Lauren Haney

This prequel takes us to Beks first case when he has newly arrived in Buhan and the commander under whom he is to serve is stabbed to death in his own quarters. Regular readers willsoon intuit that the commander's foreign wife, who is a prime suspect, is the beautiful foreign woman beloved by Bek referred to in earlier books. Bek and his Medjays are distrusted and disliked, the scribe left in charge of the fort is eager for a quick solution to the murder, but attacks on Bek make it obvious that more is involved than a marital quarrel. I did spot an inconsistency in the plot involving stolen gold--which I won't give away.… (mere)

Lt. Bek is in Waset, the capital of Kemet. A Hittite trader is killed and he is asked to help the police, who are burdened by the crowds assembled for a major religious feast. Then an auditor is murdered in the temple compound and that murder is added to his task when he realized that the methods are the same. A long tale involving Hittite politics and theft from the temple stores winds up with a wild chase under the very noses of royalty. I did feel that Bek was exceeding the foolishness of a Gothic heroine in wandering through strange streets alone after two attempts to kill him.… (mere)