The Assassins of Isis: A Story of Ambition, Politics and Murder Set in Ancient Egypt [Hardcover]

P. C. Doherty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 14, 2006

The mysterious Sebaus--a sect taking its name from demons--has stolen a powerful secret, and the wrath of the fiery Hatusu knows no bounds. But when the empire's great military hero, General Suten, is bitten to death by vipers, it appears events have spiraled out of her control.
Meanwhile, a dark shadow lies across the Temple of Isis. The peace of this holy place, renowned as an oasis of calm and healing, has been disturbed. Four of the Hesets, the temple handmaids, have vanished without a trace. Will Lord Amerotke, Pharaoh's Chief Judge, unravel the mysteries before further violence erupts? Or will he find the perpetrators in league with forced beyond his jurisdiction?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Looting of the royal tombs in the Necropolis sets the stage for murder in British author Doherty's involved fifth puzzle (after 2002's The Slayers of Seth) laid during Egypt's 18th Dynasty, in the third year of the reign of the fiery Pharaoh Hatusu. Charged with finding the tomb raiders, Chief Justice Amerotke makes connections between the thefts and the disappearance of four virgins from the Temple of Isis. These crimes dovetail with the death of the military hero General Suten, bitten by lethal horned vipers that may have been planted on his rooftop terrace. The professional assassins known as the Sebaus suddenly make attempts on Amerotke's life, as the prolific Doherty keeps the historical action boiling in his typically adroit and entertaining fashion. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Doherty continues his excellent series of ancient Egyptian mysteries with another page-turner set during the reign of formidable pharaoh Queen Hatusu. After the royal tombs in the Necropolis are breached and four temple handmaids disappear, an investigation is launched. When military hero General Suten is killed by vipers, foul play is suspected. Once again, it is up to chief judge Lord Amerotke to solve the mysteries before events spiral completely out of control. As it becomes increasingly clear that all the crimes are inextricably intertwined, Amerotke hastens to unmask the mastermind before he himself becomes the next victim. As usual, Doherty's deft handling of historical context and detailing serve to complement and strengthen the tautly woven plot. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (November 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312359608
• ISBN-13: 978-0312359607
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,163,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fifth Book in this Entertaining Series, November 15, 2006

By 

J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Assassins of Isis: A Story of Ambition, Politics and Murder Set in Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)

Paul Doherty is the consummate professional when it comes to writing historical mystery novels. I for one do not know how he can be so prolific with his offering of books and yet make sure that each of them is well researched. Whether they be 13th, 14th, or fifteenth century they are always true to the period. He has also written books about Alexander the Great and is now turning his hand to novels of Ancient Egypt at the time of the most influential period in its long history.

The tomb of Rahimere, his house of eternity filled with all the things he may need to cross to the other side has been hidden for many years, somewhere deep in the desert. The location of the tomb has long been kept a closely guarded secret. But now a sect know as the Sebaus, who take their name from the demons have not only found the tomb, but plundered it for the powerful secret it holds . . .

These book on Egypt just get better and better and long may Paul Doherty continue to write them. They are both entertaining and also give a wonderful insight into the life of the Ancient Egyptians.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong Ancient Egypt police procedural, December 16, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Assassins of Isis: A Story of Ambition, Politics and Murder Set in Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)

In 1478 BC Egypt's XVIII Dynasty, Pharaoh Queen Hatusu assigns the Hall of Two Truths Chief Judge Lord Amerotke to investigate the stealing of artifacts from the "Houses of a Million Years" in the Valley of the Nobles. The intruders obviously have insider information as they knew precisely where to go and much about the guards. This makes it easy to kill the patrol and plunder the tombs. Lord Amerotke, his wife Norfret, their two sons (Ahmase and Curfayhas), and his servant Shufoy capture most of the thieves, members of the Sebaus sect; but the leader remains hidden amidst the shadows of the affluent just out of sight.

Mercenaries try to assassinate Amerotke, but he survives their attempt to kill him. Instead he switches inquires from finding the Sebaus leader to investigating the murder of retired General Suten, killed by horned vipers. Evidence points towards the macho military man having releasedthe snakes to prove his courage, but Amerotke finds flaws with that logic and wonders if the victim's wife Lupherna, his scribe Menna and or his valet Heby killed him. Amerotke has another case to investigate involving four young women who have vanished from the Temple of Isis. He finds the connection tying the three cases together but if he is not extremely careful his efforts will lead to a fourth inquiry, headed by someone else, to solve who killed the Chief Judge.

THE ASSASSINS OF ISIS is a fantastic entry in the Ancient Egypt mystery series. The fast-paced story line grips readers from the onset of the Sebaus sect members begin their looting and never slows down until the final twist. The cast is strong especially the hero, but the novel as with the predecessors (see THE MASK OF RA, HORUS KILLING and THE SLAYERS OF SETH), belongs to the background. P.C. Doherty paints a powerful vivid look at Ancient Egypt within a strong police procedural.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great description of ancient Egypt, June 14, 2009

By 

Paul Genesse "fantasy author" (Salt Lake City, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Assassins of Isis: A Story of Ambition, Politics and Murder Set in Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)

I love reading about ancient Egypt, and when I saw this book I had to get it. I found it used, online, for a very cheap price. It was quite entertaining and the details about ancient Egypt were excellent. The overall thrust of the novel is that tomb robbers have been breaking into the tombs of the noble Egyptians, and also, a powerful general has been murdered. The pharaoh calls in her chief judge, a good man named, Amerotke. He is a cool character and investigates the murder of the general and the tomb robberies--which all seem to lead back to the Temple of Isis.

The plot is very complicated and the author kept me guessing throughout. I don't read a lot of mysteries, and found the mystery part of this almost superfluous to enjoying the ancient Egyptian setting. That said, I didn't feel like the author captured the mind set of the ancient Egyptians. I've read some other ancient Egyptian novels, especially by Wilbur Smith, that really captured my idea of what those ancient people would be like, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually.

I'm not saying P.C. Doherty did a poor job, just not a great job. The research that he did was top notch, and the description of the world was fantastic. It just wasn't as tense and engaging as other novels that I've read. Overall, it was a fun book, easy to enjoy, and well-researched. If you want to get a description of what ancient Egypt looked like, this is the book for you. If you're interested in a epic story that is very tense, read Wilbur Smith, who wrote Warlock and Rivergod. Both are very cool.

If any of you have any ancient Egyptian books you'd like to recommend, please let me know.

Happy reading,

Paul Genesse
Author of The Dragon Hunters
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