A wicked battle of wits between an 81-year-old lady and an 8-year-old boy. The long-term residents of the Royal Karnak Palace Hotel in Luxor are languishing in the blistering Egyptian heat at the end of the Covid pandemic. A barely concealed and escalating battle of tit-for-tat has erupted between those two guests. This was my second Egypt book in a row (Nephthys by R M Driscoll the other) with the atmosphere caught brilliantly well. However, this faded grandeur story is dripping with malevolence, with allegiances forged and broken, with memories true and imagined. Fabulously dark.

What a curious tale! It had me totally engrossed; such an unusual premise and Maggi is a highly entertaining character. Devious in the extreme, manipulative and very original. I really enjoyed her warped perspective and desire to ‘help’ those she considered in need. She’s acutely observant and I enjoyed her asides whilst in Luxor; just small details she noticed about people and their behaviour which informed her views and conclusions. The first part is a slow burn as we get to know Maggi and her backstory. The death of her husband and daughter and a dark past hinted at. Why did she flee the USA? What’s brought her to Luxor. Then she rocks up against an 8 year old Otto. Superb. What a pair! This is a truly original story. I loved the narration throughout which felt very much like Maggi’s ‘voice’ and I’ve polished this off in a couple of glorious sittings. It’s quirky, amusing, dark and very unusual, but I loved it for being different.

This book is unhinged, completely wild and yet I loved every page of it. The story becomes so twisted and flipped it constantly has you wanting to know what happens next. It is literally spiraling into madness! The main character (meddlesome Maggie) is a detestable anti-hero who eventually ends up meeting her match in the form of 8-year-old Otto. A fabulous read!

Eighty-one-year-old Maggie Burkhardt has left it all behind. After the death of her husband and the tragic loss of her daughter Julia, she fled her native Wisconsin and has spent the last five years ping-ponging between the world’s luxury hotels. Now she has finally come to rest somewhere she can imagine staying forever: the Royal Karnak Hotel in Luxor. I loved this book from the first page. It is so wonderfully written. The descriptions, it only of places but of situations and thoughts are fabulous. The conflict between the old and the young in this cat and mouse tussle is brilliant. It’s a hard to put down novel and has a great twist at the end.

This book is a dark and, at times, discomforting ride into grief, denial and trauma told through a psychological cat-and-mouse game played by 80 year old Maggie, and 8 year old Otto. Maggie is an established guest at a luxury hotel in Egypt, and we quickly learn she is not a pleasant old lady, but manipulative and scheming. The arrival of Otto, with his own disturbing tendencies sets off an unfortunate, and macabre series of events. This has the feel of an Agatha Christie mystery, but not only pushed through a dark mirror, but slashed open with barbed wire! A compelling read for anyone who enjoys their protagonists on the unlikeable side of Tom Ripley. Many thanks @boroughpress for this proof, which I was barely able to put down - whilst wanting to look away!