Grove Press
Grove Press
Grove Press
Detective Arieh Ben-Roi of the Jerusalem police once more teams up with his old friend, the Egyptian policeman Yusuf Khalifa, in a gripping contemporary thriller with connections to ancient Egypt.
Detective Arieh Ben-Roi of the Jerusalem police is tasked with the investigation of the death of a well-known Israeli journalist, Rivka Kleinberg, who was found brutally murdered in a cathedral in Jerusalem. Known for her fearless exposes, Kleinberg had made many high-powered enemies, including international corporations, the Israeli government, and the Russian mafia. Looking for leads, Ben-Roi begins researching which stories Kleinberg was working on before she died, and finds a connection to Egypt that confuses him.
At a stumbling block, Ben-Roi phones up his old friend, Yusuf Khalifa of the Luxor police, and asks him if he will help him investigate the case. Reeling from the death of his son in a tragic accident, Khalifa is happy for the distraction of work. He begins looking into another story that Kleinberg was researching just before her murder: the mysterious death of a British Egyptologist in the 1930s. This Egyptologist was said to have uncovered a giant labyrinth-like gold mine of incredible riches written about in the works of Herodotus. But what connection could this gold mine have with Kleinberg’s murder?
With a plot that moves from Israel to Egypt to Vancouver to Romania, The Labyrinth of Osiris is an intelligent, gripping novel from an internationally acclaimed master of thriller writing.
“If Paul’s past books are anything to go on it’s a must-read. He enters the world of the ancients with such ease and veracity.” —Terry Jones
“Taut, entertaining archaeological murder mystery-meets-spy thriller by genre-meister Sussman. . . . a trained archaeologist, [he] knows his stuff—and how to make a reader jump, too. . . . A mayhem-rich view of the world through the eyes of mummies and villains, and a lot of fun.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Its 500-plus pages travel across borders between Egypt, Israel and America and across generations, bringing to life a cast of believable characters. But it is the central characters—an Egyptian policeman and his Israeli counterpart—that really pull the reader into the tale which takes on issues including cyber-crime, sex-trafficking and sectarian hatred.” —The Northern Echo
“This is the fourth, and, tragically, the last thriller from the bestselling author Paul Sussman . . . an absolutely top-notch thriller—captivating, intelligent and notably well-written, and with a depth of characterization which most thrillers don’t even attempt. Like its three predecessors, this novel combines a modern detective story with Egyptian archaeology . . . in Sussman’s hands that combination works impressively well. . . . Sussman’s plotting is terrific, as is the confidence with which he allows its story with its richly detailed contexts and characters time to develop.” —The Daily Mail
“[Sussman is] hands down one of the best writers of international suspense . . . excitement melds with adventure . . . bone-chilling thrills, a flair for the macabre, and off-the-charts suspense. Superb.” —Steve Berry, author of The Charlemagne Pursuit on The Hidden Oasis
“Sussman must have come wearily familiar with people describing him as the “thinking person’s Dan Brown.” Certainly, there are surface similarities. . . There are, however, key differences. Sussman was a far better writer. An elegant stylist, he drew a sharp pen-portrait and had an impressive grounding in archaeology . . . Sussman knew how to keep a complex plot bowling along while constantly ratcheting up the tension. He also writes unusually well about Egypt. . . . Top-drawer popular fiction and is sure to become an even bigger bestseller than Sussman’s three other novels.” —The Mail on Sunday
“With his fourth and best novel to date, Sussman takes his place on the must-read lists of those who value plot and characterization. . . . There is redemption, nobility and friendship, and all the right stuff that makes us human beings.” —Joe Hartlaub, Bookreporter.com
“The third in the series of police procedurals-cum-architectural thrillers that began in 2002 with Lost Army of Cambyses—novels whose stylish writing and deep research showed how careful you should be not to judge a genre by its worst examples. The Labyrinth of Osiris reunites Yusuf Khalifa of the Luxor police and Jerusalem detective AriehBen-Roi . . . It’s the three-dimensionality of the characters that makes the package work so well; what a shame there won’t be another.” —The Guardian
“Combines [Sussman’s] passion for archaeology and thehistory of Ancient Egypt with well-drawn characters and a page-turning plot.Its 500-plus pages travel across borders between Egypt, Israel and America and across generations, bringing to life a cast of believable characters the reader cares about. . . . It would be a fitting tribute to a fine writer if this classy mix of crime novel and historical saga found its way on to the best-seller lists this year.” —Irish Examiner
“Sussman mixes a police procedural with an archaeological mystery. . . [a] superlative thriller.” —Recorded Books Blog
“Brilliant detective fiction set in the complex and dynamic world of post Arab-Spring Israel and Egypt with closely observed characterization and an exploration of the many different facets of family. . . . a fine final novel from the much missed Paul Sussman.” —NudgeMeNow.com
“A satisfying sense of being set in the real world, with sub-plots involving cyber crime, sex trafficking and terrorism. It’s the sort of thing Dan Brown would write if he had a feel for people and places, and reminds us that crime fiction is one field where the Brits give the Americans a run for their money on the medal table.” —Daily Telegraph
“The two detectives are real, and you feel for them as their fortunes rise and fall over and over again. . . .[One] scene was the most dramatic I have ever read. And I read a lot.” —NwBookLovers.org
“Have you ever heard of a guy called Samuel Pinsker?” Ben-Roi asked.
Khalifa hadn’t.
“He was a British mining engineer. Disappeared from Luxor sometime in the early Twentieth Century. His body was discovered in a tomb in 1972.”
“I’m intrigued.”
“Me too. He seems to connect with a murder case I’m working on, although how or why I’ve no idea. I thought maybe, what with you being in Luxor . . .”
“I could do a little exploring.”
“If you’ve got too much on your plate . . .”
“No, no, I’m happy to help. Can you send me some details?”
“I’ll e-mail them first thing. For God’s sake don’t waste too much time on it, just enough to . . .”
“Solve your case for you?”
Ben-Roi chuckled.
“Exactly. How about this, eh, Khalifa? You and me working together again. The A-Team. Just like old times!”
The Egyptian’s response was less buoyant.
“Nothing will ever be like old times, my friend. They are gone forever. I’ll get back to you as soon as I have something.”
And with that he rang off.
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