Disappearance of a scribe

In Edgar winner Stabenow's entertaining second mystery set during the reign of Egyptian queen Cleopatra (after 2018's Death of an Eye), the city of Alexandria is rebuilding from a punishing siege during the recent civil war and is on its way to becoming a client state of Rome. When a body is discovered in the harbor, its feet secured in two amphoras by a rare type of Roman waterproof cement, Cleopatra dispatches her childhood friend Tetisheri--a personal investigator and spy known as the Eye of Isis--to identify the victim and the killer. As she grapples with her new responsibilities (her predecessor was murdered in Death of an Eye), Tetisheri must deal with political intrigues, violence, and corruption from the crowded streets to the queen's palace. Stabenow brings Alexandria's Hellenistic period to life while demonstrating that murder, methodical detective work, and politically expedient resolutions that fall short of justice are nothing new under the sun. Best known for her series featuring Alaska investigator Kate Shugak, Stabenow is as much at home in ancient Egypt as she is in the Alaskan wilderness. Agent: Danny Baror, Baror International. (Jan.)