Customer Reviews

Murder in the Place of Anubis (Lord Meren Mystery)

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2 star:		(4)
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The first in this series of novels has Lord Meren investigating a murder in the sacred Place of Anubis. For those unfamiliar with Egyptian religion, Anubis was the God of Embalming. Bodies were embalmed, a long and laborious process, before being entombed. Egyptians believed that without the proper spells, amulets, and procedures after death, a soul, or ka would not enter the afterlife.

This being known, it is unthinkable that someone would kill in the Place of Anubis. This person must have been most desperate and bold in order to do so. Meren discovers there is no lack of suspects. The man was disliked by his collegues and his family alike. Suspects are going fast, however, two of them are murdered before the true nature of the crime is discovered. At the heart of these crimes is an unholy greed that could consume Meren and his son Kysen before they discover the truth.

Ancient Egypt comes to life again in this book. I enjoyed the period details and the relationships among the characters. The glimpses we get of court life follow what we learn about royalty and their courts from history rather than fairy tales. They didn't live "happily ever after." After reading what our young pharaoh and Lord Meren, his "eyes and ears" have to put up with, the sensible reader will give thanks for being a nobody. Even though I knew that people didn't live as long back then, it still seemed a bit strange to have Lord Meren, soon to be a grandfather, consider himself as getting up there in years when he's only 34. Meren's son, Kysen, has been a father for several years at an age where young American men today would just be turning old enough to vote. The only quarrel I have with this series is the portrayal of Queen Ankhesenamen. I first "met" her as a very sympathetic character in Morrison's *The Lost Queen of Egypt*, so the harsh portrait of her that Robinson draws is difficult for me to swallow. However, neither that nor knowing that Lord Meren must lose his beloved Pharaoh at a young age, prevented me from reading the other books. This is one of the authors for whom I am unwilling to wait for the paperback. Even now I can hardly wait for the next book. Ann E. Nichols

Lord Meren, the "Eyes and Ears of Pharoah," must deal with the murder of a royal scribe in a sacred place, where bodies are prepared for their travel to the afterlife. The task seems to Meren to be an easy one, until we learn that there is more to this mystery than simple hatred. Robinson's extensive knowledge of ancient Egypt (she has a Ph.D. in Anthropology) creates an unforgettable picture of a complex and fascinating society. Readers of historical mysteries will appreciate this latest contribution to the genre, and should look forward to the further adventures of Lord Meren, Pharoah and the other inhabitants of Egypt, circa 1330 B.C.

What a wonderful vacation read. I've read and enjoyed historical mysteries, but the vast majority seem to be stuck in Middle Ages Europe. Although Christie had done an Egyptian mystery, it was written in the 40s. Now Ms Robinson comes along with a series set in the reign of young King Tut. Due to the upheavals caused by Pharoah Ankhnetan (spelling?) turning to a new religion, the court atmosphere is one of intrigue as the ancient priests re-assert their power. The 'detective' Lord Meren is a man who was tortured and forced to admit allegiance to the god Aton and now wears a brand with the sun god's symbol. Meren and his son are called in by the pharoah to solve a murder in the Place of Anubis, where the dead are sent for mummification. Robinson does an excellent job of conveying the atmosphere without slipping into anachronism. All in all, an excellent book for fans of the historical mystery looking to get out of the Middle Ages.

If you are intrigued by Ancient Egypt or a light mystery novel at all, then by all means purchase Murder in the Place of Anubis. This is the first mystery in a series that follows the adventures of Lord Meren, the Eyes and Ears of Pharoah (to use modern terms - something like a high ranking FBI agent who enjoys investigating himself as opposed to delegating to a subordinate.) Meren serves the Pharaoh Tutankhamun during what is an uncertain time in Egypt's history. Tutankhamun's predecessors, the Pharoah's Akhenaten and Smenkhare, created a tremdous rift in the country by forcing a religous conversion to the worship of one god, the Aten. Tutankhamun, in an effort to regain stability and control, has returned Egypt to traditional polytheism. There is one question that remains: do those who were wronged by the previous reigns want revenge or even trust the new Pharoah? Needless to say, Robinson has a wealth of possibilties for future novels...

If you are seeking an indepth recreation of Ancient Egypt with detailed character study that will "take you there," may I suggest a few options - anything by Pauline Gedge, Margaret George's The Memoirs of Cleopatra, Sylvia Shults' The Golden Horus, Naguib Mahfouz's Akhenaten or either of Christian Jacq's series: Ramses or The Stone of Light. If however, you are willing to overlook a few historical details and enjoy a good mystery that's a quick light read, give Lynda Robinson a try...

Lord Meren is the typical detective hero, steadfast, honest, and with his faults though they seem minimal. The setting in ancient Egypt gives the novel (and the series) a rich historical background that the author puts to very good use. In the first novel you hit the ground running. Much has occurred in Lord Meren's life and you wonder if you have missed a novel or two in the series. You haven't.

Each novel in the series has a specific mystery to be solved, but they will be part of a larger mystery that runs through the series. Robinson does shade in the background of life with a sure hand and does not simply dwell in the pharaoh's court. She takes you along to see a bit of the day-to-day life and then for an occasional trip to the darker recesses of the many temples.

If you want a sense of life in Egypt in the time of Pharaoh, you should find this a rewarding read. If you want a good mystery, she serves it up with the standard fare of red herrings, dead ends, and other stylistic reglia demanded by the genre.

As with most series, try to read them in the order they were written, as each supports the next as the plot progresses.

Robinson weaves a historically detailed, well-paced murder mystery set in and around the ancient city of Thebes. Robinsons investigator is Lord Meren, the eyes and ears of the boy-king, Tutankhamun. Meren is an accessible, deliberate man who, through his observations and actions, reveals the ancient beliefs and ethos of Egypt. Merens world is peopled with historical and fictional entities that come to life in the pages of these books. This is not the most tightly plotted mystery, but Robinson's development of the characters and environs of the ancient world, makes it an absolutely delicious read.

Robinson's first mystery features Lord Meren, eyes and ears of the Pharoah Tutankhamun in ancient Egypt. A scribe, much disliked for his bullying habits, has been murdered in the Place of Anubis, the embalming sheds where the dead are prepared for rebirth.

Meren and his assistant, his adopted son, Kysen, scour the home of the scribe, his workplace, and the temples and holy places for clues to a crime with dire implications. Kysen visits the home of his battered youth, Meren balances the political against the merely criminal.

Robinson's pacing is a little too careful and measured, but she offers a wealth of colorful views into Egyptian life and political atmosphere and her characters are appealing.

Robinson does a great job of making her ancient Egyptian characters accessible to a modern audience. Lord Meren, the "Eyes and Ears" of the Pharaoh, is a very complicated character and makes for a very intriguing, if unlikely, detective. This book, which I picked up entirely out of curiosity, is quite different from my usual diet of dark, hardboiled detective fiction, but I'd still recommend it unreservedly. I'll definitely be looking for others in the series

I've read all the books in the Lord Meren series and adored ALL of them, but I am partial to this one because it is the first one I read. The concept is simple - solve the mysteries/murders - but how the characters are created, where they are place, the time period where the stories are set - it all flows so perfectly. Not once did I get the feeling I was reading a story about ancient Egypt that was going to 'jump the shark'. This series will delight all fans of ancient Egypt.

My only complaint? When will we get more stories please?!?!! :)