Fiction trying to pass as Non-Fiction, Patterson offers little or no information as to how he came to his conclusions. He dismisses information and findings by experts in the field to "prove" his point. If you want to read it like one of his many, many fictional murder mysteries, fine. But do not look to this book as "Non-Fiction". Mr. Dugard would have served James Patterson better if he had discouraged his desire to write this book or at least labeled it "Fiction".

I really enjoyed reading this book, which is actually two histories. We get the history of King Tut and the history of Howard Carter and both are fascinating and told in an interesting, readable way. I loved the alternating time periods - it seemed to make Tut more relavent to today. I also enjoyed the sporadic chapters where you find out just what James Patterson is thinking as he writes - what a wonderful addition to the book. I'm not sure I would have quite labeled this as non-fiction since no one really knows what happened to Tut. It's more like one perspective on what could have happened to Tut, based on research. I'm very much okay with that. If you want to say you know everything there is to know about Tut, then you will need to read additional sources. But if you just enjoy learning some light history, then this book is a terrific read.

I have always been very interested in Egyptology and the archeology related to the early civilizations. This book delved into some long held theories that King Tut did not die of the general perscribed thoughts, but that there very will may have been evil hands at work. The theories presented were well thought out and plausable. Very will written.

I bought this for a gift for my husband and sister-in-law. They both enjoyed it emensely.

The premise of "The Murder of King Tut" is very alluring, particularly with the power of two strong names in writing: James Patterson who's written many popular books and Martin Dugard who's written a couple of wonderful epic biographies.

The delivery on this promise, however, was a terrible disappointment. I give this 2 stars instead of 1 only because I was able to finish it; mostly due to its 250 pages which are broken up by a very consumable 99 chapterettes. Yes...99 chapters in 250 pages.

Mr. Patterson and Mr. Dugard didn't have much to say.

The book bounces back and forth between the early 20th century focusing on Howard Carter and his early career and eventual discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen - and the early 1300s B.C. focusing on the Boy King's birth and demise.

The flashbacks to King Tut's era are filled with trite dialogue that I can only guess were drawn 100% from Patterson's imagination. Having read two other Dugard books, I would expect his involvement dealt exclusively with the non-fiction research. Much of Carter's chapterettes were taken from various diaries of his. Without any notes or bibliography, however, it was impossible to tell what was made up and what had at least some foundation in fact. These chapters were, though, interesting.

Patterson would have us believe that King Tut was murdered, a common analysis that's not at all unique (just search for books on King Tut). Within the last couple of years, scientists have performed and analyzed a CT scan on Tut's body and concluded that he probably died from an infection caused by a broken leg. While I understand that this recent analysis is open to interpretation, Patterson dismissed it out of hand. I would've liked a little deeper rationale here.

Patterson resolves this ancient whodunnit with the most simplistic of conclusions based on a painting within the room that contained the body of the Boy King. After reading about 220 pages and 90+ chapters, I'd come to realize that the masterstroke conclusion of who killed Tut would be as disappointing as the rest of the book.

On that, Patterson delivered.

I purchased it to learn more about King Tut before seeing the exhibit in San Francisco. Filled with speculation and artistic license, this book did not seem very credible. The actual narrative was terrible. I expected more from a storyteller like Patterson.

Although most of the plot taking place in Egypt is based on fact, there are some parts that no one could know if really happened. However, having studied Ancient Egypt's history, the majority is taken from real data. James Patterson pulls a reader in like no other author today and The Murder of King Tut is no exception. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is a James Patterson fan, an Ancient Egypt fan, or anyone looking for an entertaining and enthralling book.

James Patterson continues to hone his craft and deliver captivating works to his fans.

For the most part, I am not a fan of non-fiction novels. Not to say that occasionally one stumbles across my desk that has been quite enjoyable, however, I do not go out in search of one to read. This novel has certainly helped change my feelings on the matter, and opened my eyes to the glorious possibility that a real story can certainly hold a reader in its grip, making them wonder, what will happen next?

The story, or at the very least to say, the man called King Tut is not unknown. For almost a century our world has known of this great pharoh, a child king, from over thousands of years ago. Though never has his story been so richly told. Leave it to author James Patterson to make this historical story one into a richly believed one of betrayal, passion and murder.

His novel, The Murder of King Tut--The Plot to Kill the Child King, takes place in three different eras, surrounding the lives of three very different people: Tuthmosis, Howard Carter and James Patterson. The reader is welcomed into a story woven back in 3000 B.C., another in early 1900s, and in Present Day, all three piece together the story, the research, blood and sweat to unearth one of history's most fascinating stories. Now, was King Tut truly murdered? James Patterson and Martin Dugard really believe so, and after the facts, perhaps they're right. Though, with history as old as this, who can ever be one hundred percent sure? One thing we can be one hundred percent sure of, however, is that no matter what genre you enjoy, or whether your preference is fiction or non-fiction, this is a book no-one can resist. Once again James Patterson proves to be a force a nature, not only with his fantastic detective fictions, or heartbreaking love stories, but now also in taking real life drama and bringing it to life in modern day writing!

1. It IS a novel, not non-fiction, despite its labeling.
2. It does give superficial biographies of Carter, Tut and some figures from antiquity, which is its sole saving grace.
3. Far from closing the case on the death of an ancient figure, James Patterson does not even back up the fanciful conjecture he presents as truth.
4. Rarely have I seen a book so padded to the nines in order to stretch such slight material to bindable length.
5. The maps needed a legend to show scale, the interesting theological controversies raging in Egypt in Tut's time should have been explained here, and Patterson had no business appearing as a character in this book.

At this point there are 2 things I am fairly certain I can be: an author and an editor. Who let this pass through? To make this easier I will list the issues I had.
1) Juvenile. The prose was unbelievably cheap. There was no eloquence and it basically felt like something one of my students would give me.
2) Choppy. Because the chapters are so short, it never felt like a situation, idea or anything was fully developed. It is impossible to treat historical non-fiction like crime novels. The constant updating every page or so was annoying--it's not CSI or 24, it's 1334 (or some similar year) and the random updating doesn't fit the genre.
3) No suspense whatsoever. Enough said.
4) Ego massaging. I loved the "Present Day" chapters where Patterson would share about his time on the golf course, or office overlooking a lake, etc. Why would readers care about him when they are reading a book about Tut? It is actually aggrivating to read that.
5) Lastly, and most importantly, it was contradictory. I felt that Patterson spent the entire book showing Ankhesenpaaten to be a victim of circumstances as well as Tut, and then, suddenly in recap Patterson presents her as a co-conspirator of sorts. It was shocking and completely ruined the book for me. Oh, and the other people I know who read it.

Mr. Patterson, I'm sure you will read this as I know other authors have who have responded to me; this may be the best forum for authentic feedback. I would like to know what your thought process was as well as that of your editor. I had a 'Divinci Code' feeling, and that was that I was reading a book created for an audience that is not critical, just looking for a good story line. I am an English teacher, a lowly high school English teacher that feels like the ball has been dropped. I am not criticizing the research, that was wonderful and interesting. I am criticizing the style of this book. Your thoughts and response are of great interest.

Wow. This was an absolute waste. As repeatedly stated in other reviews, this is not a non-fiction account. But just as bad, it is not even particularly good as a fictional account. As non-fiction, it lacks any pretense of actual fact. As fiction, it lacks any pretense of good story telling. Glad I checked it out from the library. If the book description holds any interest at all, please just check it out rather than spend your money.
UPDATE: A MUCH better choice is The Murder of Tutankhamen by Bob Brier. I was left so empty by the Patterson book that I went looking and found this book. It is well written, and the author is an actual Egyptologist. It was also available at the library.

Wow. What can I say. Another sad review. I hate these!From what I heard, Patterson was supposed to be a talented author. He is....when he sticks to fiction.This book, however, did not meet his normal standards.This is truly not a NON-fiction book, like the cover portrays.It is a short and easy read,as is Patterson's style. It was a half a day's read. The co author's did a lot of research for this book it is seems but they added to much to "spice" it up, leaving this a fiction book. I was quite disappointed with this book. I had never read anything on King Tut before, and was looking forward to learning all these really cool facts on his murder and such. But then I sit down and read this, and it was like picking up a normal Patterson novel....more for entertaining than filled with facts. I would not recommend that you spend you money on this book. I would suggest, that if you do want to read this book, borrow it from someone who may already have it or check it out of a local library first. That way you aren't wasting money. I give this book 2 stars. The author is a great one, but the book itself....definitely not.

*This book was provided for review by Hachetter Book Group.*

James Patterson is one of my favorite authors, but he should stick to a genre that he knows something about. To claim that this book is a "Nonfiction Thriller" is false advertising at best. The story is at times interesting and entertaining historical FICTION. When Patterson starts providing quotes from conversations that may or may not have taken place 3500 years ago, and even worse, telling us what people were thinking, the claim that this is nonfiction is laughable. Part of the book is probably nonfiction--the parts where Patterson tells us what he himself was thinking in present day Palm Beach ring true. Some of the incidents relating to Howard Carter and the discovery of King Tut's tomb also have some credibility, but the majority of the book is fiction, pure and simple, some of it actually not too bad. The publisher (Little, Brown) should also know better!

I was enjoying finding out about Howard Carter and the Valley of the Kings when BAM! I hit the business supposedly about Tut's family and their doings, complete with dialogue. To then get the the relatively graphic descriptions of Tut's supposed sex life with his half sister frosted the cake. To call this "nonfiction" seems to me a distinct stretch after so many millennia have passed, and I don't appreciate it. I'm still interested in the story and in the murder theory, but I'd far prefer one with less fabrication. One might call the fabrications "storytelling;" so call it a story, then. To me, nonfiction=facts, or facts to the best of current knowledge. Period. What Tut "said" to his mom, his dad, his sister, etc. doesn't qualify without proof.

This was three books in one - the Howard Carter story, the King Tut story and the story about James Patterson writing the book and solving King Tut's murder. Perhaps too massive an undertaking. Maybe he should have concentrated on one story. One issue I had with the book is that James Patterson stresses that this is a fact based book, yet he never indicates that his conclusion that King Tut was murdered is simply a theory. There is obviously no way to prove at this point if and how King Tut was murdered. Scientists in 2006 concluded that King Tut died from an infection received from a broken leg. This book is called a 'nonfiction thriller' but it should be classified as historical fiction.

I listened to this audio over the past week. At first I found it a bit hard to follow the back and forth of Tut's time (1300 BC) to Howard Carter's time (1920) ... to the occasional James Patterson time (current) where he fills us in on his progress and thoughts on the book.

Once I was able to pick up this flow.... I really started to enjoy the audio. The historical value of the story of Tutankhamen was fascinating to me. I had flashbacks to my experience when I first seen the movie Titanic and suddenly I couldn't get enough of Titanic related facts. Now here I am again in that place except now it is King Tut.

I have always been fascinated with movies the likes of Tomb Raider, National Treasure, and Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Being an archeologist would be an incredible job and the adventures of searching and finding the treasures of the past makes my heart beat a little faster.

I really enjoyed learning more about King Tut in this non fiction dig back into the days of Egyptian tombs, pyramids, and Pharoah's ruling the land. While I knew King Tut had been a young Pharoah - I had not realized how young or that he had married his sister! (oops - have I said too much?)

The excavation of Tut's Tomb

The sections on Howard Carter (the man who in November 26, 1922, discovered King Tut's tomb) were equally as interesting. I even enjoyed the take directly from James Patterson himself on how this book came to be and his own extensive research into the history and the mystery that surrounds Tut. James also shares some of his personal rules in writing that to me, were note worthy.

If you enjoy historical fiction/non fiction I think you will find a lot of value in this audio. For me the adventure had just begun as I am now following up on more information on Howard Carter and his amazing discovery of the boy King. James Patterson takes this piece of history and breathes life into it. I recommend taking it in.

I can't believe Patterson called the wife of King Tut a 'harlot.' Kiya was an important wife of Tut -- WIFE -- and was a princess from Syria before marrying Tut. Harlot?? He also dismissed the royal wives / concubines as 'whores.' And the scene after battle, where women had been captured, and were now waiting to be raped ... Patterson imagines that one of these captives has 'tossed her ringlets' to 'better show off her profile' ... you know, to beguile her rapists, after witnessing the slaughter of her family. It is beyond belief that Patterson could even write these words.

Also, the theory that Tut died of a broken leg was discredited by scholars almost as soon as it was suggested, and yet Patterson calls it "widely accepted." This error (fabrication?) is particularly insulting given the fact that Patterson took such pains to point out how accurate and fact-filled his book is, how much 'research' had been conducted.

The book is easy to read and somewhat entertaining, but the egotistical gaffes make the whole thing hard to stomach.

I loved this book. It gave a believable and human face to a mostly unknown historical figure. Fast moving and exciting. A warning - don't start this book if you have anything that MUST be done in the next three or four hours.

If you're fascinated by King Tut and Ancient Egypt, you are sure to enjoy James Patterson's latest, The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King - A Nonfiction Thriller.

This is my first time to read a work of non-fiction by James Patterson. In The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King, Patterson tells us King Tut's story from three time periods.

Patterson first takes us to Ancient Egypt around 1490s B.C. when Pharoah Amenhotep the Magnificent, King Tut's grandfather, ruled Egypt. He shows us the decadence and style of governance under Pharoah Amenhotep IV and Queen Nefertiti's reign and gives us a glimpse of what King Tutankhamen faced during his reign. Next Patterson focuses on the 1880s onward where he paints a clear picture of the ups and downs of Howard Carter's career in Egyptian archeology, his excavation of the Valley of the Kings and his discovery of King Tut's tomb. Patterson also focuses on the present and shares what he went through as he searched for the truth behind King Tutankhamen's death.

Patterson writes as though he was a fly on the wall, watching the events of Tutankhamen's life unfold. He does not skimp on details and we read about the unsavory details of the lives of the pharoahs, their wives, consorts, and his unscrupulous advisors. I enjoyed the conversations that he extrapolated - Patterson takes you to right to Egypt and you share Tutankhamen's fear and uncertainty as he takes on his role as a young pharoah. I sympathized with the young Pharoah and his half sister and wife, Ankhesenpaaten. Patterson's hypothesis as to Ankhesenpaaten's death does not seem sufficiently substantiated to me. I would love to learn the truth about what happened to her after Tutankhamen passed away and she ruled as Pharoah. Did she really attempt an alliance? Was her burial truly that ignominious? Ankhesenpaaten was one of my favorite characters in the book. My only criticism of The Murder of King Tut is that I don't feel that Patterson's fully substantiated his inferences about Ankhesenpaaten's role in King Tut's demise.

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (September 28, 2009), 352 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

James Patterson calls The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King - A Nonfiction Thriller. Why did he decide to go the nonfiction route? Patterson claims to have always been curious about the short life of the young Pharaoh Tutankhamen. He wanted to try to solve the mystery surrounding Tut's death with actual facts. But did he?

Patterson presents his thesis stating King Tutankhamen was murdered by his half-sister and wife Ankhesenpaaten, his vizier Ay and his general Horemheb. Patterson believes Tut was murdered because of the power grab desired by these three individuals. Tut and Ankhesenpaaten had two still-born children with no male heir to the throne leaving Ankesenpaaten, Ay and Horemheb to reign after Tut.

Patterson wrote the novel in three distinctive parts all interwoven with one another. These short, easy-to-read chapters breeze between Tut's life and death, the discovery of Tut's tomb by Howard Carter and present day.

By far, my favorite chapters were the actual story of Tut's life. These chapters pre-date Tut's life and the follow-up after his untimely death. If you want a simple, very visual version of the history on Tutankhamen, you will enjoy these chapters.

I knew very little about Howard Carter until I read this book. The Carter chapters offer a very short and interesting read about the man consumed by finding the missing tomb of the unknown Pharaoh Tut.

The chapters concerning present day Palm Beach seemed unnecessary. I think the chapters were used to fill space and wasteful.

I enjoy Patterson's writing style. His chapters are short, intriguing and very easy to read.

I love history and have always wanted to visit Egypt. I'm not sure how much of this fictionalized, but it is an enjoyable fast-paced novel.

It is a fun gift for the amateur Egyptologist in your life.

To be fair to Mr. Patterson, I have not read any of his other books so I am not certain of his skill level in writing fiction. However, the writing in this book is abysmally poor. A certain level of bad writing might be worth overlooking if the plot were especially strong, or if recent findings were revealed. But the plot is weak and the premise is based on archeological findings and theories circa 1968. This book is advertised as a nonfiction thriller, but it's really a fictional non-thriller.

The author begins the book with much pomp about how the materials were thoroughly researched so that the reconstructed story of Tutankhamun would be accurate and the theory would be sound. He then proceeds to write insanely bloated, inaccurate sub-Harlequin Romance prose about Ancient Egypt. There are huge pieces of important information about Tut's life missing from this book, most obviously the simultaneous name changes of Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun and Ankhesenpaaten to Ankhesenamun. Those name changes were extremely significant, but Patterson ignores history and instead uses only Tutankhamen and only Ankhesenpaaten with no regard for accuracy. There is also no evidence given for the relationships between characters, relationships that either vary from historical evidence or have no historical evidence to back them up.

Such disregard for historical facts is behind his cheez-whiz of a "murder theory." The whodunnit is revealed half-way through the book, although readers paying attention will figure out who Patterson will label as guilty within the first few pages. My incentive for reading further was to find out what evidence proved this theory, but Patterson never gave any real evidence. The only "evidence" offered in the book is "Well, um, the guys who were the kings after Tut must've killed him to get the throne. Because, uh, everyone wants to be pharaoh." It's a nice try, I suppose, but when that's ALL Patterson and his "researcher" come up with after spending thousands of dollars and years doing HEAVY DUTY RESEARCH, someone owes someone a refund! Mr. Patterson and Mr. Dugard, there is more thorough and current information on King Tut's Wikipedia page and that's all FREE. Mr. Patterson, if you insist on paying money for "research," at least get a subscription to the History Channel with your cable. There is a LOT of current information out there, and none of it is in this book.

For those interested, 2005 x-rays and CT scans (the most recent physical research) reveal that King Tut most likely broke his leg during a hunting accident and then died a few days later from gangrene. The truth could still be the basis of an interesting and worthwhile book. This book, fictional as it is, is neither interesting nor worthwhile.

If you must read it, check it out from your local public library. But don't be suckered into buying it!

The book arrived and I haven't had a chance to read it,will do so after the Holidays. It was shipped in a timely matter and arrived well packaged. I am sure I will enjoy this book. I collect James Patterson Novels and I haven't read a bad one yet!

It is getting to the point where I am about to stop buying James Patterson books that he co-authors and just stick to the Alex Cross books.
I guess I set myself up for a letdown in thinking that this would be a fact-based book. I must admit that there are some facts in this book, along with quite a few assumptions. But in his lately typical style of 2-3 pages per chapter, plus the jumping back and forth between 3 different time periods, I never had the "I can't put this down" feeling.
My teenage son (13) was interested in reading this, as they happened to be studying about Tut. I was hesitant at first to let him read this, as I wasn't sure how graphic it would be. After having glanced through it first, it turned out to be a moot point as he did not even finish the book. I did, but was not impressed with the research put into this, nor the lack of depth in the characters.

Uber-popular adventure/mystery author Patterson teams up with popular nonfiction author Dugard for this no-reason-for-existence "thriller" about how Egyptian Pharaoh Tut died. While billed as "nonfiction" there are no footnotes or bibliography to source any of the facts, and any facts used in the making of this story are buried in invented dialog and first-person description and thought.

The book moves forward along three parallel tracks - the Egyptian history of Tut, the early 20th-century discovery of his unplundered tomb,, and most annoyingly, Patterson's 21st-century inspiration for writing and "solving" the mystery of King Tut. The first two threads are already well-documented by real historians and archeologists elsewhere, and the third might be meaningful if Patterson or Dugard had done any comparative study of the possible theories for his death by these experts, and then explained how their theory provided the best answer to the historical mystery. You won't find that here, only the oversized ego of an overindulged author.

What you will also find is schlock mystery cliches, ample bosoms (on Egyptian queens? Really? In a "nonfiction" book?), and melodramatic confrontations, probably on par for the genre and level of writing that Patterson aspires to reach. And you will also find plenty of white space, with 100 chapters, an author's note, epilogue, childish maps and drawings illustrating some of the key places and events, all spread thinly across 340 pages of this small format book. I suppose I shouldn't complain about the paucity of text here, given the poor quality and limited usefulness of what does appear, leaving this book teetering on the edge of a one-star "waste of paper" rating.

Patterson's premise that Tut was murdered, and how, is reasonably well written, but should have been published as a smaller, less-expensive pocket book. As presented, it has over-many blank pages and exaggerated space between chapters, and employs obviously over-large type, larger than necessary to be reader-friendly, to fill space.

Please, Patterson designers, give us a break and present more honestly!

Lizbeth

Stinker
Stunk worse than a 3500 year old mummy. A complete waste of time. One of the worst books I have ever read. Not recommended, save your money.

The most important thing for me in choosing this book was managing expectations. I was headed to the Tut exhibit at the de Young (here in SF) and wanted to fill in the gaps of my knowledge about Tut, but I wanted something juicy and entertaining, not simply a history. I don't really care about the architecture of the tombs or a dry recounting of political skirmishes - I wanted romance and intrigue and mystery and that's exactly what I got.

I've never read Patterson before and don't typically choose mysteries, and if this is representative of his other work, I probably won't pick them up ~ very, very short chapters; lots of white space and big print; and dialogue that would work perfectly for a SciFi pictures original, swords-and-sandals Sunday afternoon miniseries. Which, now that I think about it, I would totally be into.

This would be a great Young Adult read for a teen or pre-teen, too. In all, it gave me enough historical facts so I felt like I actually had a solid understanding of the time period before going to the exhibit, while at the same time giving an exciting enough storyline that I was more than interested, I was intrigued.

Why is this book promoted as a "non-fiction thriller"? It is neither. Patterson claims to have done research but he doesn't support anything he puts forth with EVIDENCE. This is nothing but a boring rehash of a few facts he must have gleaned from the History Channel. If you want something good about Tutankhamen and Ankhsenpaaten read The Lost Queen of Egypt by Morrison. It's fiction, just like Patterson's book.

For anyone that is not versed in Egyptology, this book makes a decent read. It lets you glean into the life of Akhenaten, Tut and the man, that after many difficulties, finally discovered his tomb. However, for anyone that has studied Egyptology, this book was juvenile in its text and barely offered anything except a rapid snapshot of all things concerned. I found the book to be rushed in its information, ill-timed and lack-luster. Its a shame that Mr. Patterson didn't take the necessary time to devote to this book, if he had, the overall product would have been worth the read.

Of special interest is Patterson's descriptions of the geographical context of King Tut. I often could "see" myself in the ancient Valley of the Kings and feel the dry desert air; but Patterson's conclusion, although provocative, does not match some of the other historical research. I also felt that even though he stated that he was devoting a considerable amount of time to this writing project; the short length of each chapter and the "fill" of such things as conversations with his wife, made me think that this was a too quickly completed item. I have not kept the book for my library.

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!

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

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.

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!**

At first, I was interested to see Patterson insert himself into his own book [although I don't believe I'd care to hang out with someone with such a bloated sense of himself] and was excited by his claims of extensive research, but soon became quite disappointed when it became clear that Mr. Patterson glossed over the 2 main stories, that of King Tut and that of Carter. He'd throw out a tantalizing tidbit of information but wasn't able to elaborate. Or perhaps more accurately, wasn't willing to elaborate. Throughout the book, I felt like Mr. Patterson was writing for a rather dull child who he believed incapable of grasping big words or complicated sentence structure.

Ultimately too I was shocked at his conclusion of the purported murder. While I think he could have been right regarding his suspicions on two counts, he did not paint a clear enough picture to jump to the final conclusion regarding Tut's sister. Nor do I agree that he should be billing this as a work of non-fiction. Mr. Patterson didn't present enough "evidence" to support a good fiction thriller, much less solve one of the most intriquing mysteries of all time.

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!

A best selling author sees opportunity to write something for a different audience and maybe hires a sidekick to do a bit of research (maybe that was the publisher, to be fair). He then writes about half as much as the average author and pads out the book with large font, wide margins and very short chapters, especially helpful if you can lose two thirds of a page on every chapter title page. It looks like he has just taken the standard theories and inter-cut them with a very poor (and completely irrelevant) account of Howard Carter.

I think the book is utterly worthless and not a good read even if there is nothing else available. It's not even worth the effort to walk down to the charity shop to donate it.

The Murder of King Tut was quite an interesting read. Not quite as heart-pounding as I had been led to expect, but good from the standpoint of its historic likelihood.

The research necessary to compile this story must have been impressive, and I (having always been an admirer of the romantic/mysterious era of the Egyptian kings)found it engaging. It was an easy read, taking parts of only a couple of days. Depressing to learn that government back then was as corrupt as it is today, if not worse.

Don't waste your time or your money on this book. It takes about 2 hours to read and contains absolutely no new or relevant information on the subject, even though it is supposed to be a well researched novel. My grandchildren know more about Egyptology than these guys. To add insult to injury, Patterson inserts three totally irrelevant chapters interspersed throughout the book that have no bearing on the story, and talk about his high end lifestyle in Lake Worth. I do not buy books to hear the author brag about his possessions, and that sort of vanity trip has no place in the work of a professional. It is nice, however, that he will be able to purchase a game of golf on my dime. Don't buy this book--this guy doesn't need the money and certainly doesn't have any talent. Rating--NO Stars!

When I saw this book at the airport I thought "HOW CAN I NOT LIKE THIS!!!???" I was puzzled by the poor reviews that readers gave this novel. NOW I get it. So much could have been done with the story, but I feel like Patterson just barely skimmed the surface. One person said it was like reading somebody's research paper. That's exactly how it felt. It took me only 2 days to get through the 330 pages. Not because it was a page-turner, but because it was WAY too easy of a read. They almost could have make it a comic book. Not enough substance at all. If you are interested in Egyptology and the life and death of King Tut, search for another title. You will be disappointed in this one. Take my word for it!

Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (11/09)

If you are seriously studying Egyptology and are looking for a textbook full of facts about King Tut, then this book is probably not for you. But if you are a James Patterson fan who enjoys reading research interwoven with a good story, then you will enjoy this book. It is obvious that Patterson and Dugard did a lot of research for this story, but it is written in a reader-friendly way that makes it hard to put down. How much is absolute fact and how much is supposition? I am not sure anyone can really answer the age-old question about what really happened to King Tut with absolute surety, but I am glad to have learned so much more about the life of the King and the times that he lived.

To capture the full mystery of King Tut, the story is written in two different timeframes. It starts with Amenhotep the Magnificent's death, his successor, and how King Tut was rose to power at such a young age with assistance from his stepmother, Queen Nefertiti. They lived in dangerous political times with the constant threat of being murdered or overthrown at the forefront. The only ally King Tut had after his stepmother's death was his child bride, sister and wife, Queen Ankhesenpaaten, who, according to the authors, also met an untimely death so that the royal scribe, Aye, could seize power.

Over 3,000 years later, it was Howard Carter's talent and luck that got him sponsorship by the Amherst family of England in the 1890s to travel to Egypt to become an Egyptologist. He was convinced that King Tut's long-hidden tomb was somewhere in an obscure spot in the Valley of the King's even though many other experts said all the tombs had been found. After many years of trials, success and failure, Howard Carter finally discovered the answer to one of the oldest mysteries when he uncovered King Tut's tomb in 1922.

Overall, "The Murder of King Tut" was a very well-written book and I enjoyed reading a nonfiction novel by James Patterson. He and Martin Dugard did an excellent job and I certainly hope to see more books of this kind written by them.

The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King is a insightful blend of fact and fiction. This book weaves the past and present. James Patterson and Martin Dugard skillfully investigate the boy king. They share their steps in research and then take the reader back in time to reenact Howard Carter's discovery of Tut's tomb and back to Tut's time to take a look at history they way they believe it happened.

This book actually begins with Tut's father, Akhenaten. Tut was only nine when he gained the throne. In this book he dearly loved his sister and married her. They did not produce a male heir. Those surrounding Tut were treacherous and never loyal to him. They had their own ambitions.

This book is called a non-fiction thriller. I think that maybe stretching it a bit. While it is based on some fact it is still speculation. I enjoyed this book but cannot say it is fact. I do not believe there is enough true evidence to declare the text as fact. I expected something much deeper but found this to be a light but extremely enjoyable read.

For a Patterson Book, trite - the book was like eating an air sandwich. Not much substance but what was there was plowing old ground with content written about by many others. It still had to be stretched with some modern filler from Patterson to fill a whole book... poorly. I'd like my money back!

I like this book, because it wasn't very long chapters,wish it went in a little more detail about King Tut

Mr. Patterson is a well-respected and much-read author? I found little to respect here. Trite, flippant and ill-conceived. An arrogant sham of a book. There was one mercy:

this was a incredibly quick read (and not because it is a "page-turner"),

After having a too-short and (apparently) grievous life, Tut continues to be defamed in death by such scurrilous tripe. For shame, Mr. Patterson. You might have written an account as *wonderful* as what Mr. Carter's eyes beheld, a *story-poem* (for it seems to me that Tut was a person of a lyrical nature, deserving to be remembered in such a manner) of beauty serving both the Boy King and yourself well. THAT would have been an engaging and clever "nonfiction thriller".

We can only hope that you deal with your fictional characters with more care and better results. I beg you: please do not use real people as your foils.

Haven't had a chance to finish yet, but it's another James Patterson hit. You can always depend on him and Amazon to bring the very best in content and service.

I found THE MURDER OF KING TUT to be mildly enjoyable, mainly because I've always been interested in the history of Ancient Egypt. If you don't share this interest, you will mostly likely find this "non-fiction thriller" to be something of a bore.

Patterson writes THE MURDER OF KING TUT just like one of his novels: the chapters are short and the pace is lightning-fast, but both the characterization and writing style are almost painfully superficial. There's some intersting historical information here, but its all written in a summary fashion. If you're looking for a richly written book that makes history come alive in a vivid way, you will most likely be disappointed with this one.

Still, THE MURDER OF KING TUT is highly readable. If you know little about Ancient Egypt, and want to learn more about the subject, this isn't a bad starting place. The book's a quick read (it took me about ninety minutes to zip through), and I learned a few interesting things about King Tut and how his tomb was discovered. Patterson also presents some interesting theories about King Tut's reign and the cause of his death.

Most annoying thing about this book: James Patterson inserts himself into it as a character, and all the scenes in which he appears read like commercials for his novels. I found this too cute by half.

Still, I found THE MURDER OF KING TUT to be a fair effort overall, and more enjoyable than much of Patterson's recent fiction.

When a writer claims to have solved some long ago crime, he'd better produce the proof. According to the introduction in this book, the writers are about to extablish the fact that King Tut was murdered and exactly whodunit. But it is all a complete fizzle, mere speculation based on no real evidence. There is a warmed over account of Howard Carter's finding the tomb, based upon Carter's book--and nothing else that matters.

Writers have tried this before. There is a book about the murder of Napoleon and a book by Patricia Cornwell that claims to reveal the name of Jack the Ripper. In the Napoleon book at least there is forensic evidence, the amount of arsenic in hair samples from a multitude of sources, along with a list of those present when the hair samples were taken. By deduction the author named the killer. In the Cornwell book it is claimed that a little known artist was Jack the Ripper, mostly because the artist painted macabre pictures. Any first year law student could destroy that under cross examanination.

Patterson's book, while fun to read, if only to list the absurdities, is not even up to the Cornwell book. The writing is poor, as usual for a Patterson book. He needs a new editor, one who knows the difference between robbery and burglary, between cement and concrete, that like is not a conjunction, that the past tense of sneak is not snuck, and so forth. He also might have had a competent Egyptologist look over the manuscript before it was rushed into print.

What it comes down to is guesswork, which is not crime solving--or even determination that a crime was indeed afoot thousands of years back. Patterson is simply a bad writer who turns out potboilers of the worst sort.

I enjoyed the book it was a nice read. How much truth there was in the telling.... I am not sure I am not a history buff. But it is well worth reading. Enjoy

If you have had a long time and/or passionate interest in King Tut then this book may provide another perspective for you to consider. The casual reader is likely to find better reading material elsewhere.

Part of the prologue starts off fun with an account by Patterson. Literary inspiration in the process.

The actual account of events in England and Egypt did not make me want to excitedly turn the pages to learn more. The claim of a nonfiction thriller was suspect for both nonfiction and thriller.

As a King Tut fan I read, considered and appreciated the viewpoints expressed while not always agreeing in style or substance.