The Spies of Sobeck

by Paul Doherty

Reviewed by Coral

There is unrest in Egypt, as Nubia moves to an all-out rebellion against the Pharaoh. Misfortune befalls the pharaoh from every side: army scouts are being poisoned, official messengers are going missing, old army veterans are being murdered and assassination attempts are made on high officials and even the Pharaoh herself. Behind this misfortunes are the Arites, Nubia’s renowned assassins, who follow the Sgeru, the last true member of Nubia’s royal family, whose identity is shrouded in secrecy.

In order to preserve the peace in the land and to safeguard the Pharaoh’s life, Amerotke will have to reveal the true identity of the Sgeru and break the ranks of secrecy that protects them.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as some of the earlier books in the series.

kind of guessed the identity of the Sgeru. This wasn’t one of my random guesses and it wasn’t detective work based on clues. I’ve always found that the character of Shufoy, Amertoke assistant who happens to be a dwarf, has always been infantilized throughout the series, despite the fact I think he’s in his late thirties. Amertoke is constantly patting him on the head and holding his hand as they walk in a busy marketplace. So when it looked like something good was happening in his life, I figured the author wouldn’t let that happened and right away knew who the Sgeru was.

I’m disappointed that it doesn’t seem like there will be any more books in this series and it ended on a low note.

Grade: D