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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant writing, March 3, 2009
This review is from: City of the Dead (Seven Wonders Series #2) (Paperback)
By the shores of the river Nile, the Great Pyramid rises by the blood, sweat and tears of thousands of men and guided by the brilliance of Pharoah's Grand Vizier, Hemiunu, a man determined his pyramids will stand for an eternity.
Neferet is the whimsical daughter of an artisan and a follower of the One True God, unafraid and devoted to her father and the small fellowship of believers who meet in secret.
When a murderer seems intent upon revealing a past tragedy that plagues Hemiunu's dreams, the city is thrown into turmoil as fears that the Scourge of Anubis, the god of the dead, is upon them. As Hemi investigates the murders, he soon learns that friends can become enemies and his power and integrity can be lost in a heartbeat.
In her second Seven Wonders novel, T L Higley transports the reader to Ancient Egypt and the wonder of the Great Pyramids that stand to this day. Tracy's research is impeccable and I was completely immersed in the culture of the day and the political posturings of Pharoah Khufu, a of man who believed he was god on earth. Tracy's characterisation is second to none, her pacing perfect and the suspense and intrigue had me engrossed from the start. Neferet's faith beckons to Hemi's deep longing for forgiveness and the heartache of hidden guilt and broken relationships is explored in depth. Weaving fascinating historical facts into a fast paced mystery and a touch of romance, City of the Dead is an exceptional read. I can't wait for Guardian of the Flame, the story of the Lighthouse of Alexandria coming in October, 2009.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Just ok, March 6, 2009
This review is from: City of the Dead (Seven Wonders Series #2) (Paperback)
Hemiunu is a great architect. His latest project is building the Great Pyramid of Giza. His cousin is the Pharaoh of Egypt. So you can imagine the pressure to complete the pyramid and quickly, no matter what. Something happens to put a wrench in Hemi's progress. Mentu-hotep the Overseer of Constructions has been found murdered. As much as Hemi would like to grieve he is on a strict time line, so he convinces Senosiris, the construction supervisor to take over as Overseer. A few days later; another body is discovered. This time it is the Pharaoh's wife, Merit. It seems that both Mentu-hotep and Merit shared something in common. They along with Hemi, the Pharaoh and a few of their friends went many years ago on a hunting trip. Something happened on that trip that is now coming back to haunt them. It seems their secret is no longer hidden. Someone is killing them one by one. Hemi makes it his mission to locate and stop the killer before it is too late.
City of the Dead is book two in T.L. Higley's The Seven Wonders series. I first discovered Mrs. Higley when I read the first novel in the series. Since then I have wanted to read the next book. What I like about this series is that the stories take you all over the world, during ancient times. The first third of the way into this book, I did find it to move somewhat slowly, even though two people had already been murdered. As I got further into the story it really started to pick up. This is because you were drawn in by Hemi and what happened on that day so long ago. The story would flash back revealing the events of the hunting trip. I can't wait to continue my journey in T.L. Higley's series.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not too much substance..., June 28, 2011
I generally don't like to say negative things about something I'm reviewing; usually if I don't have something positive to say I'll just keep quiet. But I can't understand the glowing reviews for this book. Maybe it was because the book I had just finished prior to "City of the Dead" was a meaty, clever and extremely well-written monster by Edward Rutherfurd ("London"), but the "City of the Dead" felt like fluff to me. I guessed (correctly as it turned out) the guilty parties at the beginning of the story, so it was almost as if I was trying to hurry the story along to get it over with. The characters were mildly interesting but seemed fairly shallow. The repeated christian plugs (People of the One???) got old and read like a child's bedtime fairy tale.
IMHO, I'm sorry to say, a below-average read.
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