Out of the Black Land

Eighteenth Dynasty Egypt is peaceful and prosperous under the dual rule of the Pharaohs Amenhotep III and IV, until the younger Pharaoh begins to dream new and terrifying dreams. Ptah-hotep, a young peasant boy studying to be a scribe, wants to live a simple life. But Amenhotep IV appoints him Great Royal Scribe, and he is soon surrounded by bitterly envious rivals and enemies. The beautiful Nefertiti is married off to the impotent young Amenhotep. But Nefertiti must bear royal children. The Pharaoh's shrinking army under the teenage General Horemheb guards the Land of the Nile from enemies on every border. But a greater menace lies in the royal palace. The horrified court soon realize that the Pharaoh is not merely deformed, but irretrievably mad.... Kerry Greenwood has written 20 novels, a number of plays, and is an award-winning children's writer. In 2003 she won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Australian Crime Writers Association.