Book excerpt: A double murder and a robbery threaten the tentative peace of Ancient Egypt... The third mystery to feature Paul Doherty's engaging Judge Amerotke, The Anubis Slayings is a thrilling novel of murder, intrigue and sleuthing. Perfect for fans of Christian Jacqs and Wilbur Smith. 'Doherty evokes atmospherically the sounds, smells and texture of ancient Egypt. But he does not simply rely on an apparently encyclopaedic familiarity with life along the Nile; he also creates a fiendish locked-room mystery and a solution as clever as the puzzle' - Scotsman Hatusu, the remarkable young widow of Pharaoh Tuthmosis II, has forced Egyptian society to acknowledge her as Pharaoh, and her success in battle is spreading Egypt's glory well beyond its frontiers. In the Temple of Anubis, negotiations are taking place between Hatusu and the defeated King Tushratta of Mitanni for a peace treaty that will seal her greatest victory. But in one night, two hideous murders in the temple and the theft of the Glory of Anubis threaten the tentative truce. The respected Judge Amerotke must find the truth or Egypt's fragile peace could be destroyed for ever. What readers are saying about The Anubis Slayings: 'I couldn't put this book down, it was fantastic' 'He [paints] a vivid and colourful setting for the events of the book' 'Paul Doherty always manages to gives us thrillers that keep us turning the pages'