With his faithful secretary, Maya, Hani, a royal scribe lives a full life enjoying his work as a diplomat of the king of Egypt while living a blissful life with his adored family. When a foreign visitor Hani hosts is murdered upon his return home, the king charges Hani with solving the crime. What follows is a years’ long investigation with Hani and Maya traveling through the territories of ancient Egypt, uncovering the truth while navigating political landmines and hardships including the death of the king, upheaval under the reign of the new king, invasionsby the Hittites, assassination attempts, and forced separation from their families. Hani pretends to be a faithful servant to the new king whose policies, including outlawing the old religions,Hani does not support or respect and which make him question his life.
In Bird in a Snare, N.L. Holmes masterfully brings ancient Egypt to life, displaying what must be years of scholarship on the subject. Holmes mixes key historical events and characters with modern language, making the reader comfortable with content that could quickly turn academic in other hands.
However, there are times when Holmes’ writing does veer a little on the dry side, and the book contains such a huge cast of characters, a character list is required at the beginning of the novel. There is also an abuse storyline that, although not graphic, may disturb some readers.
This reader gives the novel 3 out of 4 stars primarily due to the huge and often confusing cast of characters most of whom are only mentioned once and add nothing to the advancement of the plot. Also, Holmes is so knowledgeable about the subject matter, there is an assumption that the reader will be as well, and some key details that could have quickly explained the role of a character, a custom, or an historical event are left out, leaving the reader to either miss the point or go to the internet to research. Additionally, the denouement was anti-climactic, and justice is meted out behind the scenes, leaving the reader let down by the conclusion.
The novel is recommended for lovers of historical fiction or ancient Egypt as these aspects hold priority over any mystery elements within the plot.
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