Disappearance of a Scribe (#1,076) is Dana Stabenow's second book in her series set in the Alexandria of Caesar and Cleopatra, and just as well constructed a mystery. (See my post of 2/11/2019.) Tetisheri, Cleopatra's childhood friend, is still reluctant to assume the role of the Queen's Eye, her covert spy.
Tetisheri is called upon to investigate the death of a corpse pulled from the waters off Alexandria. But this particular corpse's feet are encased in concrete. The chief of police tells Tetisheri that this is the second such body they have found. Who are they, and why was this method used, since concrete is a precious building material?
In the hive of building activity reconstructing Alexandria from its recent civil war, someone thinks Tetisheri is coming too close to the truth. Can she find out who is behind the deaths before someone fits her with her own concrete sandals?
The characters are so interesting in this series. There's Tetisheri herself, and her merchant Uncle Neb. His household is growing by leaps and bounds as Tetisheri keeps adding strays she comes across in pursuit of her investigation - in this case, a former female cab driver, and a gang of street orphans. There's also the real character of Vitruvius, a Roman engineer, currently studying in Alexandria. His area of expertise? Concrete. And there's still that tantalizing bit of romance with the mysterious Apollodorus. Sheri still hasn't figured out exactly what he does for the Queen...
I look forward to more cases in this excellent historical mystery series.
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