It's my turn on this two book BlogTour Nefertiti and Tutankhamun by Nick Drake. I am starting with Nefertiti today and will be posting my review for Tutankhamun in a few days.
Nick Drake was born in 1961. He is an award-winning poet and screenwriter. He is also Literary Associate at the National Theatre.
Follow @nickfdrake on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit nickfdrake.com, Buy Nefertiti
About the book
A Missing Queen. A Dark Game of Power.
With her husband, Akhenaten, Nefertiti - the most powerful, charismatic and beautiful Queen of the ancient world - rules over an Empire at the peak of its glory and domination.
Together, they have built a magnificent new city in the desert on the banks of the Nile and are about to host kings, dignitaries and leaders from around the Empire for a vast festival to celebrate their triumph. - But suddenly, Nefertiti vanishes.
Rahotep - the youngest chief detective of the Thebes division- can see patterns where others cannot. His unusual talents earn him a summons to the royal court.
With ten days to find the Queen and return her in time for the festival, Rahotep knows that success will bring glory - but if he fails, he and his young family will die...
I wonder how long it takes Rahotep to realise that the reason he is chosen is more a question of - if your assignment goes pear-shaped then it will be the end of the youngest chief detective of the Thebes division and his beloved family or because he has an talent for seeing what others don't. He has no idea he will be drawn into a mystery about the most powerful woman in the kingdom.
He has a clock ticking over him like a bomb waiting to go off if he doesn't manage to find Nefertiti within a certain timeframe. Will it be enough time to discern between deception, fear of discovery and just plain old haughty arrogance.
I was intrigued by the parallels between other power couples in history or perhaps just autocrats, who decide to reinvent the wheel of religion, politics and power - of course it's always in a way that benefits themselves. The way it can turn the tide of populations or bring them together as one mechanism and tool.
Admittedly the first thing I did was read up on Nefertiti. Obviously she tends to be known for being a beauty first and a strong woman who left her mark on Egyptian history second, but I was unaware of the fact that there is also quite some mystery surrounding her. Drake has taken inspiration from various theories by historians about the powerful queen and created a compelling mystery thriller set in the world of ancient Egypt.
Rahotep is a bit like Sansom's Shardlake, but with more reverence for the dangers of the times he lives in and the rules of whomever is in power at the time. As in most societies ruled by one person every day can be like walking on eggshells when the people around you are waiting to say or do the wrong thing.
If just one thing becomes clear in this story it's the fact that you can't trust anyone in ancient Egypt.
Buy Nefertiti at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Transworld Digital; pub date 18 Jan. 2011. Buy at Amazon com.
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