The poisoner of Ptah

the long version

Pharaoh-Queen Hatusu's kingdom is rich in religion, ritual, art and education. But for all its prosperity and power, it is not without its weaknesses - or enemies. At the signing of a peace treaty between Egypt and Libya in Thebes, three of Egypt's leading scribes die violently on the Temple forecourt, the victims of a vile poisoning. And when a prosperous merchant and his young wife are found drowned, rumours soon sweep the imperial city. The Poisoner of Ptah has returned. Pharaoh Hatusu, angered that these abominations happened under her reign, orders Amerotke, Chief Judge of the Halls of Two Truths, to find the perpetrator. His hunt uncovers a mass of suspicion and danger. Now Amerotke must pit his wits against an opponent intent on vengeance ...