Dana Stabenow is well known for her Kate Shugak mystery series, but this title is first in a series set in Alexandria, Egypt in 45 BC, during Cleopatra VII’s reign. Her Eye, or agent, has just been murdered while tracking a lost shipment of new bronze coins commissioned by the Queen. Cleopatra chooses her childhood friend, Tetisheri, to become the new Eye, and tasks her with finding both the murderer and the lost shipment of coin. Tetisheri is aided by Apolloduros, the queen’s personal bodyguard. Stabenow paints a vivid portrait of the indignities suffered by women during that time, especially slave women. I found both this title and its sequel, Disappearance of a Scribe, to be very satisfying reads. Recommended especially for fans of historical fiction.
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