The Two Kites Paperback – 19 November 2012

The Americans stopped at the Rockies, and the expanding Egyptian Empire settled the Western Coast in this alternative history/mystery novel. In Menmenet, the City-by-the-Bay, Chef Nekhen is murdered, and Shesmu, his protege chef helps the police find his murderer. The mystery unfolds logically and interestingly. Rife with Egyptian words and customs (explained in the margins with hieroglyphs) slow down the reader, but add authority to the story. Authentic line drawings add an interesting element. An appended glossary lists all the hieroglyphs. An engrossing look at what might have been, and a feast for Egyptologists.

The Two Kites by Robert J Muller is three books in one.First, it is an alternate history. Imagine the European settlement of the America never made it to California. Instead San Francisco (Menmenet) is a Egyptian (Kemet) settlement. In this book we see the classical culture transplanted to modern times. Egyptian gods and burial customs combined with cell phones, Egyptian architectural and cooking transplanted to the San Francisco geography and climate. These imaginings alone might be worth the cost of admission.Second, this book is a mystery, a murder and a stolen knife ... a knife that traces its history to ancient Egyptian cults and sacrifices. Mystery readers will not be surprised nor disappointed with the police detectives, concerned, but reluctant private citizen, and multiples twists and turns.Finally, this is a work of art. The book uses over 150 classical Egyptian words. While a glossary is included at the end of the book, the beauty of this production is that the extra wide margins are used to show each Egyptian word transliterated in the familiar Latin alphabet (as they appear in the text) along with the translation and the beautifully rendered hieroglyphic forms on every page. In this way the flow is not hamper by the appearance of these Kemet words. The artistry is completed with delightful line-drawing illustrations by Mary J Swanson throughout.Whether you read this book for the alternate history, the mystery, or the beauty of the production, you will not be disappointed.

If I spoke Ancient Egyptian, I'd give this book 5 stars. I like languages, and I got used to and after a while enjoyed the liberal sprinkling of Egyptian words in this alternate reality story, but it takes away from the plot until you're up on the vocabulary. I now do know some Ancient Egyptian! The story itself is engaging, and I like the characters. It has something for foodies, mystery lovers, and Egyptologists! I look forward to reading the sequel.