The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King - A Nonfiction Thriller,   ISBN:9780316034043

Customer Rating: 

I LOVED this book!!!! I have read almost every James Patterson published fiction story that he has authored or co-authored. This was the first time I have purchased a book of his that was written from a different angle. The details were incredible, and the transition and connection between Patterson's perspective, Henry's experiences, and the world of the Egyptians was simply invigorating and brilliant. I learned so much as well, about the history of the Egyptian people, and walked away with a deeper sense of the tragedy of Tutankhamun. I was TRULY disappointed that the book had to end. What a mystery, what a love story, and what a writer! Mr. Patterson, you have done it again!

Customer Rating: 

Unfortunately, though touted as "A Nonfiction Thriller," this book is a highly romanticized rehashing of common knowledge history with some imaginative if dubiously accurate inventions of the Pharoah's young life. It is shallow, contains several needlessly distracting chapters of the author's namedropping and self-promoting experiences while writing the book, and generally fails to deliver what it promises. The true stories of Tut and Howard Carter's laborious attempts to find him are fascinating and worthy of much study, but this novel merely scims the surface. Wikipedian depth and poor organization don't help this material come to life, and with one to three page chapters and huge print, it is reminscent of a padded paper written by an enthusiastic if under practiced (and researched) high schooler. The Amarna Period in Egypt is remarkably complex, and none of this complexity is reflected in Patterson's rough-shod ride though his amusement park version of Egypt. Although the book is a quick read, this is yet another attempt to turn the Boy King into a cash cow, and an inelegant one, at that. The few hours spent rifling through this simple text would be better spent elsewhere for a reader interested in the complex stories it fails to relate.

Customer Rating: 

Not exactly what I had expected, but a fairly good read. I would have appreciated a bibliograpy, but then again, it was a novel.

Customer Rating: 

Rating: 4.5/5

Summary: James Patterson tells a story in three parts--one part, the mysterious death of King Tut, the second part the discovery of his tomb by Carter, and the third part his writing, own exploration, research, and discovery of the elusive history of the boy king.

Thoughts: This is one of the best James Patterson books I've ever read (listened too). JP has taken an age old mystery and solved it. Yes, it appears as though the mystery of Tut is mystery no more. This book is very alive, even though the plot revolves around a murder. I felt like I was standing right there, watching it all take place. At times, I felt like the characters themselves. This was an amazing escape from reality.

Characters (5/5): Characters should be relatable for a book to be enjoyable, and the characters in Tut's world were wonderful. They were highly developed right away, and were the kind that either you routed for or hated with a passion.

Writing (4/5/5): James is an awesome writer. I always love reading his work because it's so lyric. His words flow smoothly and he doesn't overuse too many phrases (though several "waves" of various things did "wash over" many people).

Content (4/5): There was barely any language in this book, which was a nice change of JP's work. It wasn't necessary, either. It just goes to show that the point can be made--and made well--without filthy language. There was a little bit of sex but it wasn't too graphic, nor was it frequent.

Reader (4/5): I really liked the voice of the reader for this book. I've heard some pretty awful ones before, I'll say that much right now! But Joe's voice was perfect for this book. The only thing I didn't like were the voices he put with the characters--the accents were pretty lousy, and when he put on a "fake" voice for the child characters, it just sounded a little silly. I was glad when Tut got old enough that he didn't have to do that anymore!

Recommendation: Ages 16+ to lovers of fiction, history, nonfiction, thrillers, mystery, or to any James-Patterson-addict.


**Thank you to Anna from Hachette for providing my review copy!**

Customer Rating: 

Having seen the Valley of the Kings and Queens several years ago, it was refreshing to read King Tut. It was remarkable exactly how on point James Patterson was in describing the tombs. Fantastic read!