YEAR OF THE HYENAS: A NOVEL OF MURDER IN ANCIENT EGYPT. by Geagley, Brad - 2005

New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005. 291 pp, large 8vo (9 1/2" H). The author's first novel. "From the oldest known court transcripts in history, Egyptologists have long known about the mysterious death of Ramses III, involving intrigue, ambition, greed, and crimes of passion on a huge, though hidden, scale. In (this book), Brad Geagley takes this event - a struggle that nearly brought ancient Egypt to its knees - as the backdrop for a story that is every bit as captivating as the distant civilization it resurrects. At the heart of the novel is Semerket, the so-called Clerk of Investigations and Secrets, a detecive half-paralyzed by problems of his own, with a reputation for heavy drinking and tactless behavior towards the great, the powerful, and the holy, a kind of Sam Spade of the ancient world, deeply (and dangerously) addicted to the truth. Hard-bitten, deeply flawed, he is retained by the authorities to investigate what is considered an insignificant murder of an elderly, insignificant Theban priestess. They fail to inform him, however, that they don't expect him to solve the case. In fact, they don't want him to - ." A few tiny marks on rear free endpaper, minor wrinkling at top/bottom of spine, minor edge soiling. Dust jacket has some minor edge wrinkling.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good+/Very Good+.