From Publishers Weekly
Robinson's books about Lord Meren, Eyes and Ears of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, have been justly praised as one of the most engrossing and sophisticated historical mystery series running. This fifth entry (after Eater of Souls, 1997) is the first to disappoint, one in which the ever wily Meren conducts two investigations that never quite come together satisfactorily. First, he's secretly consumed with finding the person who poisoned Queen Nefertiti. He's narrowed the suspects to three men, but, to prevent the assassin from attacking the current pharaoh, he doesn't want to tell the teenage Tutankhamun about his investigation. Meanwhile, Tut commands Meren to investigate the death of a favorite guard who mysteriously died in the baboon pit at the royal zoo. Because he doesn't want to be deflected from his clandestine investigation of Nefertiti's death, Meren delegates the task to his aide Abu, who delegates it even further. While Meren relentlessly tracks down his three suspects, he must accompany Tut on a war party at the border. There, someone who sounds like Meren tries to kill Tut with Meren's own knife. Accused of the attempt, Meren escapes arrest and finds asylum with a crafty pirate, leaving his adopted son, Kysen, and daughter, Bener, to prove his innocence. The story is told from the alternating third-person viewpoints of Meren and Nefertiti, but the unmasking of Tut's assailant and his guard's killer are tied only peripherally to the former queen's murder. The plot, then, ends with an anticlimax that might have some readers feeling that, uncharacteristically, Robinson has led them through her usual intricate maze of political intrigue and religious infighting for naught. Major ad/promo. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
The setting is ancient Egypt during the reign of the boy-king Tutankhamun. Lord Meren has been Tutankhamun's mentor since the boy's parents, Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti, died mysteriously several years earlier. Meren is convinced Nefertiti was poisoned, perhaps as revenge against her much-reviled husband or possibly because she was too beautiful and powerful for her own good. Meren is determined to find Nefertiti's killer, but every time he identifies potential witnesses, they die mysteriously. Clues disappear, leads dry up. Meren knows the killer is someone both evil and powerful, but he doesn't realize how evil and powerful until the killer creates a scandal that puts Meren's reputation and even his life in jeopardy. Determined to prove his innocence, Meren launches a daring scheme. If it fails, it will bring about his destruction, but if it succeeds, Meren will uncover Nefertiti's murderer and regain his rightful place in Tutankhamun's court. Robinson's fifth Lord Meren mystery is a mesmerizing blend of tantalizing suspense, high-speed action, and gripping historical intrigue. She has a unique ability to make ancient places and people seem familiar, real, and alive. Her masterful plotting, in-depth knowledge of this period in history, and obvious enthusiasm for her subject give her latest book a rare and welcome energy and freshness. An outstanding thriller. Emily Melton


From Kirkus Reviews
Who killed Queen Nefertiti? Having established in Eater of Souls (1997) that the Egyptian queen did not die of the plague but was poisoned, Lord MerenFriend of King Tutankhamun, the boy pharaoh who succeeded his brothers Akhenaten and Smenkharecontinues his quest for the killer in this second entry in Robinson's trilogy. Acting on information received from his son Kysen's friend Othrys, the wily Mycenaean pirate, Meren focuses on three suspects: horse-breeder Dilalu, military officer Yamen, and merchant prince Zulaya. But everyone who knows anything about the dark business seems headed for an early grave, and someone who obviously doesn't want Meren stirring up the past frames him for treason and attempted murder, sending him into hiding. Robinson intersperses Meren's investigations with flashbacks to the ominously growing discord between Nefertiti and her husband, the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten, whose insistence that his people forsake their pantheon of gods in favor of his own patron, the sun god Aten, bodes disaster for anyone who stands in his wayand ultimately, it may well be, for his nation as well. The vivid mix of conflicts and incidents is diluted by Robinson's need to leave the deepest mysteries unplumbed till the final installment, which keeps Drinker of Blood from standing solidly on its own. Newcomers to Lord Meren's fine series of adventures are well-advised to start elsewhere. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
The highly celebrated Lord Meren mystery series featuring historical intrigue during the reign of Pharaoh Tutankhamen joins Mysterious Press for the first time. Amid the ongoing and disturbingly hushed investigation of the murder of Queen Nafertiti, the pharaoh's trusted advisor Lord Meren is suddenly called away to investigate the bizarre death of the pharaoh's favorite groom, Senna. Although three men have already been implicated, Meren senses a greater evil at work - but when his personal honor is comprised by court intrigue and botched raid against Libyan border bandits, Meren is sentenced to death. In a fierce political battle to save his life - and his name - Lord Meren is about to discover the very enemies who are undermining his place at court.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The highly celebrated Lord Meren mystery series featuring historical intrigue during the reign of Pharaoh Tutankhamen continues with the investigation of the murder of Queen Nefertiti.

FROM THE CRITICS

Marilyn Stasio - New York Times Book Review

A complex and exciting narrative that reflects the twisted machinations of politicians — royal and otherwise.

Publishers Weekly

Robinson's books about Lord Meren, Eyes and Ears of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, have been justly praised as one of the most engrossing and sophisticated historical mystery series running. This fifth entry (after Eater of Souls, 1997) is the first to disappoint, one in which the ever wily Meren conducts two investigations that never quite come together satisfactorily. First, he's secretly consumed with finding the person who poisoned Queen Nefertiti. He's narrowed the suspects to three men, but, to prevent the assassin from attacking the current pharaoh, he doesn't want to tell the teenage Tutankhamun about his investigation. Meanwhile, Tut commands Meren to investigate the death of a favorite guard who mysteriously died in the baboon pit at the royal zoo. Because he doesn't want to be deflected from his clandestine investigation of Nefertiti's death, Meren delegates the task to his aide Abu, who delegates it even further. While Meren relentlessly tracks down his three suspects, he must accompany Tut on a war party at the border. There, someone who sounds like Meren tries to kill Tut with Meren's own knife. Accused of the attempt, Meren escapes arrest and finds asylum with a crafty pirate, leaving his adopted son, Kysen, and daughter, Bener, to prove his innocence. The story is told from the alternating third-person viewpoints of Meren and Nefertiti, but the unmasking of Tut's assailant and his guard's killer are tied only peripherally to the former queen's murder. The plot, then, ends with an anticlimax that might have some readers feeling that, uncharacteristically, Robinson has led them through her usual intricate maze of political intrigue and religious infighting for naught. Major ad/promo. (Nov.)

KLIATT

Continuing the story of Eater of Souls, Lord Meren, an advisor to the boy king Tutankhamun, is still searching for the person who murdered Queen Nefertiti, the wife of Akhenaten. Every time he thinks he has a suspect, the person is killed. When word gets out he is looking for the killer, Lord Meren himself becomes the victim of a plot to make Tutankhamun believe he is plotting treason. The story is a page-turner and moves swiftly by the use of alternating chapters of Lord Meren searching with an account of Nefertiti's days leading up to her death. Fans will be awaiting the next installment eagerly to see if Lord Meren finally gets the culprit. (A Lord Meren Mystery) KLIATT Codes: SA—Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 1998, Warner, 290p., $12.95. Ages 16 to adult. Reviewer: Barbara Jo McKee; Libn/Media Dir., Streetsboro H.S., Stow, OH , September 2001 (Vol. 35 No. 5)

Marilyn Stasio

A complex and exciting narrative that reflects the twisted machinations of politicians -- royal and otherwise. -- The New York Times Book Review

Kirkus Reviews

Who killed Queen Nefertiti? Having established in Eater of Souls,/i> that the Egyptian queen did not die of the plague but was poisoned, Lord Meren—-Friend of King Tutankhamun, the boy pharaoh who succeeded his brothers Akhenaten and Smenkhare—-continues his quest for the killer in this second entry in Robinson's trilogy. Acting on information received from his son Kysen's friend Othrys, the wily Mycenaean pirate, Meren focuses on three suspects: horse-breeder Dilalu, military officer Yamen, and merchant prince Zulaya. But everyone who knows anything about the dark business seems headed for an early grave, and someone who obviously doesn't want Meren stirring up the past frames him for treason and attempted murder, sending him into hiding. Robinson intersperses Meren's investigations with flashbacks to the ominously growing discord between Nefertiti and her husband, the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten, whose insistence that his people forsake their pantheon of gods in favor of his own patron, the sun god Aten, bodes disaster for anyone who stands in his way—-and ultimately, it may well be, for his nation as well.