Day of the False King

October 31, 2005
Geagley revisits ancient Egypt—the scene of his successful 2005 debut Year of the Hyenas
—and his detective hero Semerket, Egypt's clerk of investigations and secrets, in this masterful historical mystery. In the first novel, Semerket exposed a conspiracy to kill the pharaoh and seize the throne; repercussions linger as this adventure opens. The celebrated detective grieves for his adored ex-wife Naia, who was caught in the dragnet following the failed coup and banished to Mesopotamia. As luck would have it, the ailing pharaoh, Ramses IV, sends his trusted detective on a mission to Babylon to seek permission to bring the statue of Bel-Marduk—"Babylon's most sacred idol" which is believed to have curative powers—on a state visit to Egypt. The narrative begins at a leisurely pace but soon speeds up when Semerket arrives in Mesopotamia, which is in the throes of an indigenous rebellion against its latest conquerors. Caught between warring factions and stalked by the surviving conspirators of his previous adventure, Semerket must summon all his skill to survive in a foreign land where nothing is as it seems, even the identity of his wife, Naia. With his abundant knowledge of ancient history and well-crafted prose, Geagley has created a hero with staying power and a series to watch.