A Thrilling Chase to Find a 2,000-years Old Secret!

 Review by Ronica Wahi 

Cleopatra’s Vendetta

By Avanti Centrae

First published: November 15, 2022, Thunder Creek Press.

Pages: 397.

ASIN: B0B5JJGV2N

Cleopatra’s Vendetta is stellar work!

This is a cleverly crafted novel that entwines past and present, fact and fiction, history and science, thrill and drama. Adventure, suspense, and fast-paced action make this a quick and fun read.

While Timothy – or Tim – Stryker with Sam and his other associates is on a mission to stop the next of the planned assassinations of high-profile individuals across different locations in the world, there comes another grave thing to tackle – Tim’s wife Angie and their daughter Harper – who are also Sam’s sister and niece – are kidnapped while holidaying in Italy, leaving behind hardly any clue of their whereabouts. Tim and team rush to prevent the assassinations they do not know the exact purpose of, and also save Tim’s family timely from a location that is unknown to them and from a fate that they dare not think about.

So where does Cleopatra fit into this? And what is her vendetta and why? The answer to the why of the assassinations and the mysterious location to which Tim’s family is taken lie in what Cleopatra hid long back! That the varying elements are enmeshed is no surprise, of course; that this enmeshing is deftly achieved deserves to be pointed out for sure.

Centrae has the enviable gift of keeping the reader hooked. Anybody who reads this would want to know all at once - Cleopatra’s secret and its relevance to the contemporary world in which the living characters are placed, the motivations and the activities of the kidnappers and the assassins, and whether there is a mole in the Special Ops team of which Tim and Sam are part – and so would resist putting the book down.

Apart from the fact that this is a pulse-racing thriller, Cleopatra’s Vendetta is well-researched and offers interesting snippets of information from varied fields including history, archaeology, culture, science, and latest technologies. For instance, it is interesting to learn that Alexandria had automatic treadmills and hydraulic lifts in the time of Cleopatra.

Anybody fascinated with Cleopatra or just inclined towards history in general would be aware of the two contradictory narratives about her – one that values her for her knowledge and skill, her eloquence, and her political power, and the other that looks at her as the seducer of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. The novel explores the history of propaganda and how it has ensured the still continuing focus on the uncomplimentary narrative about Cleopatra, and looks at what propaganda is bringing about in the present times.   

The research available on Cleopatra help the team plunge into the mind of the enigmatic woman and propel it towards the search of archaeological sites as sharply and gutsily as it searches crime scenes. Courage, analytical thinking, and gut instinct aid the Special Ops team in fulfilling its two missions, while they aid starved-for-days-by-her-captors Angie in trying to find an escape route from a confinement that seems impossible to break. Centrae’s acute observations about people and her interest in looking at places with a keen eye also shine through. She uses these attributes well in building her story and her characters.

Cleopatra’s Vendetta also delves into a topic that is important to discuss and be aware of – sex trafficking. Biases against and exploitation of women are shown – the story of Zola, for instance, is really heart-wrenching. So, this is a book that is enjoyable, informative, and touching too. It would certainly be good to read another Stryker thriller.

What could have added to the impact though is an angle that more strongly justified why the team here could uncover a long-buried secret in a matter of mere days that entailed action on other fronts too, when accomplished archaeologists and researchers had failed to do so in two millennia. But overall, this is a strongly recommended read.

Within Centrae’s created world at least, Cleopatra does get her long-awaited vendetta. Add Cleopatra’s Vendetta to this month’s TBR to know how!

 

Check out the thriller on Amazon India:

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3djlTto

 

Check out these books that Avanti recommends reading:

A biography of Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff entitled Cleopatra: A Life

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3QqFqqH

Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3SRgyd0

Paperback, Illustrated: https://amzn.to/3QJdfmt

Hardcover, Illustrated: https://amzn.to/3Qp2S7E

 

A book about Goddess religions by Merlin Stone entitled When God Was a Woman

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3Ey2P5M

Hardcover (Import): https://amzn.to/3hDf5Jj

 

Do watch Avanti talk about her journey as a writer, writing Cleopatra’s Vendetta, why the uncomplimentary narrative about Cleopatra persists, history of propaganda, danger of trafficking, and more in this interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDzmgfjeqz0

 

 

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