Review of Bird in a Snare

[Katrina Phelan]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Bird in a Snare" by N.L. Holmes.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Bird in a Snare is a murder mystery set in Egypt around 1350 BCE. The author, N.L. Holmes, takes the reader on an adventure following Hani, a diplomat, on his mission to find the murderer of Abdi-ashirta, the leader of a group of societal outsiders. We get detailed descriptions of the life Hani and his family lead, as well as, of the land in which he travels. During his work to uncover the party guilty of murder, he and his trusted secretary, Maya, uncover many secrets and have to unravel many small mysteries before they meet their goal.

When we meet Hani, Egypt was under the rule of co-regents - the old king and his son. With the death of the old king came many changes. The young king makes sweeping changes to the religious expectations of the people, causing a great deal of turmoil for many. He also makes changes to the foreign policy of the land, causing a great deal of difficulty for Hani and Maya.

Throughout the story, rich descriptions paint a wonderful picture as the reader is led through the adventure. The author does a very good job providing context and back story for each character throughout the story. I really enjoyed meeting all the characters, even the less charming ones, because I knew I would get more details to fill into the backstory. I also truly liked having the glossary and list of characters, especially since the author used many Egyptian names and words throughout the book. These resources were quite helpful.

The only potentially negative aspect of the book was the extensive use of Egyptian names. Sometimes this made the story a bit difficult to follow, especially since there were many similar names. I found myself relying heavily on the list of characters in some places to fully understand what was happening. However, I think the Egyptian names added to the historical sense and understanding of the religious turmoil of the time.

Rating: 4 out of 4
Even though the Egyptian names made it a more challenging read, at no point in the story did I have the ending figured out. To me, that is the hallmark of a great murder mystery.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good murder mystery, is a scholar of Egyptian history, or is just a fan of good historical fiction.

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Bird in a Snare
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