Tomb of Gods

March 9, 2020
Moreland (The Devil’s Wood) delves into Ancient Egyptian secrets in this suspenseful but underwhelming adventure tale. In the 1930s, British explorer Harlan Riley is driven mad by what he finds in the tomb Nebenteru, leaving his adult granddaughter, Imogen, an Egyptologist, desperate for answers. She accompanies Dr. Nathan Trummel, her former lover, and photographer Caleb Beckett, to Egypt to retrace her grandfather’s expedition to the tomb. There they find a technologically advanced relic amid a cavern of horrors that may be the pathway to the underworld. Their discoveries will change the course of history, if only they can make it out alive. Though Moreland’s tale is nicely paced and laced with palpable tension, the characters hew too closely to type: Imogen is the plucky heroine, fighting against 1930s sexism; Trummel is the self-important, pompous academic; and Caleb is the dashing, sensitive artist who wins Imogen over with his thoughtfulness. Horror fans will be pleased as the terrors of the tomb force each character to confront a past trauma, but the final reveal of the tomb’s secrets is predictable. For those familiar with the genre, this will feel like a retread. Agent: Betty Anne Crawford, Books Crossing Borders.

Starred review from April 15, 2020
Imogen Riley's grandfather was the only one who survived an ill-fated expedition to explore an Egyptian tomb in 1935. Before killing himself, her grandfather left a journal that included notes, a map, and entries in a variety of languages?some unknown to the journal's readers?that hint at what happened. Using this information, Imogen and her colleague and ex, Nathan Trummel, launch a new expedition to Egypt to find the tomb once and for all. As mummies are uncovered, people disappear and pools of blood appear. But Nathan is convinced that his biggest find is close, and in one last push, he sends most of the crew away, except for soldiers, a photographer from National Geographic, and Imogen, who refuses to go, and they all enter the tomb in an effort to uncover the find of the century. What they don't realize is that the find is not a mummy or gold, but something else entirely. The suspense of the story, aided by sly hints from the author, and the atmosphere of a dark, claustrophobic tomb work together to create a scary story. The characters' fear invites the reader into the world to experience the fright themselves.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)