Raiders of the Nile

Name: Raiders of the Nile
Rating: 4.06 (2270 reviews)

by Steven Saylor Book 2 in the Ancient World series.

First published 2014

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4.1(2,270)

Alexandria and the Nile Delta, 88 BC. Gordianus is living with Bethesda when bandits kidnap her after mistaking her for a wealthy man’s mistress. To recover her, he enters the criminal world of the Cuckoo’s Nest and is forced to take part in an attempt to rob the tomb of Alexander the Great.

The adventure unfolds during the struggle between Ptolemy X and his exiled brother Ptolemy IX. Street violence and royal uncertainty make Alexandria increasingly dangerous, while Gordianus must outwit both the raiders and those using political disorder for profit.

The Ptolemaic succession crisis weakens the normal protection offered by law and administration. Criminal groups can exploit uncertainty over who rules, while officials have reasons to avoid investigations that might touch royal interests. Gordianus’s search for Bethesda therefore becomes a lesson in how private crime flourishes when political authority is divided and everyone expects another change of regime.