The Murder of King Tut (Hardcover) by James Patterson - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

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Dec 04, 2009

Kevin rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

Read in December, 2009

recommended to Kevin by: Linda Tepper
recommends it for: No

I'm half way through with the book and like a few of other reviewers have mentioned.....as soon as I read how much time and effort went into the researching of this book, my cynical side came out...I'm thinking don't tell me how much time you put into it but let me gauge that for myself after I've read it....I'm no Egyptologist by any stretch but for a book that has been heavily researched it is definitely light on details...another thing I don't like is when the author places himself within the...more

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Feb 15, 2010

Kenny rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

bookshelves: fiction

Read in February, 2010

To say Patterson writes ten books a year is supposed to be a compliment. It shouldn't be.

Obviously, his co-writers do most of the work and I suspect in this case Patterson merely wrote the self-serving self-descriptive entries and broke the book down into his famous "two page" chapters, because he thinks his readers are such numbskulls that they cannot concentrate for more than sixty seconds at a time.

He may be right, if you judge his readers by the writer.
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Jan 10, 2010

Tony rated it:

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James Patterson & Martin Dugard- The Murder of King Tut (Little, Brown and Company 2009) 2.75 Stars

Very little is known about King Tut. He became the ruler of Egypt when he was but nine years old, and this led to upheaval amongst his advisers. Although he seemed fairly successful on the outside, he somehow died at a young age and his name was mysteriously removed from Egyptian history. No one knows just how he died, but many suspect foul play.
Years in the future Howard Carter ...more James Patterson & Martin Dugard- The Murder of King Tut (Little, Brown and Company 2009) 2.75 Stars

Very little is known about King Tut. He became the ruler of Egypt when he was but nine years old, and this led to upheaval amongst his advisers. Although he seemed fairly successful on the outside, he somehow died at a young age and his name was mysteriously removed from Egyptian history. No one knows just how he died, but many suspect foul play.
Years in the future Howard Carter is trying to discover the location of King Tut’s tomb. It is the kind of mission that could make or break his career. He will become the laughing stock of many before finally discovering the location, only to find that it was not quite as he had expected it.
In the present James Patterson and Michael Dugard are scrounging for clues to come up with their own theory on this Boy King’s death. In their opinion it is a story of one of the greatest betrayals known to man.

I won this book in an online contest. It was one that I wanted to read, but wasn’t sure if I wanted to buy it, I am kind of glad I did not pay for it. The story kept jumping between three different time periods, the time of King Tut, the time of Howard Carter, and the present (featuring James Patterson himself). It was kind of like he wrote three different short stories and then combined them into one and separated them into breaks to make them seem more intriguing. I found it a little annoying and felt like he was trying to make it seem more intriguing then it really was. To be honest most of the book was kind of dry and boring. I only enjoyed the last third of the book. In the end it all boils down to a theory on the death, which for all we know has true parts to it, no one can possibly know for sure. There did not seem to really be a point in putting the present into the book as it just slowed down the plot, it may have been less annoying if it was just jumping between two time periods, not likely, but it may have helped me focus. Without the ending coming through to make it seem more interesting my rating would have been a two. As you can see I was not overly impressed by this nonfiction thriller, but I encourage you to pick up a copy from your local library and formulate your own opinion on the matter.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

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Dec 29, 2009

Emrys rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

bookshelves: fiction

Read in December, 2009

The writing in this book is abysmally poor and the historical inaccuracies were astounding. A certain level of bad writing might be worth overlooking if the plot were especially strong or if recent findings were revealed, but the plot is weak and the premise is not based on any archeological findings. This book is advertised as a nonfiction thriller, but it's really a fictional non-thriller.

The author begins the book with much pomp about how the materials were thoroughly researched ...more The writing in this book is abysmally poor and the historical inaccuracies were astounding. A certain level of bad writing might be worth overlooking if the plot were especially strong or if recent findings were revealed, but the plot is weak and the premise is not based on any archeological findings. This book is advertised as a nonfiction thriller, but it's really a fictional non-thriller.

The author begins the book with much pomp about how the materials were thoroughly researched so that the reconstructed story of Tutankhamun would be accurate and the theory would be sound. He then proceeds to write insanely bloated, inaccurate sub-Harlequin Romance prose about Ancient Egypt and Howard Carter. The two timelines are ocassionally interrupted by the author's modern-day soliloquies about how puzzling everything is when one is looking across the lake at one's yacht, thinking about how wealthy one is. I really don't care about Patterson's yacht or bank account, but I do find Ancient Egypt to be fascinating. Sadly, there are huge pieces of important information about Tut's life missing from this book, most obviously the simultaneous name changes of Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun and Ankhesenpaaten to Ankhesenamun. Those name changes were extremely significant, but Patterson ignores history and instead uses only the names Tutankhamen and Ankhesenpaaten alongside each other with no regard for accuracy. There is also no evidence given for Patterson's relationships between characters, relationships that either vary from historical evidence or have no historical evidence to back them up.

Such disregard for historical facts is behind Patterson's cheez-whiz of a "murder theory." My incentive for reading further was to find out what evidence proved his theory, but Patterson never mentioned any evidence. He never attempted to tie his theory to any evidence of any nature, which astounded me. When zero evidence is ALL Patterson and his "researcher" come up with after spending thousands of dollars and years doing HEAVY DUTY RESEARCH, someone owes someone a refund! There is a LOT of current information out there, and none of it is in this book.

If you must read this, check it out from your local public library. But don't be suckered into buying it!(less)

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Dec 24, 2009

Gaby rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

bookshelves: detective-and-mystery, nonfiction

If you're fascinated by King Tut and Ancient Egypt, you are sure to enjoy James Patterson's latest, The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King - A Nonfiction Thriller.

The Murder of King Tut
This is my first time to read a work of non-fiction by James Patterson. In The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King, Patterson tells us King Tut's story from three time periods.

Patterson first takes us to Ancient Egypt around 1490s B.C. when Pharoah A...more If you're fascinated by King Tut and Ancient Egypt, you are sure to enjoy James Patterson's latest, The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King - A Nonfiction Thriller.

The Murder of King Tut
This is my first time to read a work of non-fiction by James Patterson. In The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King, Patterson tells us King Tut's story from three time periods.

Patterson first takes us to Ancient Egypt around 1490s B.C. when Pharoah Amenhotep the Magnificent, King Tut's grandfather, ruled Egypt. He shows us the decadence and style of governance under Pharoah Amenhotep IV and Queen Nefertiti's reign and gives us a glimpse of what King Tutankhamen faced during his reign. Next Patterson focuses on the 1880s onward where he paints a clear picture of the ups and downs of Howard Carter's career in Egyptian archeology, his excavation of the Valley of the Kings and his discovery of King Tut's tomb. Patterson also focuses on the present and shares what he went through as he searched for the truth behind King Tutankhamen's death.

Patterson writes as though he was a fly on the wall, watching the events of Tutankhamen's life unfold. He does not skimp on details and we read about the unsavory details of the lives of the pharoahs, their wives, consorts, and his unscrupulous advisors. I enjoyed the conversations that he extrapolated - Patterson takes you to right to Egypt and you share Tutankhamen's fear and uncertainty as he takes on his role as a young pharoah. I sympathized with the young Pharoah and his half sister and wife, Ankhesenpaaten. Patterson's hypothesis as to Ankhesenpaaten's death does not seem sufficiently substantiated to me. I would love to learn the truth about what happened to her after Tutankhamen passed away and she ruled as Pharoah. Did she really attempt an alliance? Was her burial truly that ignominious? Ankhesenpaaten was one of my favorite characters in the book. My only criticism of The Murder of King Tut is that I don't feel that Patterson's fully substantiated his inferences about Ankhesenpaaten's role in King Tut's demise.

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (September 28, 2009), 352 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

Patterson writes as though he was a fly on the wall, watching the events of Tutakhamen's life unfold. He does not skimp on details and we read about the unsavory details of the lives of the pharoahs, their wives, consorts, and his unscrupulous advisers. I enjoyed the conversations that he extrapolated - Patterson takes you to right to Egypt and you share Tutukhamen's fear and uncertainty as he takes on his role as a young pharoah. I sympathized with the young Pharoah and his half sister and wife, Ankhesenpaaten. Patterson's hypothesis as to Ankhesenpaaten's death does not seem sufficiently substantiated to me. I would love to learn the truth about what happened to her after Tutakhamen passed away and she ruled as Pharoah. Did she really attempt an alliance? Was her burial truly that ignominious? Ankhesenpaaten was one of my favorite characters in the book. My only criticism of The Murder of King Tut is that I don't feel that Patterson's fully substantiated his inferences about Ankhesenpaaten's role in King Tut's demise.

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (September 28, 2009), 352 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.(less)

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Dec 13, 2009

Lydia Presley rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

bookshelves: egypt, fiction, mystery, non-fiction

Read in December, 2009

In The Murder of King Tut James Patterson attempts to solve the mystery of King Tut's death by approaching it the way he approaches mysteries solved by Alex Cross, for example. This book has three distinct timelines - 1300BC, early 1900's and present day time. As might be expected the first timeline revolves around Nefertiti and King Tut, the second timeline around Carter and his discovery of King Tut's tomb and the final timeline revolves around James Patterson and his research (and thankfull...more

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Nov 13, 2009

Richard Lollar rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

Read in November, 2009

recommended to Richard by: I read all Mr. Patterson's work.
recommends it for: People who like Egypt and archaeology.

Nothing really new. James Patterson and Martin Dugand's flipping back and forth from the time of the Pharoahs to the end of the 1800's and start of the 1900's to tell Howard Carter's story and finally to modern time to tell James Patterson's story was interesting. However, having multiple chapters in a row of two or three pages concerning the same character made for a chopped up presentation. Since many of the sequential chapters were set at the same time, they could have easily been one chapter...more

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Nov 08, 2009

Aaron rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

Put your seat belts on because this is going to be a bumpy review. In all his arrogance, Patterson claims to have done a great deal of research as he and Martin Dugard try to solve the mystery of the boy king, Tutankhamun. This is not non-fiction as it claims to be, but historical fiction. The tale is told on three levels: chapters highlighting how Patterson visited the recent controversial Tut exhibit that toured America a couple of years ago, chapters that introduce readers to the life of arch...more Put your seat belts on because this is going to be a bumpy review. In all his arrogance, Patterson claims to have done a great deal of research as he and Martin Dugard try to solve the mystery of the boy king, Tutankhamun. This is not non-fiction as it claims to be, but historical fiction. The tale is told on three levels: chapters highlighting how Patterson visited the recent controversial Tut exhibit that toured America a couple of years ago, chapters that introduce readers to the life of archaeologist and Tut tomb founder Howard Carter, and chapters covering the short life of Tut himself.

The writing is light and breezy as most of Pattersons other works, which makes it a comfortable and quick read. The main problem is that the book is simply full of errors. It is clear that Patterson and Dugard only did a cursory search of information about Tut and his family and the events surrounding his death as most of what is presented is connected to out of date theories. For example, the vizier Aye, which is traditionally spelled Ay, is generally considered the father of Nefertiti (Tut's step mother). It is quite bothersome to see Patterson have him practically ruling over her through most of the early part of the book.

It is generally believe that Tut lived for quite some time as he ruled, and he and his wife are considered models of ancient romance. During his reign, much was done to reinstate the gods and both he and his wife Ankhesanamun dropped the Aten from their names to be replaced by the traditional lord of the gods Amun. As a result, major holes are punched into the theories presented by Patterson and Dugard as to who killed the boy king.

Howard Carter is also presented as a talented archaeologist who worked hard to find success and was beaten down by others. In some ways, this was true, but he was also considered by many of his contemporaries to be arrogant and boorish. Few wanted to work with him or respected him before and after the finding of Tut's tomb. He is well-known and respected for the findings, but he was not well-loved.

To be honest, it almost feels like Patterson and Dugard basically sat down and watched The Face of Tutankhamun, a pretty good, but outdated 3-part documentary put out by the BBC in 1993. Much of the proposed theories in the book are similar, though many have been overruled by new scientific techniques and further findings in the field. For example, the head injury cited in the book as possibly playing a major role during his death is now believed to have been caused by the embalming process after Tut's skull has been examined with modern MRI technology.

It irks me that a book filled with this many errors is being marketed as non-fiction, particularly in light of the fact that the format of the presentation is novelization. Those with any knowledge of ancient Egypt's 18th Dynasty will see the wholes, and the general public will find themselves misled. Writers of historical fiction are allowed to take liberty with the facts as the storytelling is at the core of the presentation. Writers of non-fiction should not since they are presenting things as being fact. This is the first time I have not enjoyed Patterson ... I am actually disgusted. He should be ashamed and should maybe consider actually contacting an Egyptologist if he would like to try this again.

Those looking for great mysteries set in King Tut's time, should read the Lord Meren series by Lynda S. Robinson. There is also the mystery series by Lauren Haney that focuses on Lt. Bak, a Medjay detective during the time of Hatshepsut. Other great writers with stories centering around ancient Egypt include Judith Tarr, Pauline Gedge, and Michelle Morin.

For those looking for mysteries relating to archaeologist, the best choice is the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters, the pen name of well-respected egyptologist Barbara Mertz. Both Amelia and Dr. Mertz would greatly disagree with the view of Carter presented in Patterson's work.

As for looking for biographies about Nefertiti, Tut, Akenaten, or any other of the people presented in the book, there is no shortage of great works by specialists in the field. Any of them would be better than this.(less)

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Oct 24, 2009

Kevin rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

Read in October, 2009

It's been years since I've read a James Patterson book. Even longer since I feel I've truly enjoyed one. Sure, they're a quick read. Good beach fare. But, after a while, all his Alex Cross or Women's Murder Club books feel the same. I can't remember the plot from one or another at all. It feels like one mass story with a body count that rivals a world war.

So, imagine my surprise when I saw that he was writing about King Tut. Imagine my even greater surprise when I read the jacket and...more

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Aug 01, 2009

Christine (booktumbling) rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

Read in August, 2009

James Patterson begins The Murder of King Tut with a short author’s note emphasizing the tremendous research that went into writing this “nonfiction thriller”. Teaming with fellow author Martin Dugard, travels to London, Tut’s tomb and studying books and information online gave the authors the historical perspective to turn facts into a fast-paced novel that reads like fiction.

The book covers three time periods:

* The present and how the idea monopolized Mr. P...more James Patterson begins The Murder of King Tut with a short author’s note emphasizing the tremendous research that went into writing this “nonfiction thriller”. Teaming with fellow author Martin Dugard, travels to London, Tut’s tomb and studying books and information online gave the authors the historical perspective to turn facts into a fast-paced novel that reads like fiction.

The book covers three time periods:

* The present and how the idea monopolized Mr. Patterson’s thoughts and time.
* 1891 – 1939 London/Egypt and how the quest for discovering a virgin tomb, ultimately King Tut’s tomb, monopolized the life of Howard Carter
* 1492 BC to 1319 BC Egypt and how the duty of being pharaoh monopolized the life of a young Tutankhamen

This is a straight-forward story which moves at a very fast pace. Yet, there is just enough detail concerning characters and setting that I had no trouble in picturing the great pyramids or empathizing the boy king’s plight. Explanations are given as to why young Tut married his half sister, why the tomb was so difficult to find and why there seemed to be an attempt to erase history of Tutankhamen. Tut’s ability to lead was just developing when he mysteriously died during the night.

The story of Howard Carter is also well-presented. Though he was not the most gracious of men, his zeal for all things Egypt advanced him from being a sketch artist of other men’s findings to being commissioned to conduct his own excavations. His gained knowledge over the years brought him to the highest honor but his lack of bedside manner plundered him to a street corner artist looking for his next meal. He never lost sight of his goal and through luck and determination was given another chance to discover the great Tut’s tomb. Actual snippets from Mr. Carter and some of his associates notes are included in the book (observations of Mr. Carter leave something to be desired).

The jump from time period to time period could have been confusing but I did not have any problems leaving one set of characters and picking up where I left off with another group from a previous chapter. The book is not very long or extravagantly detailed but I did learn a couple of interesting facts and it did peak my curiosity. And the Mr. Patterson divulges his own theory on what exactly happened to the king. Makes sense to me but I now may want to conduct my own investigation.(less)

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Dec 09, 2009

Natalia rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

bookshelves: 2009, ebook, library

Read in December, 2009

This book is set in three timelines, intersecting:

- Present day, James Patterson talking about writing the book - these sections boil down to "I'm doing sooo much research, look at how much research I'm doing! And I'm solving the mystery no one else could solve! Who knew being a best-selling mystery author could make me such a great armchair Egyptologist?!" But for all the research he says he does, the theory he puts forth sounds familiar. I'm not a hard-core ancient Egypt ...more

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Nov 13, 2009

Haley rated it:

(review of isbn 1600246354)

Read in November, 2009

THE MURDER OF KING TUT—THE PLOT TO KILL THE CHILD KING (Audio Book) by James Patterson and Martin Dugard, read by Joe Barrett
Genre: non-fiction thriller
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary: James Patterson tells a story in three parts—one part, the mysterious death of King Tut, the second part the discovery of his tomb by Carter, and the third part his writing, own exploration, research, and discovery of the elusive history of the boy king.

Thoughts: This is one of the...more THE MURDER OF KING TUT—THE PLOT TO KILL THE CHILD KING (Audio Book) by James Patterson and Martin Dugard, read by Joe Barrett
Genre: non-fiction thriller
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary: James Patterson tells a story in three parts—one part, the mysterious death of King Tut, the second part the discovery of his tomb by Carter, and the third part his writing, own exploration, research, and discovery of the elusive history of the boy king.

Thoughts: This is one of the best James Patterson books I’ve ever read (listened too). JP has taken an age old mystery and solved it. Yes, it appears as though the mystery of Tut is mystery no more. This book is very alive, even though the plot revolves around a murder. I felt like I was standing right there, watching it all take place. At times, I felt like the characters themselves. This was an amazing escape from reality.

Characters (5/5): Characters should be relatable for a book to be enjoyable, and the characters in Tut’s world were wonderful. They were highly developed right away, and were the kind that either you routed for or hated with a passion.

Writing (4/5/5): James is an awesome writer. I always love reading his work because it’s so lyric. His words flow smoothly and he doesn’t overuse too many phrases (though several “waves” of various things did “wash over” many people).

Content (4/5): There was barely any language in this book, which was a nice change of JP’s work. It wasn’t necessary, either. It just goes to show that the point can be made—and made well—without filthy language. There was a little bit of sex but it wasn’t too graphic, nor was it frequent.

Reader (4/5): I really liked the voice of the reader for this book. I’ve heard some pretty awful ones before, I’ll say that much right now! But Joe’s voice was perfect for this book. The only thing I didn’t like were the voices he put with the characters—the accents were pretty lousy, and when he put on a “fake” voice for the child characters, it just sounded a little silly. I was glad when Tut got old enough that he didn’t have to do that anymore!

Recommendation: Ages 16+ to lovers of fiction, history, nonfiction, thrillers, mystery, or to any James-Patterson-addict.
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Nov 01, 2009

_|Tina|_ rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

bookshelves: 2009, ancient-egypt, challenge, historical-fiction

Read in November, 2009

recommends it for: Older teens interested in Ancient Egypt

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 03, 2010

Carrie rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

bookshelves: book-club, non-fiction

Read in February, 2010

Truly, I must be a librarian, because I knocked a full star off of this book due to its failure to provide references.

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Jan 11, 2010

Heather T. rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

bookshelves: 50-books---2009

The fastest 352-page read in history, which is really Patterson's trademark. What I love about James Patterson's books is all the chapers are 2-5 pages long, making them so easy to read (and are really great for busy people who are then able to pick up a book and put it back down 3 minutes later, without having to get back into the plot 2 days later). In any case, I was SO excited to read this book. It combined my love of James Patterson (oh, "Kiss the Girls"....you make me swoon) a...more

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Nov 17, 2009

Megan rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

bookshelves: audiobook, didnt-finish

Read in November, 2009

From my glowing review of The Heretic Queen, you have probably guessed I love everything involving Ancient Egypt. With that being said, I wanted to love this book but it fell incredibly short of expectations.

I started out so hopeful when, during the prologue, the Patterson stressed how much research he had done for the book. I’m certainly no Egyptologist but I was frustrated when, barely into the story, I started to notice several historical errors. For example, in Akhenaten’s de...more From my glowing review of The Heretic Queen, you have probably guessed I love everything involving Ancient Egypt. With that being said, I wanted to love this book but it fell incredibly short of expectations.

I started out so hopeful when, during the prologue, the Patterson stressed how much research he had done for the book. I’m certainly no Egyptologist but I was frustrated when, barely into the story, I started to notice several historical errors. For example, in Akhenaten’s death scene, Nefertiti makes some comments about how she will miss her husband’s “brain” as though that is the seat of his thinking and soul. Patterson rightly corrects this later by noting that Egyptians believed the seat of the soul to be housed in the heart but the damage was done.

That was just one of my gripes about this book and relatively minor in comparison to my largest problem with the book–I got more than a third of the way through and Tut had been mentioned in ONE of the scenes that took place in Ancient Egypt. ONE scene? Isn’t the book titled the Murder of King Tut? Patterson spent so much time setting up the family history there was barely any space left to actually discuss the reign and murder of his main character.

The book also has a frustrating format; the narrative has two separate tracks–one set in Ancient Egypt and the other during the time of Howard Carter (the eventual discoverer of Tut’s tomb. I have no idea why Carter’s story was included in the story; Carter is an interesting man and worthy of his own biography but it added very little to the book.

Even if I had ignored the poor format and historical errors, the story just isn’t compelling and never really takes off. All in all, this book was a serious disappointment. If you are looking for a good historical narrative set in the times of Ancient Egypt, look elsewhere because this book contains too little focus on the main characters. If you are looking for a good examination of the Murder of King Tut and the theories and facts involved, you should read Bob Brier’s work on the subject–The Murder of Tutankhamen–it is a much more academic look at the subject.

This book unfortunately falls into the “didn’t finish” category. I wanted to struggle through and finish but I hate to waste precious reading time on a book I find inaccurate and poorly written.

Audiobook Details

The reader, Joe Barett, does an adequate job. He isn’t an incredibly engaging reader but I don’t want to judge him on this book–I’m afraid I’m holding the poor quality of the book against him when it clearly isn’t his doing.

Run time: 5 hours, 59 minutes(less)

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Jan 27, 2010

Jason Golomb rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

bookshelves: exploration

Read in January, 2010

The premise of "The Murder of King Tut" is very alluring, particularly with the power of two strong names in writing: James Patterson who's written many popular books and Martin Dugard who's written a couple of wonderful epic biographies.

The delivery on this promise, however, was a terrible disappointment. I give this 2 stars instead of 1 only because I was able to finish it; mostly due to its 250 pages which are broken up by a very consumable 99 chapterettes. Yes...99 chap...more The premise of "The Murder of King Tut" is very alluring, particularly with the power of two strong names in writing: James Patterson who's written many popular books and Martin Dugard who's written a couple of wonderful epic biographies.

The delivery on this promise, however, was a terrible disappointment. I give this 2 stars instead of 1 only because I was able to finish it; mostly due to its 250 pages which are broken up by a very consumable 99 chapterettes. Yes...99 chapters in 250 pages.

Mr. Patterson and Mr. Dugard didn't have much to say.

The book bounces back and forth between the early 20th century focusing on Howard Carter and his early career and eventual discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen - and the early 1300s B.C. focusing on the Boy King's birth and demise.

The flashbacks to King Tut's era are filled with trite dialogue that I can only guess were drawn 100% from Patterson's imagination. Having read two other Dugard books, I would expect his involvement dealt exclusively with the non-fiction research. Much of Carter's chapterettes were taken from various diaries of his. Without any notes or bibliography, however, it was impossible to tell what was made up and what had at least some foundation in fact. These chapters were, though, interesting.

Patterson would have us believe that King Tut was murdered, a common analysis that's not at all unique (just search for books on King Tut). Within the last couple of years, scientists have performed and analyzed a CT scan on Tut's body and concluded that he probably died from an infection caused by a broken leg. While I understand that this recent analysis is open to interpretation, Patterson dismissed it out of hand. I would've liked a little deeper rationale here.

Patterson resolves this ancient whodunnit with the most simplistic of conclusions based on a painting within the room that contained the body of the Boy King. After reading about 220 pages and 90+ chapters, I'd come to realize that the masterstroke conclusion of who killed Tut would be as disappointing as the rest of the book.

On that, Patterson delivered.(less)

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Nov 22, 2009

Andrea rated it:

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Read in November, 2009

The most important thing for me in choosing this book was managing expectations. I was headed to the Tut exhibit at the de Young (here in SF) and wanted to fill in the gaps of my knowledge about Tut, but I wanted something juicy and entertaining, not simply a history. I don't really care about the architecture of the tombs or a dry recounting of political skirmishes - I wanted romance and intrigue and mystery and that's exactly what I got.

I've never read Patterson before and don't t...more

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Jan 19, 2010

Man Ching rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

bookshelves: commentary-historical, ebook, history, ipod-touch, mystery-suspense, speculative, stanza

Read in January, 2010

This was a disappointing read, since I had wanted more details on Patterson’s research and thoughts about the evidence supporting that Tutankhamen was killed. While I wasn’t expecting a work of historical scholarship, I did not anticipate that he was going to dramatize his interpretation of this slice of Egyptian history. This would have been fine, but I will be honest and admit that I wasn’t in the mood for it. Especially since the writing style is clipped, with a Dick and Jane cadence. I...more This was a disappointing read, since I had wanted more details on Patterson’s research and thoughts about the evidence supporting that Tutankhamen was killed. While I wasn’t expecting a work of historical scholarship, I did not anticipate that he was going to dramatize his interpretation of this slice of Egyptian history. This would have been fine, but I will be honest and admit that I wasn’t in the mood for it. Especially since the writing style is clipped, with a Dick and Jane cadence. I do not care for it.

There were two reasons I did not like the book. The first is that Patterson talks up his research. Due to the exposition style, it was unclear how much research he had done, compared to pure invention. I don’t mean that Patterson did not get the dates and major events right, but since drama requires a bit more flavor, there are certainly liberties he took with constructing the details of Egyptian life. The dialogue is one example; the thoughts and motivations he ascribes to the pharoah, queen, and the court functionaries are another. However, this wouldn’t be so bad if the pieces of research leading to his thesis, that King Tut was murdered, wasn’t so weak.

The weakness in the evidence and the long build-up make up the second fault. As far as I could tell, Patterson calls this a homicide based on a cranial wound (as determined from CT scans of the mummy skull), the elevation of 3 pharoahs from Tut’s court, and the small tomb and lack of hieroglyphic records of Tut. The fresh piece of evidence is in fact the head wound. The rest of the evidence had been known, and certainly the circumstances described does not rule out murder. The fact that following Tut, all three subsequent rulers came from his court is consistent with foul play. First, Tut’s wife/sister succeeded him, then his court advisor, then his general. Human ambition being what it is, one can construct all sorts of stories about Tut’s wife and the court advisor. The lack of mention in the hieroglyphic record may be due to incompleteness in the the record, although it could also be interpreted as the systematic obliteration of Tut’s legacy. Burying Tut in a small tomb also could indicate carelessness, and at least diffidence in how the pharaoh was laid to rest. But it might just mean that Tut was not liked. Or it could mean the murder was going through the motions of the burial. But then why would the murdered line the small tomb with treasure? One might think the head wound would prove crucial to Patterson’s case that tips the theory in favor of murder.

Yet Patterson, in his dramatization, documents the wound as stemming from a chariot fall. Hmm. And, during the assassination scene, the killer supposedly suffocated the pharaoh (fine, that was fiction. I suppose Patterson found it to be weird to have the killer strike the pharaoh on the exact spot injured from the fall – there was only a single wound to the head.) So the smashing new bits of insight wasn’t even used to weave a consistent story regarding the murder of Tut. That I found strange. The lead up to the supposed new piece of evidence did not pay off. That would be fine for any writer but Patterson: he is a writer of detective stories. Are his other books so poorly tied together?

Although I had been expecting something a bit more serious (it certainly makes for good copy for a detective story writer to do a bit of crime investigation), the fact that the historical tidbits were translated into a story didn’t bother me, in and of itself. Yes, there are issues concerning the provenance of each detail, but as a whole, it works as one amateur’s interpretation of how Egypt’s ruling class lived. At some point, with the difficulty in translating hieroglyphics and the length of time separating us from the pharaohs, a scholar’s educated reconstruction of how these Egyptians lived may not fair any better than what Patterson can invent based on his research.

There were also other minor problems. Patterson wove three stories together: the story of the pharaohs, Patterson’s modern day research, and Howard Carter’s excavation of Egypt and his finding Tut’s tomb. Patterson, on two occasions, wrote of Carter’s removal from active excavation, and merely alluded to Carter’s personality clashes with his superiors. But somehow, Patterson did not recount the details of the arguments that led to Carter’s removal. He simply just wrote that Carter was about to flout the wrong people… and left it at that.

So, the major problem was that Patterson played up the historical research he and his co-author performed. It may have been submerged into the background details of the pharaoh’s story. But Patterson didn’t describe in clear terms what new evidence he had, and the story he wrote differed in interpretation, but not substance, from what was already known. And given the circumstantial evidence surrounding Tut’s tomb and succession, it seems strange that no one had posited that Tut was murdered, as Patterson seems to be suggesting.(less)

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Dec 08, 2009

Kate rated it:

(review of isbn 0316034045)

Read in December, 2009

This book can be a fairly enjoyable read IF you do two things. First: Read it as a novel and not a work of non fiction. If you are expecting a well research non fiction piece you will be disappointed.

Second: Just skip the chapters written by the author about himself. They are shameless self promotion (about the all the research, which he evidently did NOT do) and disrupt the flow of the book. Particularly egregious is the final chapter about himself where he claims to solve th...more

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