Nefertiti: The Book of the Dead

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Overview

She is Nefertiti—beautiful and revered. With her husband, Akhenaten, she rules over Egypt, the most affluent, formidable, sophisticated empire in the ancient world. But an epic power struggle is afoot, brought on by the royal couple's inauguration of an enlightened new religion and the construction of a magnificent new capital. The priests are stunned by the abrupt forfeiture of their traditional wealth and influence; the people resent the loss of their gods—and the army is enraged by the growing turbulence around them. Then, just days before the festival that will celebrate the new capital, Nefertiti vanishes.

Rahotep, the youngest chief detective in the Thebes division, has earned a reputation for his unorthodox yet effective methods. Entrusted by great Akhenaten himself with a most secret investigation, Rahotep has but ten days to find the missing Queen. If he succeeds, he will bask in the warmth of Akhenaten's favor. But if Rahotep fails, he and his entire family will die.

Editorial Reviews

Booklist
“A colorful background will entice readers into the adventures of detective Rai Rahotep, whose beat is ancient Egypt.”
The Evening Standard (London)
[It] is full of surprises and brings a whole new meaning to pyramid selling.
Publishers Weekly

Rai Rehotap, the complex sleuth of this excellent mystery debut from British poet and playwright Drake (The Man in the White Suit), is very much a creature of his time—ancient Egypt—but is possessed of investigative instincts that will be familiar to readers of classic whodunits. The author artfully places his plot during a time of great significance to ancient Egyptian society—the reign of King Akhenaten, whose reforms included an effort to do away with the established religious order, and who consequently evoked the wrath of powerful figures vested in the status quo. The king summons Rehotap to track down the ruler's powerful and charismatic partner, Queen Nefertiti, whose disappearance weeks before a great festival threatens the stability of the new regime. Drake displays great mastery of period detail, and if some readers are able to anticipate the identity of the person behind the novel's chaos, they'll still find themselves swept away to a far-off time with contemporary echoes. (Apr.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
Library Journal

Rahotep, senior detective of the Thebes Medjay (the police), is asked to come to the new capital city of Akhetaten to find Queen Nefertiti, who has disappeared on the eve of a city celebration. If Rahotep fails, he and his family will die. Using the methods of a modern detective without the scientific tools, Rahotep looks for forensic evidence, tries to maintain a clean crime scene, and relies on logical thinking. Drake's screenwriting experience is reflected in his depiction of ancient Egypt as a vivid, cinematic panorama through which readers follow Rahotep as he meets the misshapen boy child who will become Tutankhamen. Authentic historical details combined with an engrossing mystery make for a first-rate debut. Not since Linda Robinson's Lord Meren novels and Brad Geagley's Year of the Hyenashas a mystery captured the ancient world so accurately. Highly recommended for all collections. Drake lives in London.


—Jo Ann Vicarel

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780060765910
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Publication date: 2/26/2008
  • Edition description: Reprint
  • Pages: 352
  • Sales rank: 157,015
  • Series: Rahotep Series , #1
  • Product dimensions: 5.42 (w) x 10.92 (h) x 0.90 (d)

Meet the Author

Nick Drake is the author of two critically acclaimed novels featuring Rahotep: Nefertiti, which was shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Ellis Peters Historical Crime Award, and Tutankhamun, a Publishers Weekly top 100 books selection. He has published two award-winning collections of poetry, and his play Success was performed at the National Theatre in London, where he is a literary associate. His screenplays include the critically acclaimed Romulus, My Father (starring Eric Bana), which won Best Film at the Australian Film Awards in 2007. He lives in London.

Read an Excerpt

Nefertiti
The Book of the Dead

Chapter One

Year 12 of the Reign of King Akhenaten, Glory of the Sun Disc.

Thebes, Egypt

I had dreamed of snow. I was lost in a dark place, and snow was falling slowly and silently, each flake a puzzle I could never solve before it disappeared. I awoke with the feeling of its fleeting, cryptic lightness on my face. It made me feel surprisingly sad, as if I had lost something, or someone, for ever.

I lay still for a moment, listening to Tanefert breathing quietly at my side, the heat of the day already rising. I have never seen snow, of course, but I remember reading the report of a box of it carried from the furthest north, like treasure, packed in straw. And one hears the stories brought back from beyond the horizon. A freezing world. Deserts of snow. Rivers of ice. White and weightless, it may be held in the hand if one can endure the pain of its cold fire. Yet it is nothing but water. Water, which cannot be held in the hand. Only its incarnation has been changed, and I believe it changes back again depending on the world in which it finds itself. I also heard that when they finally opened the box, it was empty. This mysterious snow had vanished. Someone no doubt died for the disappointment. Such is treasure.

Maybe this is also death. That is not what we hear from the Priests. We all learned the prayer: 'when the tomb is opened may the body be perfect for the perfect life after life'. But have they seen the heat of the sun god rot and putrefy the charming flesh of the living, the young and the beautiful, with their nonsensical hopes and pointlessdreams, into the contorted shapes of horror and monstrosity and petrified agony? Have they seen lovely faces cut apart, holes ripped open through muscle, heads smashed to bony fragments, the strange puckering of burned flesh where the fat has boiled? I doubt it.

Such thoughts are the torment of my work. I, Rahotep, youngest chief detective of the Thebes Medjay division, see my children playing or struggling to concentrate on their musical instruments. And I know their skin, which we caress and kiss, and care for with almond and moringa oils, and perfume with persea and myrrh, and dress with linens and gold, is merely a bag containing organs and bones and jars of blood; the hopes of being alive and in love depend on this butcher's business. I keep this to myself, even when I make love to my wife and for an instant her elegant body as it turns to me by the light of the oil lamp blurs from perfection into death. Apparently this is a rather famous thought. I should be grateful, perhaps, to have such thoughts. I should be more poetic, more philosophical, more often, if only to amuse during my private hours. Well, I have no private hours. And then again, as I stand over yet another corpse, a life—a little history of love and time—ended in a moment of frenzy or hatred or madness or panic, I feel it is the only time I know where in the world I am.

Of course, as Tanefert says whenever she finds the opportunity—which these days is too often—it is typical of me to think the worst of any given situation. But in these impossible times of the reign of Akhenaten I am confronted daily with justifications for this attitude. Things grow worse. I see it in my work: in the ever-increasing numbers of tormented and mutilated bodies of murder victims, and in the robbed and desecrated tombs of the rich and powerful, with the Nubian security guards grinning from ear to ear through their slit throats. I see it in the ostentation of the rich and the endless misery of the poor. I see it in the greater world in the shaking news of the Great Changes: the King's banishment of the Karnak Temple Priesthood from their ancient places and rights; the denial and sometimes the desecration of Amun and all the lesser, older, popular gods; the imposition of the strange new god we are now supposed to celebrate and worship. I see it in the eccentric conception and extravagant expense of the mysterious new temple city of Akhetaten, under construction these last years in the desert, midway between here and Memphis and therefore so deliberately far from everyone. And I see all this imposed upon a perilous economy at a time of turbulence and uncertainty in our Empire. So, indeed, how else should I think? She says it is not normal, and she is right. But I passed through that portal long ago, when I understood that shadows and darkness live inside each one of us, and how little it takes before they leach through the soul and the smile. Death is easy.

So when I returned home at noon with the news of my sudden calling to investigate a great mystery at the heart of the regime stuck alarmingly in my mind, Tanefert took one look at me and said, 'What has happened? Tell me.' She sat down on the bench in the front room, where we never sit. I reached out to her, but she knows this ploy. 'I don't need you to hold my hand. I've been through this before.' So I told her. About Ahmose coming into my office that morning. He was relishing a pastry, as always, not noticing the crumbs that fell clumsily into the ample folds of his robe. His belly makes him slow, and a detective should be strong but trim (as I think my daily exercises have made me). About how, with his usual sullen manner, he communicated with more than usual reluctance and aggression the arrival of the command from on high ordering me immediately and without delay to Akhetaten, to attend the court of Akhenaten in pursuit of a great mystery.

Nefertiti
The Book of the Dead
. Copyright © by Nick Drake. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
( 81 )

Rating Distribution

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(20)

4 Star

(28)

3 Star

(16)

2 Star

(13)

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(4)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 81 Customer Reviews
  • Anonymous

    Posted December 25, 2011

    Had potential

    What started off interesting with a decent context of history, devolved into more of a fantasy with vague historical over-tones which lost the sense of mystery or even history, in my opinion. The writing style itself was rather good though, at times, got a little repetitive. This would not have been an issue if the story hadn't spiraled into something more out of fantasy than mystery.

    About midway, I would have stopped reading if I wasn't the type of person who simply must finish a book once started. Generally that philosophy has proven beneficial, as many books end strong. This wasn't one of them, for me. Thankfully it was an easy and fast read.

    I would give it 1.5 stars and hope that those who are planning on reading Nefertiti will enjoy it better knowing ahead of time it's really more a Fantasy written in a loosely historical setting.

    2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted November 19, 2011

    Interesting Concept, but not authentic

    I love ancient Egypt and so I thought this book would combine that culture with a mystery. It was OK and the premise was good, but the author allowed too many modern references and speech patterns to pop up in places that just didn't give you feel that you were actually back in ancient Egypt. It sounded weird for him to refer to "going to his office" or things of that nature. Also, it became rather confusing to try to remember the various and vague characters with similar names. There were some nice insights to royal family life, but the descriptions of all the other characters could have come out of a novel set in current times. It just didn't ring true.

    I enjoyed the references to playing Senet, but the characters could just as easily have been playing chess. And, I found the thought of someone like Nefertiti trusting and sharing intimate things with a person she just met rather off putting. It's OK if you want to slog through the first few chapters to get to an not too surprising ending.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 5, 2011

    Muddle of the road.

    I like the main character in the books by Nick Drake but this one was a bit disappointing. I guess if I had not read other historical novels about Nefertiti I wouldn't be so judgmental. This book is mostly fiction and very little true history. The next book in this series is excellant.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted November 14, 2011

    Boring

    I started to read, but after 40 pages, and still nothing going on, only pointless nothing, i gave up... i was expecting so much more... maybe i try again later..

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 3, 2011

    Goof Good but ramblrs

    This was a very good book. I found myself scanning the paragraphs at times because it rambled.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 16, 2012

    Great book if you like history!

    This was a great book if you like the history of Egypt and ever wondered 'what happened?' It was very well written and well done.

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  • Posted April 5, 2012

    Pretty good/ some parts are boring

    This story gets bogged down in the middle and is boring for a while. This is a fault of many detective stories. As the series continues I hope this fault will be corrected.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 22, 2012

    Boo

    This was boring and not at all what I expected.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 18, 2012

    Highly recommended for a mystery of it's time period.

    If you like murder mysteries in a historical setting. This one kept my interest. Lots of information on Egypt and the changes of power.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 4, 2012

    Very good book

    Loved this story, writer made you visually see the majesty of the time period.


    Will definetely read more from this author.

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  • Posted November 20, 2011

    interesting

    Not knowing a lot about ancient Egypt, I had a hard time in the beginning. But once into it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like the lead character Rahotep. A good change in a detective novel.

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  • Posted November 10, 2011

    Get this one

    This was a good one all the way to the end

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  • Posted November 10, 2011

    Really Liked it

    I love novels about ancient Egypt and this one was really well written and held my interest all the way through. Just when you think everything about these times has been written, it is great to see a fresh spin to the story.

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  • Posted October 24, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Excellent book!

    Looking forward to reading more by this talented writer!

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  • Posted October 21, 2011

    A Good Writer and a Memorable Story

    With no hesitation, I give this a five star rating. The writing is wonderful, with some poignant passages, and the mystery is well done. I bought this book some time ago and have no regrets that I didn't get a free download. The main character is his own man, Nefertiti is very interesting, and Akhenaten's portrayal is one of the more balanced ones I've seen. Any lover of Egyptology novels, or historical novels, will enjoy this.

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  • Posted September 26, 2011

    Highly Recommend to anyone interested in Ancient Egypt!

    I recommend this book to anyone that loves Ancient Egypt! It tells a great personal story about a time and place that was meant to be erased from time. The characters are likeable, and hateable! The descriptions of the area are wonderful and actually seem to be based on facts.

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  • Posted September 14, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    Great Read!

    This is an excellent example of mystery and police fiction conbined with historical fiction. The characters are good and the plot is original. Also the story is so interesting I couldn't put it down!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 15, 2009

    A little unusual.

    The writing style felt origonal and a bit refreshing after reading many historical fiction novels that all sounded the same. It didn't always keep me going in terms of suspense, but overall a pleasant read.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 8, 2009

    Nefertiti, the beautiful woman is mysterious!

    An good historical mystery, with engaging characters. Nefertiti and the court at Tell-Amara come alive. Interesting view of Akhenaten's character and ideals. A very good mystery set in an exotic locale

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 27, 2008

    Fantastic!

    This is really more of a historical novel than a true mystery, but it is a worthy read nonetheless. The characters are interesting, the details are well-researched, and the prose is elegant. A great new author!

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