Title:

Theft of an Idol

Author:

Dana Stabenow

Category:

Mystery / Thriller

Rating:

Date Reviewed:

March 22, 2026

etisheri returns for her third adventure in her role as the "Eye of Isis" - the private detective for Cleopatra in ancient Egypt. In Theft of an Idol, the disappearance of one of the city's most famous actresses causes a commotion. Herminia, the Voice of Alexandria, failed to appear for her performance despite the fact that Cleopatra herself was in attendance for the show. All who know Herminia claim she would never have missed a chance to be on stage, and yet there is no clue where she might be. Cleopatra gives Tetisheri brief instructions: "Find Herminia".

The story begins with a prologue in which three tomb robbers have descended into a newly discovered tomb. They are first to visit the grave. There are many riches to plunder, the three of them will be wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. But tragedy strikes - as the three clamber up a long ladder with their loot, the ladder collapses and one of them falls to his death. Was it an accident, or was that ladder dislodged by the one of the two who had already scampered up to safety?

The plot follows Tetisheri as she begins to investigate the missing actress. She interviews the servants of Herminia's household. She asks questions of Herminia's neighbors. Did Herminia have enemies? Jealous rivals? A spurned lover? While at Herminia's home, Tetisheri spots an idol of the god Seshat that is marvelously constructed. Tetisheri confiscates the obviously valuable idol (when exercising her power as the Eye of Isis, she represents Cleopatra herself, and thus can issue orders that must be obeyed) and takes to an expert craftsman. Matan marvels at the workmanship and declares that the Seshat statue is several centuries old, and likely stolen from a desecrated tomb.

This being the third book in the series, Tetisheri is surrounded by a host of familiar characters. The most important is Apollodorous, the huge hulking ex-soldier who is in love with Tetisheri. Apollodorous is the leader of the Five Soldiers who act as personal protectors to Cleopatra. He plays a bigger role in this book than in the previous stories.

Tetisheri has a soft spot for helpless youngsters. In the previous book, she took under her wing a gang of street urchins whom she now calls The Order of the Owls. These youngsters act like the Baker Street Irregulars in the Sherlock Holmes stories - they run errands, spy on suspects, and deliver messages. In this novel, Tetisheri again acts to protect abused youngsters, which seems like a very modern sense of morality. I wonder if the slave-owning Egyptians would actually notice or care about the plight of abused youth.

Tetisheri lives in the household of her uncle, Nebenteru, who is a wealthy trader. Which means she eats delicious foods, enjoys beautiful clothing, and moves in the upper circles of Egyptian society. It seems like a huge advantage. Although her role as the "Eye of Isis" is supposed to be a secret, plenty of other characters know her title. Displaying the jeweled amulet of the Eye forces instant compliance to Tetisheri's commands, which is also a big help in these mysteries.

I thought that the Eye of Isis series was meant to be a trilogy, but I see that there is a fourth (and final??) novel available: Abduction of a Slave. I see that it is available at the library, so I will have to check it out soon.