The Review Broads Bros + Paws

with allyson and ben

You are here: Home / Home / Home / Book Reviews & Giveaways – The Murder of King Tut

Home

Book Reviews & Giveaways – The Murder of King Tut

Every king has to fall from his throne and I am a teensy (meaning: less than tiny) bit disappointed in James Patterson and Martin Dugard’s “The Murder of King Tut.” Patterson repeatedly writes that his theory of the murder of King Tut is based on extensive research; however, the book does not reveal the specific research and has no footnotes. In the second “Present Day” section (page 111) we do hear about the research of two doctors, both laying claims to different ways the Pharaoh died, but that is about it.

Sorry, Mr. Patterson, I LOVE your writing. I just had unanswered doubts at the end of the book. How about an interview with my favorite mystery/crime writer to set me straight?

This book is non-fiction and tells the well-written tale of Howard Carter, one of the most renowned and eccentric Egyptologists of the 20th century. After many years excavating pillaged tombs in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, Carter makes modern civilization’s most exquisite find on November 23, 1922. Carter discovers and exhumes King Tutankhamen’s intact sarcophagus and burial site, with King Tut’s mummy inside.

Moving from present day, to King Tut’s 1335 BC, back to the 1900’s, Patterson creates a mosaic of the events: 1) leading to the discover of Tut’s tomb, the background of the Pharaohs’ tombs and burial sites found in the Valley of the Kings 3) Queen Nefertiti (Tut’s stepmother) and their life in the palace and the dangers therein. Patterson and Martin Dugard, his co-author, then present their theory of how the boy king, Tut, died and why.

I loved the interweaving of the three stories and the three time sequences. The story of Howard Carter and his obsession and persistence at the Valley of the Kings is short of amazing. The scenes of early Armana, a city built by and for Pharaoh Akhenaten and his queen, Nefertiti jolts the imagination. And after Nefertiti and Tut’s death, the city’s entire destruction by one of the co-conspirators of Tut’s murder, Pharaoh Horemheb, proves unimaginably sad.

And I will allow you to find out for yourselves Patterson’s and Dugard’s conclusion as to the 19-year-old pharaohs demise.

Different from the Alex Cross series and other Patterson novels, this novel crosses the border into fascinating, historical – and true. Patterson’s passion wins the reader over early on, and I wanted more when I finished the book. The illustrations were wonderful but sparse, bringing Nefertiti, Tut, Carter and the other characters to the forefront.

Still – I would love to ask a few questions about Tut’s death to the illustrious Mr. Patterson and Mr. Dugard! Hey, a girl’s gotta try, right?
Rating is based on a 5-star scale

Plot: 3
Characters: 3
Presentation: 3.5
Overall: 3

“The Murder of King Tut” is available for pre-order at Amazon.com for $15.87 and will be available beginning September 28, 2009

Thank you to the Hachette Book Group for providing the Broads with a review copy as well as providing us with this giveaway.

Review by Broad “A” – Ava

GIVEAWAY

ENTER DAILY!

EXTRA ENTRIES:

  • Subscribe to The Review Broads for FREE
  • Fave us on technorati
  • Follow the Review Broads – on the sidebar
  • Link to this giveaway on your Facebook page
  • Twitter this giveaway
  • Add our badge to your blog/site
  • Blog about this giveaway
  • Be sure to leave a comment letting me know if you’ve done any of these (if you already subscribe – please note that in the comments as well).
Please make sure you leave your email address when adding a comment or I will not be able to contact you if you win.

* This giveaway is open to US residents, 18 and over and ends on August 26, 2009 11:59 EST.
* The winner will be randomly chosen and contacted via email.
* The winner has 48 hours to respond to my email or an alternate winner will be chosen.
* Please make sure you check your junk mail folder
* Good Luck

Comments

  69. The last couple of days I've been looking for The Murder of King Tut and gladly I stumble into your blog, it has great info on what I'm looking and is going to be quite useful for the paper I'm working on.
    BTW is crazy how many generic viagra blogs I manage to dodge in order to get the right site and the right information.
    Thanks for the post and have a nice day

    Reply

  70. The last couple of days I've been looking for The Murder of King Tut and gladly I stumble into your blog, it has great info on what I'm looking and is going to be quite useful for the paper I'm working on.
    BTW is crazy how many generic viagra blogs I manage to dodge in order to get the right site and the right information.
    Thanks for the post and have a nice day

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Social Share Buttons and Icons powered by Ultimatelysocial