The Right Hand of Amon

Haney's debut is a rather basic whodunit camouflaged by wonderfully evocative descriptions of 18th-dynasty Egypt, quiet humor and a bang-up conclusion that roars over the cataracts of the Nile. While investigating the grisly murder of a high-born army officer, Lieutenant Bak discovers a plot to assassinate the king and possibly his sickly son as well. During Bak's interviews of suspects and witnesses, such background as a potter's studio, an armory where spears and leather shields are repaired, houses of pleasure, barges and boats springs to life, as do the clothes, homes, tasks, shops, farms and food and drink of ordinary people. (Nov.)