Meanwhile evil General Mehy and his mad wife, Serketa, are trying their utmost to dream up ways in which the village can be discredited, the craftsmen arrested and the fabulous Stone of Light theirs at last, so they can make gold out of barley. To make matters worse, since Ramses II's death nobody has really been able to take his place and the new pharaoh is dying already. It looks as though there will be civil war as Queen Tausert and Setnakhte battle it out, with the heroes and villains caught in the crossfire.

Christian Jacq's books are always an easy read, and his portrayal of Egypt as a wonderfully enlightened place makes for a pleasant tale, even if he has a tendency to gloss over anything remotely unpleasant. This creates a book as soothing as a warm bath, but lacks something and suffers slightly from repetition. Despite his tendency to portray characters that are either heroes or villains and his cozy style, there is a great deal in his books to admire. Their very simplicity, plain prose and use of the supernatural conjure up the language of ancient myths and legends in a way that a more modern approach would cancel out. People behave in a way that seems to embody the ancient world, rejoicing in their religious rituals, leading simple lives close to nature and the supernatural and unencumbered with the sort of modern issues that abound in too many historical novels.

As always, Jacq dishes up a tasty treat that succeeds because of its flaws rather than in spite of them and, just like his other works, adds something special to the body of literature dealing with this most popular period of ancient history. I look forward to reading the new whodunit that Jacq has out next year.