Egypt
The Book of Chaos
Rahotep Series · Book III
By Nick Drake

Bantam Press (Transworld UK)
4 August 2011 / ISBN: 9780593054031
Historical Mystery /1320 BC /Egypt and Turkey
Amazon US || UK

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde

Rai Rahotep used to be a Seeker of Mysteries in the Medjay, his actions approved by the palace itself. But the old days of Tutankhamun have gone with his death; his widow Ankhesenamun is now married to the dying Ay. Somebody is killing Nubian boys and the opium trade appears to be in new and formidable hands. Looking into this gets Rahotep the sack, but his old friend, the nobleman Nakht, wants him to accompany him as bodyguard to the land of the Egyptian's greatest enemy, the Hittites. Once there, they will deliver a message from Ankhesenamun to the Hittite king, a request that is highly secret and controversial.

This is the third in the series about Rahotep and I tend to think that they are improving with every new entry. Anybody with knowledge of the period will know what the message is as well as other things that happen, as they are history, but fortunately there is also plenty of fiction amongst the fact to keep the pages turning. I confess to guessing most of it early on, but the plot is not the only reason for reading this book. As with all good historical fiction, the story is only half the enjoyment, the way in which the author brings another time and place to life being the other half. Rahotep tells the tale in his own words, bringing a much-needed immediacy to a story about another country long ago, and through his eyes we see it all. The luxury and poverty of Egypt, the long trek across the desert, and the kingdom of the Hittites come to vibrant life. If there is another book in the series I'll be looking out for it, a series worth reading.