In the ancient Egyptian city of Mennefer during the time of cruel and benevolent gods, thirteen-year-old Imhotep’s hopes of becoming a healer are dashed after the sudden, apparent accidental death of his father, a successful builder, forcing the family into penury. Suspicious about his parent’s unusual loss of fortune, he is forced into an apprenticeship with a cruel, whip-wielding butcher, even as Imhotep’s affection for Meresankh, a baker’s daughter, grows. Murder in Mennefer is not only a mystery but a coming-of-age story plus an enlightening look into everyday life along the Nile: its customs, food, tomb building, and even the making of mummies.