The fourth book in the Whyborne & Griffin series, these just get better and better. Between weaving an action filled, truly original plot consisting of ancient Egyptian Goddesses and Gods, ghuls, tombs and demons, not to mention the hostile environment, Ms. Hawk's wonderful characters (I am truly attached to them) reveal more about themselves in a very believable way--strengthening the triumvirate of uber-archaeologist, scholar-sorcerer, and Pinkerton turned PI/Monster-Hunter (I really wanted to say that, and it's not untrue, it just sounds suspicious the way I worded it).

While one could read this as a standalone, I would highly recommend against it. Much work has gone into creating the characters in the first three books, and they are very layered. Others might have differing opinions. This also isn't your typical Historical novel, for those who tend to shy away from them. These are more like Indiana Jones in the Victorian period, just throw out your gender role preconceptions at the door.
These are some of my favorite books of any genre. This is a bit of a cheat review as I didn't go into detail about the book itself. It's the first book where they've traveled into Christine's domain in the Egyptian desert, far out of Whyborne's comfort zone, with Griffin much more amenable to the journey. And whoever said getting there is half the fun has obviously never traveled with these two...