Book of the Month: February

The Stolen Queen is a fascinating historical mystery by master writer Fiona Davis. In the book we read about the real life Egyptian female pharaoh Hatshepsut who is referred to as Hathokare in the novel. 

The story alternates between the current era and the 1930s in Egypt. Not only was the mystery interesting but the history surrounding ancient Egypt was fascinating. It was obvious that the author performed a lot of research. I was initially confused, though, why she did not use the real name of Hatshepsut for the story. The Author's Note states that she had to alter the dates of events in the storyline so she decided to create a fictional character instead. Likewise, the author changed the names of Hatshepsut's husband and son.

The issues concerning the repatriation of stolen artworks is addressed toward the end of the story. The characters dialogue reveals some of the reasons for and against repatriation which was eye opening. The Stolen Queen is a riveting story that you won't want to miss.