The Emersons are in 1911 Egypt, excavating at Zawyet el'Aryan. It's more like an English cemetary with lots of little tombs and they don't expect to find much there.
David has recently married Lia and they're off in Europe on their honeymoon. Whilst he's absent someone is pretending to be him to sell antiquities supposedly belonging to his late grandfather Abdullah.
Naturally the Emersons all run off searching in different directions for the forger, without consulting each other. Initially they get in each others way until they realise they're better working together.
They have a new nemesis, Amelia's nephew Percy and he brings darker troubles for the family than they've ever faced before. It's a much somber book. Usually the troubles are deep, but obviously surmountable. Yet this book just made me feel sad and overwhelmed.
I'm really starting to like Ramses and Nefret again. They have matured and are less like arrogant idiots. The whole family is more cohesive and open with each other. They work great as a team. Yet, I find Nefret's marriage impossible to believe. It's probably the feminist in me, but I just cannot comprehend how a woman could be that stupid or petty. Nefret almost threw her life away without a good reason. I know the character is impulsive, but that is taking it all a bit far. I do wonder sometimes what kind of people Peters knew that put these characteristics in her mind.
As ominous as this book felt, I did like it, even though the ending had me raging. I'm really saddened that Peters is dead, I feel like something bright has been lost from the world and there is no-one gifted enough these days to take her place.
