What a fantastic book! Full of energy and excitement right from the beginning; the characters seem to leap out at you from the pages and you are soon drawn into the murky world that is ancient Egypt not long after the death of Tutankhamun. Nick Drake has already published two books set in Egypt around this time and, if this one is anything to go by, the others are definitely well worth reading as well. Historically accurate and extremely well-written, EGYPT: THE BOOK OF CHAOS spares no punches in terms of gruesome descriptions of how hard life was in ancient Egypt, despite their amazing history and awesome historic remains. The vivid descriptions of death, decay and torture, along with the stench of mummification, leave you feeling a bit queasy but, if that isn’t your type of thing, don’t worry; there’s not too much of it and the rest of the story is simply awesome!

Rahotep - Seeker of Mysteries - is not feeling too happy. His beloved mighty Egypt is teetering on the edge of a precipice and, with the fast approaching death of their king, will soon topple over into disorder and chaos. The young queen has no heir and will be left in a very vulnerable position upon the death of her husband, as the leader of the army, Horemheb, has his eyes on the throne. Rahotep is loyal to his queen and is summoned to her presence in secret. He is given a very dangerous mission that has the future of the whole of Egypt hanging upon it. Reluctantly, he agrees to do as he is asked and sets off into enemy country to seek the solution that will save everyone. Meanwhile, someone is killing members of the opium gangs in the streets and everyone is scared. When Rahotep’s best friend and fellow law officer, Khety, decides to investigate he too is brutally carved up. Rahotep swears revenge but also has to honour his queen. The question is, can he do both at once and still survive to tell the tale?

A captivating and fantastic tale, with a completely unexpected twist in its tail.

Very highly recommended.

Amanda C M Gillies, Scotland
June 2012