Book Review: The Slayers of Seth

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The Slayers of Seth     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Paul C. Doherty
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Historical
Series: Amerotke # 4
St. Martin’s, Jul 2002, $23.95, 306 pp.

Pharaoh Hatusu’s Chief Judge Lord Amerotke works a homicide case in which the accused Lady Neshratta allegedly poisoned her Hyksos lover Ipumer in a crime of passion. The evidence is very strong against the charged; if convicted she will be buried alive in the desert sands. Before Amerotke completes this case, another even more visible murder has occurred. Someone killed Egyptian hero General Balet. Hatusu orders her Chief Judge to find the culprit because she believes others will die too.

Amerotke learns that three decades ago, Egypt led by the Panthers of the South defeated the Hyksos. The surviving victors of that conflict have done quite well for themselves thriving as loyal followers of Hatusu until someone has targeted this wealthy group for death. Amerotke accompanies the Panthers on a pilgrimage to the battlefield where they once gained glory hoping to learn whom and why.

Egyptologists will find THE SLAYERS OF SETH quite enchanting with the depth of detail provided to clothing, transportation, shelter, and to a lesser degree the justice system. The story line is loaded with vivid descriptions that enables the reader to believe they accompany Amerotke on his adventures, but it also slows down the tale for those readers who desire a fast-paced ancient historical legal thriller. P.C. Doherty writes a powerful historical novel overfilled with seemingly every minute piece of Red Land sand.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner