The Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun is a fascinating historical figure – at age 9 he assumed control of one of the most powerful countries in the world but was dead less than a decade later under mysterious circumstances. The question of his death (was it murder from a blow to the back of the head or an infected leg injury?) still confounds scholars, but best-selling mystery writer James Patterson claims to have solved the case in his first nonfiction book: The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King.
Taking his cue from his famous fictional character, Alex Cross, Patterson follows a hunch about how Tut was killed and constructs a convincing conspiracy plot to murder the boy pharaoh. The action speeds along as Patterson jumps between three time frames – his own thought process in taking on this project, the 1922 discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, and the events of Tut’s life. It is an entertaining, intriguing read.
But as a nonfiction book, it is unreliable. There is a heavy blurring between fact and Patterson’s conjectures. There are no reference notes to indicate what is fact and what Patterson has reconstructed from his imagination. While his solution to the mystery is plausible, it is more fiction than fact.
Want to read it for yourself? Find it at the Indianola Public Library on the new nonfiction bookshelf under the number 932 Pat. It is also available on audiobook.
For other perspectives on Tutankhamun and ancient Egypt, go to the 932 section of the nonfiction shelves.
No comments:
Post a Comment