Once there, Carla learns that while her father’s dementia has increased, there are a lot of strange goings on that might contribute to his confusion. Carla talks the administration into hiring her so she can be nearer to her dad, but she really wants to try and figure out what has been going on. Shortly after she starts, a nurse dies and Carla turns to her old boyfriend, Doctor Robbie, for help. When added to the accidents that have been occurring, Carla thinks someone may want to shut down the residential home, but she can’t imagine why. Just maybe, the answer lies in her father’s rantings, and maybe, they aren’t the rantings of a lunatic.  

At first, Carla is a confusing character, she seems as if she is very mature and together, being the child of older parents and a mother who left her early on. Yet she doesn’t have any sort of ambition and lives in an apartment owned by her ex-boyfriend’s mother and works at her health food store. When Carla goes to Berkeley, it’s almost as if grown up Carla takes over. As her father fades in and out of reality, it is hard to sort out what is his dementia, what is reality and what is his distorted view of reality, but slowly, all this comes into focus and the story behind the accidents and the motive unfolds.

Being in Berkeley gives Carla a chance to make peace with her past, including her relationships with her father and Robbie. The mystery is well hidden among the Egyptology lore and Edward’s fading in and out of reality, though there are enough clues to lead the reader in the right direction. A literate mystery with a touch of history, is sure to have a wide appeal.  

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry