Brad Geagley Day of the False King

Day of the False King

Brad Geagley

Simon & Schuster, Jan 2006, $24.00, 254 pp.

ISBN: 0743250518

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