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Rating: 
Summary: Murder in the temple of Amon
Review: On the surface, young Tutankamun - at age 13, in the 5th year of his reign - is the answer to the prayers of the priesthoods of Egypt: restorer of temple dignities, image of a young warrior, healer of the kingdom after the disastrous rule of his brother, Akhenaten. But underneath runs a hidden war, as some priests cannot forget Tutankamun's kinship with the heretic pharaoh who drove them into hiding, despoiling the treasuries of their gods, pillaging their estates - and in some cases, such as Lord Meren's estranged cousin Ebana, murdering their families.The installation of a new statue of Tutankamun before the temple of Amun is a political statement as well as a pious one: fully as large as any statue of Amun, demonstrating for all to see that pharaoh as a living god dwarfs any who might serve within, not least Parenefer, high priest of Amun. Tutankamun, despite his massive royal dignity, is still young, and his councillors are only human: he, Meren, and Horemheb made it their business to personally watch Parenefer's face. :) But when a very junior priest of Amun is found dead at the statue's feet soon afterward, who is the blow's true target? Unas had learned something, and been silenced before he could report to anyone...but he belonged to Meren's network of spies as well as to the priesthood, and Ebana went out of his way to tell Meren that the priests knew about Unas' divided loyalties. Were the priests threatening the king, or was a traitor within their ranks threatening *them*? Who is the threat and who is the target? (It *could* be as simple as Unas' young wife and the good-looking artisan next door, of course.) The members of the court have reason to envy and fear Meren, Friend of the King and chief of the king's spy network. Those who suffered under the heretic's rule might hate Meren for bowing to the inevitable, when under torture he gave in to Akhenaten's demand to convert - in fact, Ebana openly blames Meren for not managing to save his family. Meren, as the Eyes and Ears of Pharaoh, has enough problems dealing with the young king's desire to gain battlefield experience. Horemheb, concerned with the army's morale, is all for it; Ay, the vizier, has no stomach for risking a childless king in battle, even if he didn't love the boy for his own sake. They're running out of time; Akhenaten's disastrous disregard of foreign policy cost Egypt the friendly buffer state of Mittani, and the kingdom is headed for a major war with Hatti, with its heavier chariotry and more experienced monarch.
Rating:
Summary: Murder in the temple of Amun
Review: On the surface, young Tutankhamun - at age 13, in the 5th year of his reign - is the answer to the prayers of the priesthoods of Egypt: restorer of temple dignities, image of a young warrior, healer of the kingdom after the disastrous rule of his brother, Akhenaten. But underneath runs a hidden war, as some priests cannot forget Tutankhamun's kinship with the heretic pharaoh who drove them into hiding, despoiling the treasuries of their gods, pillaging their estates - and in some cases, such as Lord Meren's estranged cousin Ebana, murdering their families.
The installation of a new statue of Tutankhamun before the temple of Amun is a political statement as well as a pious one: fully as large as any statue of Amun, demonstrating for all to see that pharaoh as a living god dwarfs any who might serve within, not least Parenefer, high priest of Amun. Tutankhamun, despite his massive royal dignity, is still young, and his councillors are only human: he, Meren, and Horemheb made it their business to personally watch Parenefer's face. :)
But when a very junior priest of Amun is found dead at the statue's feet soon afterward, who is the blow's true target? Unas had learned something, and been silenced before he could report to anyone...but he belonged to Meren's network of spies as well as to the priesthood, and Ebana went out of his way to tell Meren that the priests knew about Unas' divided loyalties. Were the priests threatening the king, or was a traitor within their ranks threatening *them*? Who is the threat and who is the target? (It *could* be as simple as Unas' young wife and the good-looking artisan next door, of course.)
The members of the court have reason to envy and fear Meren, Friend of the King and chief of the king's spy network. Those who suffered under the heretic's rule might hate Meren for bowing to the inevitable, when under torture he gave in to Akhenaten's demand to convert - in fact, Ebana openly blames Meren for not managing to save his family.
Meren, as the Eyes and Ears of Pharaoh, has enough problems dealing with the young king's desire to gain battlefield experience. Horemheb, concerned with the army's morale, is all for it; Ay, the vizier, has no stomach for risking a childless king in battle, even if he didn't love the boy for his own sake. They're running out of time; Akhenaten's disastrous disregard of foreign policy cost Egypt the friendly buffer state of Mittani, and the kingdom is headed for a major war with Hatti, with its heavier chariotry and more experienced monarch.
Rating: 
Summary: Murder in Ancient Egypt
Review: Set during the reign of the boy-king, Tutankhamon, "Murder at the God's Gate," is not only a good detective story, but gives a feel for life in the Eighteenth Dynasty. A priest of Amon, the king of the gods, has been found dead beside a colossal statue of Tutankhamon. It's unclear if the priest has been murdered, or had an accidental fall and Lord Meren, the Eyes and Ears of Pharaoh, is asked to investigate. At first he has hard time finding any leads, but when his son and aide, Kysen discovers some pottery shards that have some tantalizing clues on them, the action heats up. Meren discovers that what may have originally appeared as an unrelated crime reaches into the royal court. The princes and noblemen of Egypt each has their own agenda for the near future, and is intent on pulling the strings of the 14 year old king. Meren's task is therefore complicated, because he not only has to solve a murder, but also protect the king from an unknown threat close to the throne. Lynda Robinson tells a good tale, and has researched her period fairly well, although she has taken some literary license by giving Tutankhamen several half-brothers. Egyptophiles will have a hard time with the king's half-brothers, but will enjoy the story immensely.
Rating: 
Summary: Lord Meren is in trouble.....agan.
Review: The second in this series of books involving Lord Meren finds him investigating another murder. A giant statue of King Tutankhamun is being erected inside the temple of Amun. Early one morning before most workers have begun their tasks, a pure one falls from the scaffolding and is killed. This man was one of Merens informers inside the temple, and Meren concludes that the death was no accident. As Meren investigates, he exposes a rift between the priests of Amun and Pharoah. The priests, most notably Meren's estranged cousin, do not like him meddling in something they consider to be an internal affair. They thwart his attempts to discover the murderer by removing witnesses and altering crime scenes. As more evidence is uncovered, two of the suspects are murdered. Who is trying to cover their tracks, and how many people are involved? Meren enjoys some protection from political back-biting as the 'Eyes and Ears of Pharoah', but King Tut becomes angry with Meren over the young kings first military campaign. Word spreads quickly through court and temple of the kings disfavor, and Meren no longer has the safety net he needs to investigate crimes. He and his adopted son are in grave danger from someone who has already killed three times and does not want to be exposed.
Rating:
Summary: A Quick and Exciting Escape
Review: This is a quick read and, once Lord Meren takes the hint that there is something going on, the action really warms up. I admit that it starts out slow. The first victim is a person of no consequence and his death could have easily been an accident but it gives Kysen something to do. However, things really get rolling when the murderers start trying to cover their tracks to keep Kysen from learning something, which gets Lord Meren's attention. The setting in ancient Egypt also makes it a good escape from the everyday.
Rating:
Summary: A Quick and Exciting Escape
Review: This is a quick read and, once Lord Meren takes the hint that there is something going on, the action really warms up. I admit that it starts out slow. The first victim is a person of no consequence and his death could have easily been an accident but it gives Kysen something to do. However, things really get rolling when the murderers start trying to cover their tracks to keep Kysen from learning something, which gets Lord Meren's attention. The setting in ancient Egypt also makes it a good escape from the everyday.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Egyptian Mystery
Review: This,the 2nd in the Lord Meren series, follows Meren's investigation of a murdered priest and a plot to overthrow Tutankhamen. Along the way we are treated to insights on Egyptian life and customs. Robinson writes with force and knowledge adding to the enjoyment of the story.
Rating:
Summary: Murder at the God's Gate
Review: You can almost feel like you're there in the heat of the Egyptian sun as it bakes into Thebes and with the dangers of court life. It was a wonderful trip into a time and place we can never go otherwise. I recommend it strongly. The plot is intricate, strong and solvable by those who look carefully.
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