In this third book of the series, we learn little of Bak’s life in Buhen as he is sent on a temporary assignment closer to civilization. The Governor of Abu requests that Bak come to his province to investigate a series of deaths. Several deaths, exactly ten days apart, have occurred in the region and some resemble murder.

Bak arrives in Abu on the tenth day and in time for another murder. While he has requested Bak’s assistance, the governor is less than helpful, and the reader is reminded that inept leaders have always been with us. Bak must try to find information without offending the governor and in an area where he has few resources. Through Bak’s questioning, and the questioning of two of his subordinates who also come to Abu, Bak discovers something all the victims had in common. Bak knows he has ten days to find the killer or there will be another victim.

All writers of historical fiction have to tread between describing everyday life and sounding like a history lesson. Haney does a nice job of giving enough information without getting bogged down in excessive details.

For some readers, one of the challenges for reading fiction set in ancient times is keeping track of the foreign names and ancient geography. The maps and cast of characters help with this. I found myself referring to the cast of characters in the beginning. The list is divided into the geographic areas where the characters were first introduced which made it easy to use.

The mystery is tight and the layers that are peeled to reveal the killer are rooted in a background of Egyptian geography and society. Bak is an appealing character, but I wanted to learn more about him than I did. Any time you come into the middle of a series you risk not knowing some of the background, but it’s better when a book stands on its own.

--Sharon Medley