Synopsis:

THE QUEEN'S EYE IS DEAD.

For three centuries the House of Ptolemy has governed the Kingdom of Egypt. Cleopatra, seventh of her name, presides over a realm beset by ethnic rivalries, aristocratic feuds and courtly intrigues - all under the covetous gaze of Rome.

The world is watching the young Queen, waiting for a misstep.

And now her Eye - her most trusted servant - has been murdered. Cleopatra cannot afford to let the crime go unpunished, and cannot trust anyone other than her childhood friend, Tetisheri Nebenteru, to investigate.

Tetisheri is clever and capable but she's out of her depth as she confronts the tangle of lies and deceit that surround the throne. She'll discover that nothing and no-one can be trusted, not even the Queen herself.

Please try and journal this book when you:
a) Receive it
b) With a Review after you've read it
c) When you've posted it to the next participant

There's no rush to read this series but if I haven't had an update from you in a while (4-6 Weeks), I'll send you a private message to see how you're getting on.

Any other questions, just ask.

Thanks for taking part.

Ythan
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Bookray:
1. Apechild, UK (UK)
2. Tanamo, UK (Int)
3. penelopewanders, France (R:EU/S:Int)
4. Olivia_Lo, Taiwan (Int)
5. judygreeneyes, USA (USA)
6. lane1088, USA (USA)

Took me quite a while to get into the world of this book, the second half was better but it just wasn't a story that kept my attention, my mind would often wander elsewhere. Overall, not a lot seemed to happen and what did happen wasn't all that interesting to me. However, it gets a slightly higher rating because it's brought me into a world and time that I'm not hugely familiar with, I want to learn more about it, with hopefully more interesting characters and events.

There are two more books in this series, the more time I spend in this world, the more I'll hopefully become more invested in the series. Just have to wait and see.

Now travelling to Apechild.

Arrived in the post today, many thanks! Will try to get to it soon

For me, Stabenow is most famous for the Kate Shugak novels, which I have read in their entirety and in order. Admittedly some are better than others for the crime mystery element, but I love the ongoing stories of the recurring characters, the community and life up in northern Alaska.

So it was interesting to come to Stabenow in a completely different setting with a crime mystery set in ancient Egypt at the court of Cleopatra. It was all right although the jury is still out for me as Stabenow as a writer of historical fiction. The way people interacted, different levels of society, men and women etc etc felt a bit modern. And i didnt get as much of a sense of atmosphere as i would have liked. Perhaps this is suffering from that first in a series problem in that it has a setting and recurring characters to introduce so the mystery can end up feeling a bit meh. Perhaps the series will improve as it gathers momentum.

Someone has been pinching Cleopatras coins, and the Queen puts her chum Tetisheri on the case.

Many thanks to Ythan for setting this up and giving me the chance to try some of Stabenow's other fiction. I will get a pm out to see about sending this book on.

Posting out tomorrow to the next reader now that we are all back from our holidays.

Safely arrived in Hinckley. Looks right up my street but I have 2½ books in front of it in the queue but I'll get it passed on as soon as I can.

Took me a while to get into this novel but enjoyed it eventually. The battle at sea was good but I somehow found it hard to believe that Tetisheri had the freedom to go around sleuthing the way she did,

Mailed to another bookcrosser.

This has arrived safely in France, and will probably idle a bit as things are busy here and other things (like reading the book for our upcoming book club meeting) have to happen first... Oh yes, and our daughter is getting married... :)
So it is safe and sound, and I hope to be able to read it and get it sent out before too long.
Thanks for making this available, I look forward to discover books by Dana Stabenow in a non-Alaskan setting.

I started this and then put it to the side to read on a long train journey. Although it took a moment to get used to the references to the various deities and characters, eventually I was fully engrossed in this story.
I have appreciated the Kate Shugak stories, and continue to appreciate this author.
I have the next address and will try to get it posted soon.

This first in a spiral heads off to Taiwan from France. I'm not sure how long it will take, but hopefully it won't get caught up in the holiday rush.
Thanks for making this available and sending - I look forward to the next!

The book has arrived! I'm looking forward to reading it, but it might take a few months...

Enjoy the book and don't forget to journal it so that people have an idea of where it is going :)

The book has arrived safely in sunny San Diego. Thanks, Olivia_Lo, for sending it forward and for packing it with gorgeous Taiwan stamps :) I will finish off what I'm reading now so I can read this one soon.

I finished this book last night before bed. As others have noted, the first part of the book is a bit slow going, but I felt it picked up and moved along after that.

Tetisheri and Appolodoro are fairly appealing characters, and I love the chemistry between them. I kept trying to picture the actors in a movie adaptation! Anyway, I did get a tiny bit bogged down in who was who, there being a ton of characters with long-ish names and many connections to each other. Plus, there are Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and others. It's alot to keep track of.

As I said, the story did move along and the pace picked up. The mystery was mysterious and clues not plentiful (what did people do before CSI teams?), but Tetisheri meticulously pieces things together. The scene with the pirates is pretty fun. I also feel that, to be historically accurate, she might not have had the kind of freedom she had to do all the investigating and travelling, but I also am no expert in any of that and am willing to suspend my disbelief for a good female protagonist. Stabenow's superb storytelling is evident, as is her love of a female lead character. I think she did a lot of research for this story, and hopefully the next book picks up and runs more quickly.

I would have eventually read these books since I'm a huge fan of the Kate Shugak books, but I really appreciate Ythan creating the book spiral and getting me to read it sooner. Thanks, all, for sending it forward. I have the info I need to put the book in the mail early this week.

This book just found its way to me. I will put it next on the list to read.