A Cruel Deceit

Lieutenant Bak #6

by Lauren Haney

From far and wide, they have come to the capital city of Waset for the opulent Feast of Opet-- sovereigns and supplicants, the pious and proud, gathering for the eleven-day-long revelries. While greeting friends and fellow Medjay officers at the bustling harbor, Lieutenant Bak is distracted by foul murder, the discovery of the body of a Hittite horse trader, his throat savagely cut. Bak has no authority to investigate what could be a simple matter of Hittite politics -- until similar murders occur within the sacred precinct of the Lord Amon. Though this city is not his own, Bak eagerly agrees to aid in the investigation. But his determined search for connections embroils him in a terrifying conspiracy that points to the court of Queen Hatshepsut herself. Untold others may be joining the ranks of the dead before the villain is done -- with Lieutenant Bak numbered among them.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Egypt, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Egyptology

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

This is a pseudonym for Betty Winkelman.

Lauren Haney, a former technical editor in the aerospace and international construction industries, is the author of several ancient Egyptian mysteries featuring Lieutenant Bak. She lives in Sante Fe, New Mexico, and travels to Egypt at every opportunity.

Haney's novels have been published in German, English and French, and in the Czech Republic. The german editions of her novels have been published unter her real name Betty Winkelman.

Reviews

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good entry in the Lt. Bak series. Two murders and the theft of goods from the royal storehouse are investigated by Bak. Can the two crimes be connected? Of course, and naturally, Lt. Bak sets things right. An excellent historical murder/mystery. If you like unusual historical localities this book is for you. Recommended.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lieutenant Bak is here for a sixth book of solving mysteries in ancient Egypt.
In this book the festival of Opet has taken the lieutenant to the capital of Waset. When two murders take place, one a Hittite horse trader and the other an auditor, he is asked to help find the murderer.
I am not sure exactly what draws me to these books, whether it is the love of a good mystery, a fascination with ancient Egypt or great characters but I keep coming back to them, even if it does take a few years.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoiler alert - Lt Bak gets beat up - a lot - in this story - that's it.
I really like how the author Lauren Haney has developed Lt Bak, 18th dynasty Egyptian police officer.
While his detective skills are getting better h still has doubts: am I looking this the right way? am I going down the wrong trail?
He's not one of your cock sure investigators - he's always questioning himself. I like that

[Anne Wingate · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lady Maat, Goddess of Order, is Pleased . . .

at the capture of the miscreants who dared to murder in the house of the god Amon during his own eleven-day festival celebrating the divine birth of the two rulers, Hatshepsut and Thutmose. Without the determination of Lieutenant Bak, the evil-doers might have gone free.
Recommended for all readers of historical fiction.

[Brandon Conner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very heavy read. The plot is so-so. Some of the descriptions and scenes are fascinating.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bak finds the body of a man with a slashed throat, among his agitated horses. Periodically, merchant Maruwa would bring a cargo of Hittite horses to raise the quality of Pharaoh's stables, but this time he never had time to set foot on land. This is the capitol city, not under Bak's jurisdiction, and the murder that Bak is itching to investigate belongs to the young harbormaster.

Once the case begins to spread into the Temple of Amon complex, Pharoah's cousin Amonked fulfills Bak's wish and assigns the case to him. Murder leads Bak along a trail that might mean wholesale theft and might be the backlash of an old treason, Bak can't tell which.

Lauren Haney hasn't cured herself of dropping big chunks of description into the middle of the action; but she has learned to compensate for it somewhat as the climax approaches, by jumping from one scene to another in a series of quick cuts. I didn't have to push myself to keep reading this one.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A long-awaited festival is underway. It has brought the co-rulers of Egypt, Hatshepsut and her nephew Thutmose, to participate in the grand procession honoring the god Amon. But in the midst of the merrymaking, a murder most foul occurs, and Lieutenant Bak and his Medjays are brought in to assist with the investigation, even though it is outside their jurisdiction. Then another murder and another put a blight on the activities of the Feast. Are the murders related, even though the victims seem to have nothing in common other than death? Bak must find out before he becomes the fourth victim.

This entry in the Lieutenant Bak series is well-plotted. Bak continues to be a very appealing character, one whom the reader can identify with and wish well.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

# 6 in this ancient Egypt mystery series. A proud officer in the service of Queen Hatshepsut, it was Lieutenant Bak's great misfortune to lead his charioteers in a raid of a house of pleasure frequented by Egyptians of very high station. Reassigned for his transgressions, Bak is exiled to Buhen -- a fortified city in the most desolate part of the Nile valley where he put in charge of the police force of Medjays. Bak and his Medjays are on their way to a new posting in a more important and larger town after serving time in the frontier city. They stop in the capital city for a major religious ceremony involving the queen. There is murder and the appearance of the smuggling valuable items from the royal store houses.