A fine mystery tale that explores the relatable troubles of a conflicted investigator.
In this historical mystery, a murder tests an Egyptian diplomat’s loyalties—to his family, those he serves, and allies he’s made throughout his career.
In the 1300s B.C.E., Abdi-ashirta is a leader in multiple territories that border the Egyptian empire, and his presence there has maintained a fragile peace. His mysterious murder creates regional instability, mistrust, and no shortage of work for diplomat Hani and his scribe, Maya, who are tasked with the investigation. Together, the pair travel extensively to question implicated parties only to uncover deeper scandals, lies, and a distinct unwillingness to incriminate others. A collection of suspects emerges along the way: Aziru, Abdi-ashirta’s son, ascends to power because of his father’s murder; Commissioner Yanakh-amu and Lord Yapakh-addi both have political and monetary motivations to eliminate Abdi-ashirta, but they also have alibis. Complicating matters further is the death of the king of Egypt and his replacement by his son, Akh-en-aten, who immediately begins imposing significant cultural reforms and casting aside long-held alliances; he also has a possible motive for ordering Abdi-ashirta’s murder. Still, Hani’s steadfast loyalty to his family, to his work, and to the kingdom are his constants—until the new reforms put his family at risk. Meanwhile, his eldest son and heir becomes enchanted with Hani’s rival, who works for the new king. Hani’s growing internal struggle is a recurring theme throughout the novel, which is precisely what makes him useful as a diplomat; Holmes succinctly describes his mindset: “You make the mistake of actually caring about the people you deal with.” The author’s background as an archaeologist results in vivid descriptions of the ancient settings, customs, and characters, and he provides a helpful glossary of terms for readers unfamiliar with the setting. He also includes a character list, which is necessary, as the story introduces new players at a sometimes-dizzying pace. The book could have also benefited from more descriptions of the threats that the new king’s cultural reforms pose to his citizens. However, the central mystery contains abundant twists, which lead to a satisfying and surprising conclusion.
A fine mystery tale that explores the relatable troubles of a conflicted investigator.Pub Date: April 29, 2020
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 425
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Not the best of Connelly’s procedurals, but nobody else does them better than his second-best.
A snap of the yo-yo string yanks Harry Bosch out of retirement yet again.
Los Angeles Councilman Jake Pearlman has resurrected the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit in order to reopen the case of his kid sister, Sarah, whose 1994 murder was instantly eclipsed in the press by the O.J. Simpson case when it broke a day later. Since not even a councilor can reconstitute a police unit for a single favored case, Det. Renée Ballard and her mostly volunteer (read: unpaid) crew are expected to reopen some other cold cases as well, giving Bosch a fresh opportunity to gather evidence against Finbar McShane, the crooked manager he’s convinced executed industrial contractor Stephen Gallagher, his wife, and their two children in 2013 and buried them in a single desert grave. The case has haunted Bosch more than any other he failed to close, and he’s fine to work the Pearlman homicide if it’ll give him another crack at McShane. As it turns out, the Pearlman case is considerably more interesting—partly because the break that leads the unit to a surprising new suspect turns out to be both fraught and misleading, partly because identifying the killer is only the beginning of Bosch’s problems. The windup of the Gallagher murders, a testament to sweating every detail and following every lead wherever it goes, is more heartfelt but less wily and dramatic. Fans of the aging detective who fear that he might be mellowing will be happy to hear that “putting him on a team did not make him a team player.”
Not the best of Connelly’s procedurals, but nobody else does them better than his second-best.Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-48565-4
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
A tale that’s hard to believe but easy to swallow in a single gulp.
A bear is hunting prey in Wyoming’s Bighorns. And not just any bear.
It’s bad enough that Clay Hutmacher, who manages the Double Diamond Ranch, has lost his son, Clay Jr., to a vicious attack by a grizzly bear. What’s much worse is that Clay Jr.—who’d been about to pop the question to game warden Joe Pickett’s daughter, Sheridan—is only the first of the victims over an exceptionally broad geographical area. Marshal Marvin Bertignolli is clawed and bitten to death over in Hanna. Sgt. Ryan Winner is found bleeding out north of Rawlins. Former Twelve Sleep County prosecutor Dulcie Schalk, one of two survivors of an ambush, doesn’t survive her final encounter. The four experts chosen to kill the grizzly rope Joe into their expedition, but since their quarry keeps turning up far from the last sighting, the most meaningful confrontation the Predator Attack Team has is with a pair of Mama Bears, animal rights activists who demand due process for Tisiphone, as they’ve dubbed the presumed killer. Box, who’s far too canny to leave Tisiphone alone on center stage, follows Joe’s old antagonist Dallas Cates as the ex–rodeo star is released from prison and embarks on his revenge tour, which takes him to Lee Ogburn-Russell, an inventor whose life Dallas saved, and Axel Soledad, a correspondent who shares so many enemies with Dallas that he suggests they go after them together. Franchise fans will appreciate new details about Joe’s complicated family, the obligatory high-country landscapes, and yet another corrupt law enforcer.
A tale that’s hard to believe but easy to swallow in a single gulp.Pub Date: Feb. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9780593331347
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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