As a fan of historical fiction, especially Egyptian historical fiction, I really enjoyed this "who dun it" featuring some favourite gods, goddesses, and ancient royalty. I always enjoy when authors use actual figures throughout history as minor players in the story and I loved how these were woven into the book.

In terms of readability, it was pretty evenly paced with a few unknown vocabulary words thrown in there that I could find definitions for on my Kindle as I went. Had I been reading a physical copy, this might have annoyed me. The plot flowed along nicely with twists, turns, and mystery in appropriate places. It wasn't deep or thought-provoking but I don't believe it was trying to be.

I'd recommend this book to a fellow Egyptian historical fiction lover who is looking for a fun mystery to read without having to devote too much brain power to it and just enjoy!

Overall good read. Placing crime story in Egypt of Ptolomies was really good idea. Good plot, I like characters. I like writing style too. I did enjoyed it and hope for more.

Keith Moray presents an excellent historical mystery in Death of a Poet. Hanufer has just been appointed overseer of Alexandria police which has meant blowback from the Greeks and he is charged with solving crimes associated with executed poet Sotades. Ptolemy Philadelphus and his sister queen are threatened and the pharaoh has little patience to spare. Meanwhile other murders pop up and the police are corrupt. Will Hanufer survive the politics and crime solving in Alexandria? Dive into an eventful plot.

I love Keith Moray's historical mysteries and hope to read other set in Egypt and featuring these characters.
This one is well plotted and well researched. An entertaining historical mystery that kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

As a light historical mystery, this book was perfect. The author gave every sign of knowing his subject and his era, and although I don't know much about ancient Egypt under the Greeks, I received no sense that the author didn't either. Rather, he showed an in-depth knowledge of the religious beliefs as well as the social structure and mores of the times.

Not exactly high literature, the story was interesting enough as far as it went, even though it was a tad predictable. Some scenes where a tad clumsy, where the author used conversation between two characters as a device for providing background information. Ptolemy and Arsinoe speaking to each other refer to 'our half brother' several times, and mentioned details of their background and relationships. Surely, as these three people are siblings, it is unnecessary for such details to be explained to each other at such length as they would already know to all concerned. It is clear why this is done, but the book is somehow diminished by the use of such a transparent and cumbersome device.

Some character development regarding Sabu would have been a nice addition. We saw almost everything from Hanufer's perspective, and received only brief reports of Sabu's investigations, which were equally as important to the solving of the mystery, after all. There was a lot of 'tell' and not 'show' in terms of Sabu's characterisation, which was a shame. Also, while I am not one for romance in my mystery stories, the romance here was subtle and superficial enough to pass muster.

All in all, not a bad first book, and I will be interested to see if and how things develop.

‘It all falls into place, yet at the same time it falls apart.’

275 BC, Alexandria. Hanufer of Crocidilopolis is the newly appointed Overseer of Police in Alexandria. He has been personally appointed by the Pharoah, Ptolemy Philadelphus. He is called to investigate an outrage when an altar is desecrated with a poem which is intended to insult Ptolemy Philadelphus and his sister-wife, Queen Arsinoe. The author of the poem, Sotades the Obscene, was recently executed by drowning. Who used his poem in this way?

Hanufer and his sergeant Sabu are investigating, but it is not long before a poet is found murdered. And yes, a poem by Sotades is found near the body. Several people seem to be familiar with the poetry of Sotades the Obscene, but who is using his poems in this way? Or, as some think, has Sotades somehow survived drowning?
As the body count increases, Hanufer and Sabu are tested. Autopsies provide some answers, as do the interviews they conduct.

I’ve not read a lot of fiction set in Ancient Egypt, and I enjoyed the way Mr Moray brought the setting to life and explained the procedures used. I’ll definitely line up for the next instalment.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I have never read a murder mystery set in Ancient Egypt before and I was totally here for it. Well written with a compelling stoyrline and well developed and fscinating characters. a good amount of twist too. I can't wait for more

This is a procedural complete with crime scenes, suspect interviews and autopsies that would not be out of place in a contemporary setting. Being set in Ancient Egypt makes it very original. Hanufer is the new Overseer of Police in Alexandria, appointed personally by the Pharaoh after solving an impossible case in his native Crocodilopolis. He has to hit the ground running when a series of gruesome murders point toward an obvious culprit. The problem is that said suspect is dead. Did he come back from the afterlife to avenge himself? Being that this is a time when people believed in a whole Pantheon of gods, coming back from the dead didn’t seem too far-fetched. The influence from Greece has come to Egypt and there is conflict between both cultures. There is political and cultural turmoil. But Hanufer also has the help of natural philosophers ahead of their time. These characters are real historical figures, so it’s interesting to read about their methods. There is a lot of information to add historical background, I am very interested in Ancient Egypt so all this was enjoyable. For more casual readers, this may bog down the action. The characters were not three-dimensional and seemed too modern for their time. That said, it’s an engaging read.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Sapere Books!

275 B.C. Hanufer of Crocodilopolis has been appointed Overseer of the Police in Alexandria. Desecration of an altar with a poem by disgraced and presumed dead poet Sotades is soon followed by a death. Then another death with nearby another poem ascribed to Sotades.
What us the motive behind these deaths and the ultimate aim. Hanufer and his Sergeant Sabu investigate.
An entertaining, well-written and well-plotted historical mystery. A good start to this new series with its likeable and interesting main characters.