I am a fan of James Patterson. But lately, even Alex Cross has lost his appeal to me. And with so many ideas, it seems Patterson is like Julio Igleseas was a decade ago - he sang duets with EVERYONE - Patterson seems to do his writing with everyone now.

While there are some Patterson's books I will always read, I am so excited I purchased The Murder of King Tut.

You see, I love history - ancient history of Greece and Egypt, and studied to be a docent at a popular Atlanta museum.

Particularly, King Tut, the Boy King, has caught everyone's attention.

The mystery of Tut's death, the strange way he was buried, has always tweaked the imagination of those of us who dream of a time thousands of years ago, where the Sphynx and the Pyramids were new, and rulers were absolute and intruige was rampant.

Patterson interweaves current day thoughts/investigations with ancient theories how Tut's life went down. Patterson adds his theory of the death of Tut, and the happenings of post Tut life in Egypt.

Remember, Amun was THE god then - a like of folks of the time wanted to return to the gods of old - Ra, Osiris, Isis - with Tut's death, the old gods were restored and Amarna was literally destroyed.

It is the best work Patterson has done in a while. Using his humor, he shows us how he writes his works, then transports us thousands of years in the past to a love story, a mystery, and a murder whodunit.

Definitely worth the wait - this is a non-fiction book that out thrillers a lot of so called thrillers.

ellen george

The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson and Martin Dugard, ISBN 978-0-316-03404-3, Little, Brown and Company, review by ellen george