A Curse of Silence

A Curse of Silence: A Mystery of Ancient Egypt by Lauren Haney

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
The ruler has sent her cousin Amonked to inspect the
fortresses along the Belly of Stones with the purpose
of closing them and removing the army. Everyone
from the Commander Thuty down to the lowest
peasant is horrified by the thought. When Amonked
arrives with ships laden with unbelievable finery he
seems just another bureaucrat whose mind is
already made up, unimpressed by what he sees and
unwilling to listen to reason. Against advice, he plans
to haul all the luxuries, including his beautiful
concubine, along with him across the desert. Despite
rumors of the return of a desert bandit, Amonked
refuses Commander Thuty’s offer of guards, claiming
that his own troops are enough, despite the fact that
they have neither faced combat or the desert. But as
the caravan leaves Buhen, the body of a local prince
is discovered and it appears that someone in
Amonked’s party killed him. Thuty uses the murder as
an excuse to send Bak and Nebwa with 20 bowmen
along. Thuty’s confidence that Bak will find the killer
seems misplaced as the long hot days pass and he is
no closer to uncovering the killer. But he and Nebwa
face graver concerns as it becomes clear that the
threat of the desert bandit is not just a rumor, but fact.
He plans to attack and they are vastly outnumbered.

I like Bak was kept in the dark as to who the killer
was, partially because like he, I came to like all the
characters as they face the challenges of the desert
and the threat of attack. In many ways it was the story
of the wagon train harassed by the hostile Indians, an
exciting adventure. The best so far in the series, I
think.

Reviewed by Linda Suzane March 26, 2009
www.midnightblood.com



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