Customer Reviews

Day of the False King: A Novel of Murder in Ancient Babylon

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The second installment in this series, which follows the adventures of Semerket, Egyptian Clerk of Investigations and Secrets, in 20th Dynasty Egypt, does not disappoint. Semerket's ex-wife Naia and Rami, a young boy whom he befriended in Year of the Hyenas, have been sent as slaves to Babylon, and Semerket receives a fragment of a note indicating that they are in danger. Upon appealing to Rameses IV, the new Pharaoh, who owes Semerket his life and his throne, he is given permission to seek them and bring them back to Egypt, as well as a sensitive diplomatic mission to the ruler of Babylon. (Oops - I originally put "king" but when reading this over remembered that one very strong point made in the book was that Babylon, unlike Egypt, didn't have a king.)

In Babylon, which is seething under foreign occupation (shades of modern day Iraq?) Sermerket quickly learns that he can trust no one, not even his own country's ambassador. The raid on the plantation where Naia was a maid is rumored to have been undertaken by resistance fighters, but evidence points to Egyptian involvement. A remarkably clever and sophisticated slave, a seductive transvestite, and a pair of spies who stick to Sermerket like glue even after they're called off are only a few of the many colorful characters who help him solve the several mysteries he faces and find out what happened to Naia and Rami.

One of the risks of writing about a hard-bitten and embittered character such as Semerket is that he will either become totally unsympathetic or, if his life improves sufficiently, lose the "edge" that makes him so interesting in the first place. Moving him to a different culture was a brilliant move for Geagley, since Semerket is thrown slightly off balance by the strangeness and is forced to show some of his vulnerabilities. It remains to be seen whether he will continue to maintain the balancing act.

The book also provides some fascinating insights into the Babylonian politics of the time, some quotations from The Lament for Ur (which appears to have similarities to the biblical book of Lamentations, if only because the emotions felt by the survivors of a devastated city probably don't differ much), and ancient medical practice. I only wish that, on his website if not in the book, Geagley would provide some information about his sources and recommended reading for those who would like to learn more.

In this sequel to Year of the Hyenas, Semerket, the Clerk of Investigations and Secrets, is sent by Pharaoh to Babylon to arrange for the visit of a statue with miraculous healing powers to Egypt. And, as an added inducement, Pharaoh gives Semerket letters of manumission for his wife and son, who are lost somewhere around Babylon. However, in the land between the rivers, nothing is what it seems, and there are schemes within schemes in this strange land. Can Semerket get to the bottom of what is going on? And, is there any chance of finding his loved ones alive?

Overall, I found this to be a very interesting book. The characters and the situation are quite interesting - colorful and yet thoroughly believable. Also, I found the mysteries to be quite interesting. My one complaint against the book is that the author did little to capture the fascinating culture that Mesopotamia enjoyed at the time. (Indeed, Nidaba's view of Ishtar as containing dualisms of male/female-war/love is very Greek (and subsequently Western), but would have made no sense to the ancient Mesopotamians. Inanna/Ishtar exemplified and ruled the passions - love and hate, lust and disdain, haughty pride and craven cowardice.)

But, that said, this was a fascinating book, one that I am very glad that I read.

Once again, Brad Geagley takes us on a fantastic journey to Ancient Egypt and then to ancient Babylon. At the center of this world we set out with our hero Semerket to search for his beloved wife Naia and Rami, the tomb makers's son from Mr. Geagley's previous mystery adventure the Year of the Hyenas. Rami and Naia have been banished to Babylon and used as slaves and thought to have been murdered. Believing that he has heard Rami calling to him to be rescued, Semerket does not believe that his wife and Rami are indeed dead and undertakes to search for them in the turmoil of Babylon's politics and underworld. In adition to his own difficulties, Semerket has been commissioned by his ailing Pharaoh to return to him an ancient Egyptian idol believed to posses the power to cure the Pharaoh's illness.
We are given over to the politics,sights, sounds, the smells of this ancient world as we folow Semerket's tortuous journey to fulfill the wishes of his Pharaoh and find his wife. Semerket is an ordinary man called upon to perfom an extraordinary task. Though given to drinking when in despair, swearing when angered, lying when necessary, sceaming in profound fear, weeping for a beautiful song, this man knows no limits to his determination. We meet along the way wondeful and terrifying people and see a great deal of ancient Babylon. The atmosphere and the vivid detail make this book an experience.
From the Year of the Hyenas and now through the Day of the False King, Brad Geagley has opened an ancient world to all of us. His meticulous research and ability to tell a good story make this a learning as well as a literary pleasure.

Brad Geagley has done it again. In The Day of the False King, A Novel of Murder in Ancient Babylon, he has created another murder mystery in a historical setting.

On the east bank of the River Euphrates, about 50 km south of Baghdad, Iraq Babylon once existed. In The Day of the False King Babylon exists again - as it was in 1150 BC.

Once again Semerket, who was introduced to us in Year of the Hyenas, as ancient Egypt's Clerk of Investigations and Secrets, has a task to undertake and a mystery to solve. The task given to Semerket by Pharaoh Ramses: retrieve to Egypt an idol from Babylon that will restore Pharaoh's health. The mystery: Semerket looks to find Naia, his ex-wife who had been banished to Babylon.

The story takes place in Egypt and Babylon. Babylon is brought to life in clear, but complicated, detail by Mr. Geagley's great story telling skills. A convincing point is the observation that part of the action takes place in "old Babylon." Remember that the time of the story is 1150 BC. In 1150 BC, exactly how old did something have to be "old?"

The book contains a cast of memorable characters who are so well defined that it is easy for the reader to keep them organized. Despite their Egypto/Babalonian names, it is easy to remember who they are, and for the most part, what they are up to. Their behavior patterns and motivations make sense.

Bottom line: When you read a Brad Geagley book, you know you have been some place that is really unusual. However, the book succeeds, somehow making you understand that place and the individuals inhabiting that place. A great read.

Day of the False King is the second book to feature Semerket, Pharaoh Ramses IV's Egyptian Clerk of Investigations and Secrets, and this story of murder set in Ancient Babylon.

Semerket is mourning the loss of his former wife Naia, after her banishment to Babylon to become a slave, due to her current husbands involvement in a plot to kill the Pharaoh. When Ramses becomes ill, he sends Semerket to Babylon, to request that the idol of Bel-Marduk, believed to have healing powers, be allowed to come to Egypt to cure the pharaoh. He also gives Semerket papers to free his wife so that she may return to Egypt.

At this time Babylon is in an uprising against the Elam, their current conquerors. Semerket gets involved in far more than finding his wife and bringing the idol back to Egypt, he finds himself in the middle of a mystery involving the disappearance of a Princess as well as the apparent murder of Naia.

A very entertaining book, the author places us in the middle of Ancient Babylon and creates a story with colorful characters, lots of history, and also a very good mystery.

I was desperate for something to follow novels by Lauren Haney and Lynda S. Robinson. Geagley creates an engaging character but Semerket goes through the book mostly alone (no sidekick). That means most of the dialog is internal and, to me, that slows down the plot.

Geagley does a great job of capturing the culture of 20th Dynasty Egypt but much less so in Babylon, Mesopotamia where Semerket spends most of his time.

Much like the first one, I read this book in a few days not wanting to put it down. I handed off to my wife and she handed it to our daughter with much the same result. It is very important to read the first book in the series to have context.

In 1150 BCE, the wife of Pharaoh Ramses III arranges to have him killed and her son placed on the throne. Ramses III dies from injuries he incurred from the assassination attempt and his ailing son Ramses IV sits on the throne but fears that if he dies, a regent, probably selected by his enemies will take charge as his heir is too young. He fears that they plan to kill him just like they did his father.

The pharaoh asks his friend Semerket, the Clerk of Investigations and Secrets, to journey to Babylon to ask the ruler to lend him the sacred statue of Bel-Marduk which is said to have healing powers. Semerket eagerly obeys his Pharaoh's wishes because this will allow him to see his beloved ex-wife who was exiled to Babylon because of her second husband's part in the conspiracy. He arrives in a Babylon conquered by the Elamites with King Kutir sitting on the throne. He will let Egypt have the statue if Semerket can find out what happened to his sister who along with Semerket's ex-wife was on an estate when a massacre occurred but neither body was found. His search is hampered by rebels who want the invaders thrown out and Semerket is their prime target.

The hero is a detective in the tradition of Marlowe but his one vulnerability is his love for his ex-wife who divorced him to marry a man who could sire a child on her. He is tough, blunt, and in your face but he risks his life to obtain the information that will lead him to his wife's whereabouts if she is still alive. Brad Geagley brings to life ancient Babylon, where intrigue, rebellion, and murder are every day occurrence. This is a fascinating and exciting historical mystery

Harriet Klausner

Not only will mystery lovers appreciate the twists and turns of Geagley's novel, but fans of historical fiction will love this book. It is a fun, fun ride with an down and nearly out lead character that you will root for to the very end.

This book was enjoyable in that the story, the scope, and the settings were all manageable for the reader. It's a pretty darn respectable mystery, too. If you are looking for something with epic sweep, this isn't it. But if you are looking for a diverting historical mystery, you've come to the right place.