People say that you tend to have a dinosaur phase, Ancient Greek phase or Ancient Egypt phase. I had all three but my love of Ancient Egypt was cemented when 9 year old me saw The Mummy (1999). Why is this relevant? Well since then I’ve always looked for good fiction containing those elements. Normally I might find a pulpy adventure set in between the 20s and 50s but I’ve not found one that scratches my itch for adventure and puzzles until Paraoh’s Gold. I went in with high expectations and let me say they were met every time.

Krug transports us, from what I know from Egyptologist at least, back to Ancient Egypt and the surrounding area with accuracy and most of all an enjoyable plot. A perfect blend of historical and fantastical to create a wonderful tale that often has you on the edge of your seat. The writing is impeccable and not only brings the past but the characters to life. I loved the Desert Mice, a band of thieves for the most part, and how they all worked together and played off each other. I loved the elements of historical accuracy with the different peoples and factions.

Now I never do spoilers but I can say it tells of an authors talent if you can end up feeling sad for losing a character who you haven’t known for long. Krug captures the humanity of each characters, perhaps not so much the ‘bad’ guys but they are still very human. On top of this we have perfect adventure, action and puzzles. The perfect read for any Ancient Egypt fan.