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Reviewed by Lucinda E Clarke for Readers' Favorite
What could the connection be between a gallery opening featuring Egyptian artifacts, bombs going off, fires all over London, and police sergeant Jackson Randolph? This puzzle appears in the opening pages of The Last Rays of Ra by Karina McRoberts. The central character Doctor Vahlona Selket Faralay is the only adult in the room during the spectacular launch of the exhibition to take notice of the young girl who had seen the Egyptian sarcophagus move. As the casing crashes to the floor, and the lid is prised open, they discover a live person inside. Later, to her surprise, Vahlona learns she is the beneficiary of an estate in Yorkshire named Ra Gardens, together with an inheritance that will last several lifetimes. However, Vahlona’s great love is Egyptian history, working on a neolithic site, all chipped stone and potsherds; no treasure. Perhaps now she could take part in more important and recent excavations? While in Cairo, she receives a call from London. The police force needs her help.
I found The Last Rays of Ra very different from what I expected with a twist at the end that surprised me, including several different genres with the introduction of a magical element. There is lots of fascinating information about ancient Egypt that I loved, and descriptions of the most popular highlights brought back personal memories of my travels there. Karina McRoberts takes us to Cairo, Luxor, and the old tombs now inhabited by city dwellers. There is an interesting connection between the disasters in London and an artifact demanded by the perpetrator. We meet the intriguing Usire and two of Vahlona’s friends in Cairo, Ashara, and her brother Asim, who, as a tour guide is unemployed due to the unrest in Egypt at the time. The characters are well drawn and we experience vivid scenes of the traffic chaos and the markets in the capital. There are some nice descriptions such as “the other two (phones) were jumping out of their cradles.” This is an intriguing book with some surprising twists. I enjoyed it and I learned new facts. The pace is steady and encourages readers to keep turning the pages.
