Title: Disappearance of a Scribe
Series: Eye of Isis, #2
Author: Dana Stabenow
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: January 18, 2022
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:
The second in the trilogy of Ancient Egyptian crime novels that began with 2018’s Death of an Eye.
Two Alexandrian fishermen come across a horrifying sight – the body of a skeleton floating upright at the bottom of the sea, anchored in place by a cement weight around his feet. In Alexandria’s rough-and-tumble construction trade they call that ‘being fitted with a pair of Rhakotis sandals’ and what’s worse, he’s the second such victim in two years.
Queen Cleopatra is busy rebuilding her city after the Alexandrian War and these murders are not to be allowed to interfere with this primary task, so she charges Tetisheri, her new Eye of Isis, with the task of finding out who these men were, when they were murdered, and, above all, why.
Dana Stabenow’s fascinating Eye of Isis historical mystery series continues with Disappearance of a Scribe… and it’s just as intriguing as the first book!
Main character Tetisheri, whom we met in book #1, is the Queen’s Eye, the secret investigator who reports directly to Cleopatra and acts on her behalf. She’s also a member of Alexandria’s upper class, partnering with her uncle in a lucrative import business, and as such, is well connected throughout the tangled layers of Alexandrian society.
The mystery in Disappearance of a Scribe circles around two bodies found at sea, anchored by what we’d consider “cement shoes”. Who these people are, who killed them, and why, are Tetisheri’s focus, and as she digs into this shocking crime, she uncovers corruption among the city’s influential builders and ends up in danger herself.
The mystery is unraveled piece by piece, and it’s quite exciting to see Tetisheri chase down leads in a time and place where modern forensics and detective techniques are unknown. If you’d told me ahead of time that a major piece of the story centers on construction materials, I probably would have responded with a very rude yawn… but actually, the story is very interesting, and I appreciated seeing how differently the priorities and rules of this society work in contrast to our own.
I would have liked to see a little bit more happening on Tetisheri’s home front — I do enjoy the brief glimpses we get of her personal life — as well as more with Cleopatra herself directly involved. Still, the scenes we do get with Cleopatra are wonderful, and I love how her power and charisma shine through with every sentence she utters.
In some ways, I was able to enjoy Disappearance of a Scribe even more than I did Death of an Eye, since this time around, I was already familiar with many of the names and places in the story, and felt more comfortable with the basic structure of the politics and alliances of Alexandria at that time.
Tetisheri is a terrific character, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for her. I shouldn’t be the least bit surprised that I enjoy these books — the author’s Kate Shugak series is an absolute favorite, and I read these Egyptian mysteries secure in the knowledge that as a reader, I’m in very good hands.
Next up: Book #3, Theft of an Idol:
Bookshelf Fantasies 
I think this series sounds so good! Thank you for such an informative review. 🧡🌷
Thank you! It’s been such fun reading this series — I’ve never read historical fiction with this setting before, and it’s so different and interesting!
This book/series sounds amazing! I’ll definitely add it to my TBR! Thanks for the recommendation! 😊
Thank you! 🙂 I hope you get a chance to check it out!
What a fascinating series, I’m glad both books were so good, and I hope the next book is as well😁
Thank you! I have a feeling I’ll be starting #3 before too much time goes by. 🙂
You’ve really got me interested in this series! I love Egypt as a setting and I really can’t resist a good mystery 🙂
Then I definitely recommend these! Such great storytelling.