August 1, 2009

Review: City of the Dead by T.L. Higley




Author's Website and FaceBook Page

Grand Vizier and right hand man of the Pharaoh Khufu, Hemiunu is tasked with creating the pyramids that will be an everlasting monument to Khufu and his wife Merit. Hemi lives for the thrill of seeing his careful calculations and measurements come to life and dedicates his entire life the great project.

Suddenly those close to Khufu and Hemi are being murdered and Hemi sets his life work aside while he investigates the murders. The deeper he gets into solving them the clearer it becomes that the murderer is hunting down the eight individuals who share a long kept secret based on the death of another long ago.

When fingers start pointing in Hemi’s direction he has no choice but to flee. On the run for his life Hemi struggles to find the killer before he becomes the next victim.

Wow! Just like in book one in the Seven Wonders series, Shadow of Colossus, the storyline was a complete surprise to me. I usually like to jump right into books without reading the synopsis on the back so I was a bit surprised that the main character was a male. From book one and the cover I was assuming this was a story about a woman but I wasn’t disappointed. Hemi quickly became a beloved character that I could clearly picture in my mind. I loved that he was so dedicated to his cousin Khufu even after everyone turns on him thinking he’s the killer.

Another great thing was how well Higley describes the settings in the book. It was easy to imagine life during this time and the vast amount of work that went into creating the great pyramids. I cannot wait to see what’s in store for book three Guardian of the Flame. This is a must read for historical fiction lovers.

Be sure to visit the author's website. She has pictures and videos of several locations in the book.

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3 comments :

bermudaonion said...

I've heard lots of great things about Shadow of Colossus, but this is the first I've read about this one. Thanks for the review.

Cindy B.of Montana said...

Love the setting for this book and the story sounds really interesting. I'm adding it to my reading list, thanks! I haven't read the Shadow of Colossus or heard of this series. Looking for a review now!

shaunesay said...

I had not seen these, thanks for reviewing! I will have to give them a try.