Perpetually-drunk Semerket is assigned by Vizier Toh to find the killer of a priestess. Resisting the lure of drink, he focuses on the priestess’ village of tomb carvers and decorators, and finds well-rehearsed lies and powerful protectors. When he eventually uncovers a horrifying plot, how can he counter it when those he would trust appear to be involved?
Slow read but interesting. Geagley incorporated the characters’ deep-seated religious beliefs very nicely, but so many situations were resolved after prayer to the Egyptian gods that it felt like true deus ex machina, which is a lazy and unsatisfying plot device. Even so, the characters were believable combinations of good and evil, and the storyline held my interest to the end. Geagley’s resolution involved Semerket’s brother and a court physician telling him what had happened while he was unconscious, a bit awkward but probably more efficient than having Semerket himself experience them all. And the title was only contrivedly related to the story.
AI Turing Hopper worries when her programmer Zack disappears. With the help of two live people, she searches for him and discovers a massive company conspiracy.
I only got a quarter of the way through this because it was a thriller rather than a murder mystery, and I find many thrillers (including this one) too scary. But I don't know that I would have finished it anyway, as it is written in first-person but the narrator changes between Turing and her softperson helpers, which made following the story difficult and distracting.
Yet another sappy romance – lovely young nurse meets gorgeous but hostile doctor and they fall in love. Has as much to do with nursing as with pig farming.