I was looking for fiction or nonfiction stories that took place in Egypt, in anticipation of a trip there, and I ran across this book by Dana Stabenow entitled Disappearance of a Scribe. The story takes place in 47 BCE, the time of Cleopatra and is centered in Alexandria. Caesar had returned to Rome after a war, and Cleopatra was left to lead the recovery of her kingdom. When a body was discovered in the Nile after someone had put a man with his feet in cement and then drowned. A second body was similarly found. Cleopatra turned to another woman who she trusted, Tetisheri, to investigate and solve the mystery of the deaths.
Tetisheri was new to her role as the Eye of Isis, who only reported to Cleopatra and she was mostly disregarded by her colleagues on the police force. Corruption was everywhere. Tetisheri was actually a wonderful character who was determined not to let the inherent misogyny of the times thwart her efforts. The author led the reader through a picture of what life must has been like in those times, from lowly slaves to the palace elite. Scribes were very important to the society since most of the population was illiterate, and it was necessary to keep good records, especially if you were a builder on behalf of the queen. I enjoyed the story and felt it was worth my time to read it.
This is actually the second Stabenow book reviewed in tis blog. 16 years ago, ECD reviewed A Grave Denied in favorable terms. She is a prolific author of 45-50 novels, who is most famous for the 23 novels in her Kate Shugak series. Ms. Stabenow’s novels are certainly worth revisiting.
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