual western style interactions among the king and the other palace residents and visitors?
And the invention of measuring systems that are not known to exist? The use of the Hebrew language at a time when proto-Hebrew is just beginning
Mr. Burns, you make my brain hurt.

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two Hawks Way Up

I first must admit I have not fully read the first one, but I figured enough to figure what may have happened. This story had me on my toes. Especially the romantic tension; good grief. But I loved how the mystery evolved and how they were ultimately concluded. I do feel bad for the young princess though. I can't wait to jump into the next book!

[Kathleen Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

In addition to being a skillful embalmer, Neti-Kery's skills in finding the men who were cheating the Pharoah have drawn his attention. She is summoned to Pi-Ramses, along with Shabaka, Prefect of Thebes to meet Ramses. She is very reluctant to leave home as she is not sure when she will return.
Neti finds intrigue, death of several important men working for the Pharoah, and a deadly plot
that could destabilize the entire Egyptian government.
Very well written - expanding characters and introducing new ones was an excellent addition in this continuing saga. The author has done a wonderful job in this novel. Highly recommend as a fact/fictiin work!

[Kathryn Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

As like The Mummifier's Daughter, The Princess of Egypt is the second novel in the series of Mummifier's Daughter. It is like listening to Ancient Nancy Drew solving murder mysteries in ancient Egypt. This time, they are in court of Ramses II when six murders happen. There was also an appempt on the favorite wife of Ramses. Now the pair has to solve the murders before they become the next victims and before war breaks out.

[Susan Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story. I didn't make the connection between some of the characters and historical people until the author's final notes. Probably my lack of knowledge! I do find the editing uneven and distracting, as well as the author's sort of pretentious use of the language - for instance, the characters often "profess" instead of just " saying" a comment.

[Dixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the second book of this series I have read. it is a wonderful book, mystery and ancient Egypt. the only problem is the author used words that wasn't around then but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. very good.

[Meli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoy stories of ancient Egypt...

Nathaniel Burns truly turns fact and fiction into a very enjoyable story. His way of creating his characters makes them relatable. Looking forward to the rest of the books.

[Michael Goldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

Again, the setting adds a special interest. The author does use quite a bit of modern verbiage which,at least to me, takes away from the authenticity of the period setting. But it was an enjoyable read

[Adam Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

short but entertaining

I don’t want to reveal anything, but this is entertaining light reading. If you don’t wish to be overly burdened with long series with books with many pages, this is just right.

[Kathy Hanshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this one as much as the 1st one. This has become one of my favorite series.

[Antony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable

[Virginia Adi · Rating 4 out of 5]

good characters. Needs a little more plot development

[Ellen White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fairytale story with the bonus of Egypt’s history. Found it rich in detailed and good narration.of love and intrigue. Well done, given audio for my voluntary review and my honest opinion

[Viola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

Impressive use of historical knowledge. No way to determine next scenes as the author skillfully transitions from one perspective to another.

[Vicki Scullion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely designed mystery with an interesting forensic solution. I enjoyed this one, although the anachronistic language remains annoying in this series set in ancient Egypt.

[mrs w a paleschi · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent reading

Love all these books 📚 now reading for the second time. Don’t understand why sadlyThe Mummifiers daughter is not unlimited when all the others are. 📚📚📚📚📚🌺🌸

[Ginelle Canlas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful sequel

Just like the first installment, this sequel captivated me and made it difficult to put the book down. I am hungry for more.

[Josie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a Kindle freebie and for a free book this wasn't too bad. I have no problems with the storyline in itself as the mystery was quite well done, good management of characters and suspense and I actually quite liked our enterprising female detective.

Neti is a very relatable character who is still trying to adjust to new surroundings and being the subject of a romantic triangle. She handles well the rising numbers of bodies around her and I thought the emotional tension rising between the two confused lovers was paced well throughout the story.

The mystery and murders are very well done, possibly the best part of the novel. I really enjoyed the suspense and how I actually couldn't see all the pieces coming together until the end. So many fictional mysteries try to cover their bases by laying all the facts for the detective and the reader to sort of solve side by side, whereas here, I was one step behind Neti while still being bewildered at the outcome and how ingenious the solution was (even if historically unrealistic). If I were to be pernickety, I would say I would have enjoyed a little more explanation on how Neti finally gets her solution but I choose not to be.

My main quibble is historical accuracy. Yes, women were equal to men under the law in Ancient Egypt and therefore it wasn't unrealistic for Neti to be in charge of a murder investigation, particularly since she's not doing it alone. However, it was unthinkable for an unclean commoner woman (having worked with the dead) to be a living-in guest in the Royal Palace for any amount of time. It is even more preposterous that the Pharaoh who was considered a God would act and speak with Neti as if she were a distinguished guest who is so trustworthy that everyone in the palace is subject to their scrutiny. The Pharaoh was just too modern a patriarch. The idyllic image of the population loving their Pharaoh is a bit unrealistic as most people would know next to nothing about him and would only think of him as the God protecting the land, in line with all the other Gods in the Pantheon. The fact that he was successful in his endeavor to bring glory to Egypt only added to his mystery.

It would also be nice if the spelling of the names would remain consistent. Khay's name changes from Khay to Shay to Khay again. More importantly, if one is to be immersed into an ancient world setting, there shouldn't be characters with names like Ri Hanna (even spelled Rihanna at some point). That is an Arabic name (not to mention the singer) and really has nothing to do with Ancient Egypt in the times of Ramesses.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy reading about Neti and her adventures and I will follow up with the other titles in this series. I fully recommend it to anyone who is up for an ancient Egypt CSI-style mystery, who will not notice or won't mind the historical inconsistencies.

[Kathleen Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

This was very enjoyable.Excellent mystery,great descriptions of Egyptian life. I look forward to reading more ,highly recommend this series. Great work

[Dee Robb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mr Burns you need an editor, dude! The premise of the series is so good. Your characters are likeable and realistic. But your plot holes are many and your language/grammar skills are lacking. It's a barque not a bark. You never explain in any way what the hell a poison-seeking sliver is and your decision to throw Homer (yep the Iliad author) and Moses (yep the biblical prophet) into a story about Ramses II is just plain strange. This is book 2 of 10...I am going to give you one more chance with book 3 because I am a straight up sucker for stories involving ancient Egypt, but you gotta get some editing, my friend. Please.

[Kerry Reis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neti-Kerty, the daughter of an esteemed embalmer in the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, and Shabaka, the prefect of Thebes, have been summoned to Pi-Ramesses, the capital of Ramesses the Great, to be honored by the pharaoh for uncovering a theft ring and conspiracy in Thebes. However, Neti and Shabaka have a new mystery to solve when the pharaoh's vizier is found dead the morning after their arrival and Neti determines that the queen's sudden stomach illness is an attempt to poison her. With the disappearance of princess Ri-Hanna's nursemaid, it quickly becomes apparent that a dangerous conspiracy against the pharaoh and the kingdom of ancient Egypt is afoot, which will test Neti's deductive skills and knowledge, as well as Shabaka's resolve. Princess of Egypt is an interesting, if not a really believable, mash-up of modern CSI scientific procedures in Old Testament times Egypt. Neti's detective skills enable her to deduce in one murder the specific shape of the blade used and height of the assailant by examining bruises and stab wounds on the body, and then later uncovers a forged scroll by employing careful hieroglyphic handwriting analyses. The investigation also uncovers the use of a herbal mixture used as a form of contraception. These modern concepts do not truly fit Egyptian culture in 1200 BC, but many readers may be forgiving in order to enjoy a light little mystery.

[Wynnorlose · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing yarn. We know so little of that time so most is conjecture but this is a great story as was the first.
Hopefully the heroine will get her man & will use birth control so the rest of the books are with more adult parts. I enjoyed it - read it in one day rainy day.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

When we first meet Neti, she and Shabaka are on a boat nearing the home of the Pharaoh Rameses. They have solved a mystery in Thebes and are taking a guilty person to the Pharaoh for punishment.

Neti and Shabaka are a team who use the scientific methods available at the time but most of all they use observation and the power of deduction. They are a very talented team.

One of Rameses wives becomes ill and Neti is certain she has been poisoned.

Then the deaths start. The murders do not seem to make sense. But, between Neti and Shabaka the truth slowly appears.

This is an interesting book. The historical atmosphere and the information about the court of Rameses is very informative.

This is a well written book and even though it is the second in the series, it is a standalone book that was easy to understand.

If you enjoy historical mysteries which bring you to a completely different time and place, this is a book you will enjoy.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having helped Shabaka, the Pharaoh's prefect find out who was smuggling gems out of Thebes, Neti was invited back to Pi Ramses to meet the Pharaoh himself. Neti never dreamt that she would ever get the chance to see such opulence and to met the Royal family was something that she never thought she would do, not in this lifetime anyway! But being high up and in power means that a lot more jealous eyes are cast upon them and there are a lot more suspects when things go wrong. Neti is prepared to try to work it out, but the courtiers are not so keen on her, a mere woman and a foreigner to boot.

Another brilliant read from this author who certainly knows how to craft a good mystery. Lots of red herrings to keep me on my toes and an exciting read. More please!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jayzoo 33 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book and started reading to see what it was all about. I felt like I had been transported back in time! The descriptions of ancient Egypt are so revealing, and the picture that is portrayed of life back then is enlightening. I was thoroughly engaged with the primary characters as they evolved, and I grew to know them as friends by the end of the book. Nathaniel Burns is a master of combining history and fiction, making it educational and entertaining to read his work. This novel stands alone, so you don't need to read The Mummifier's Daughter first. But I'm sure you'll want to, as I did!

[Alicia L. Alonso · Rating 4 out of 5]

La historia de Neti-Kerty es un viaje al esplendor del antiguo Egipto de la mano del misterio, el romance y la intriga. Los que gustan, como yo, de viajar en el tiempo a través de los libros, se encontrarán con grandes personajes, como el mismísimo faraón Ramsés II y su temible visir, Khay.

Es una novela entretenida, que a la vez enseña ciertos datos de valor tales como la avanzada medicina forense de los egipcios, la vida en el palacio y los intrigantes rituales mágicos que facilitaban (y a veces impedían) el viaje del espíritu.

[Larabond · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Fascinante!

Una novela en la que te dejas transportar. Me gustó mucho la trama de misterio, casi policiaca, y los personajes de la protagonista, su compañero Shabaka y sus aliados... así como la gente de la corte de Ramsés, el faraón. Si te gustan el antiguo Egipto, la novela histórica, y la intriga, esta novela te dará muy buenos ratos.

[Luis Miguel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustó mucho. Siempre me ha atraído el antiguo Egipto y la novela histórica, y me apetecía leer algo de ficción ambientada en la época. Los personajes son muy creíbles, sobre todo Neti, la protagonista. Me lo he leído en apenas tres días. Muy recomendado para relajarse con una buena historia de intriga.