A Cruel Deceit

Rating:
Summary: The best so far..
Review: I've enjoyed all of Lauren Haney's Egyptian mysteries, but this one was by the farthest the hardest to put down! I finished it the same day I got it, because it was the story was so interesting. I really enjoyed the book being set around a festival, because it gave me more of a feel for the history of Ancient Egypt. And the descriptions really makes you feel like you are there in Kemet while everything is going on about you.

Rating:
Summary: brilliant as usual
Review: It seems as if it's suddenly raining bodies at Waset, and as usual, Lt. Bak of the Medjay police is in the thick of it!

Lt. Bak and his company are enjoying a brief stopover in Waset before they move on to assume their new posting in Mennufer. Coincidentally, the people of Waset are celebrating the Beautiful Feast of Opet -- an opulent eleven day celebration, at which people from all over Kemet (Egypt) gather to commemorate and give thanks. It is a time of great festivity and rejoicing -- definitely not for hunting murderers and rooting out foul and monstrous deeds! And yet that is exactly the situation that Lt. Bak finds himself in (not that he's complaining though).

While walking about with his fellow Medjay officers at the busy Waset harbor, Lt. Bak stumbles onto the vicious murder of a Hittite horse trader. And while Lt. Bak would dearly love to look into the murder of this man, he (unfortunately) has no authority to act while he is in Waset. That is until the auditor Worserhet, is found murdered at one of the sacred warehouses of Lord Amon, in a manner similar to the Hittite's. Now, it so happens that Worserhet had been conducting an audit of the warehouses, making sure that the records tallied with the inventory. The Chief priest of Lord Amon himself, Hapuseneb, had given Worserhet this special assignment. But because Hapuseneb is currently busy with the many duties that overseeing the Beautiful Feast of Opet, Lt. Bak will be unable to question him as to why Worserhet had been working on the audit, and so discover the motive behind his murder. Instinct tells Bak that Worserhet had discovered some form theft at the warehouses. But User, the Overseer of Overseers of the storehouses of Amon, stoutly denies that any such hanky-panky could be going on without his knowing about it. Instinct also tells Bak that Worserhet's murder and that of the Hittite horse trader's are somehow linked. But exactly how, is a question that perplexes him. Given that task of unraveling what's going on by Amonked (the storekeeper of Amon, and cousin to Queen Hatshepsut), Bak is determined to get to the bottom of what's going on, and to discover what links Worserhet's murder to the trader's. But as the investigation progresses, so does the body count mount. And Bak soon makes a very chilling discovery -- just as he is hunting a dangerous killer, so too is the killer hunting him! Searching for this ruthless and intelligent killer could prove to be Bak's most dangerous case yet.

I've found that I can always count on Lauren Haney to provide me with a mystery novel that is always clever, intricate and provides hours of fun reading. As usual, the plot was a rather brilliant one that was beautifully set out, complete with plot twists and red herring suspects to keep you guessing to the very end. The level of suspense was skillfully maintained throughout, and the authour had peopled the novel with characters that were both colourful and multi-faceted, thus making "A Cruel Deceit" a much more satisfying read. All in all, "A Cruel Deceit" made for some truly riveting reading, and is one historical mystery novel that should not be given a miss.

Rating:
Summary: A Cruel Deceit
Review: Lauren Haney draws a picture of ancient Egypt that is
downright mesmerizing. I've followed her Lieutenant Bak
through several books and A Cruel Deceit has him moving
through a county--not his own--but with his same doggedness
that makes the reader stay up late to find out what
happens next.

Rating:
Summary: To Honor The Gods ¿ Amid Treachery And Death
Review: Lauren Haney has created a niche for herself in her half dozen Inspector Bak Mysteries that explore the times and crimes in the era of Queen Hatshepsut. Haney has managed to create characters that engage and plotlines that maintain interest, without falling into the highly romanticized stylings that seem so prevalent in lesser works of historic fiction. The gritty sense-of-place woven through tight story lines keeps the action fast paced while transporting the reader back through the centuries.

In 'A Cruel Deceit,' Inspector Bak is thrust into interwoven mysteries during a visit to Waset for the eleven-day Feast of Opet. Even before Bak has had a chance to settle in for his visit, a Hittite horse-trader is found mysteriously murdered, and soon Bak and his Medjay policemen find themselves called upon to assist in an ever expanding wave of suspicious deaths. The conspiracies and politics among the government and the priests makes this tale a bit confusing for those unfamiliar with the times in Egypt, but they truly are fascinating and drive the plot forward. Highly Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Lt Bak does it again! top notch
Review: So far, A Cruel Deceit, ranks as Haney's best so far. Lt. Bak, helps investigate a Hittite murdered in another jurisdiction.
He's threatened too and a superb climax

Rating:
Summary: Blah
Review: The only reason I made myself finish this was to find out, well, whodunit. Perhaps I have no basis for comparison because I don't usually read murder mysteries, or perhaps I have because I read a lot of history and fantasy... and this just didn't compare.

There simply wasn't enough ancient Egypt in the book. There was a distracting amount of modernity or anachronism. One example: Why were the children playing "Hide and Seek" and "Tag" when they could have been playing "Jackal and Hares" or some such?

Overall, I found the prose plain, the transitions rough, the plot vague (and somewhat repetitive - i.e. Bak's abductions), and there were some weak uses of explanations (why would someone explain in detail something about the world everyone in the story already knows?). Not only that, but it took forever for Lt. Bak to get anywhere in solving the murders; he has no idea for most of the book and then at the end he seems to pull answers out of his wig.

Add a sad ending and you have what I feel was sort of a waste of my time. I was excited by the concept, but it just didn't deliver. Maybe it wasn't exciting because I didn't learn anything new. I guess I'll stick with more literary works.