Originally posted Dec. 14, 2008
Reviewed for HarperCollins First Look group
Think Indiana Jones in the Napoleonic Wars!
I loved this book. Great adventure woven from history, think Indiana Jones in the Napoleonic Wars! This latest book takes place almost entirely in Egypt in the year 1799 and Napoleon is in the midst of his invasion of Israel. Ethan Gage is our hero and is in and out of trouble so fast and often it is hard to keep up with his sometimes hilarious and always stunning escapes. Here we have a classical treasure hunt in the deserts of Egypt.
William Dietrich's book is historically very accurate, and the treasure may indeed exist as has been rumored for centuries. Our protagonist finds himself “switching sides” through no fault of his own and with no political intention, constantly. The only political agenda of his is to find the object of his search and protect it or destroy it to keep it from the “wrong” hands while trying to find out what happened to his lost love Astiza. Other than the fact he is always avoiding execution, Evan is forever finding the girl, losing the girl, and finding the girl again.
Since Evan is also a gambler, perhaps the saying is true, ‘lucky at cards, unlucky at love’! I enjoy a book that is not only a great adventure and/or mystery but gives me extras, such as the historical bits and pieces I learned. “The Rosetta Key” follows a previous book, Napolean’s Pyramids, which I unfortunately had not read (but will definitely read it now), which sets the background for this book and involves the same search. I would not hesitate recommending this book to anyone. It would be of interest to readers of several genres. It has everything in it and I am so happy I was able to read it and review it. An absolute winner! 5 stars.
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