The Book of Coming Forth by Day Series

In the waning years of Egypt's 18th Dynasty, when female power can only come at an unsettling price, four royal women struggle against the shadowy influence of Akhenaten, the infamous heretic pharaoh. Akhenaten wields control of a strange emerging religion unlike anything Egypt has seen. His power can't be denied, but whoever can maintain her grip on the unpredictable pharaoh will hold all of Egypt in her hands - and better still, will remain mistress of her own fate.

By sheer force of the pharaoh's will, the City of the Sun rises from hot, barren sands. But as this monument to his strength flourishes, the king's ties to sanity begin to fray. His religious zeal and unchecked power lead him to commit one atrocity after another, and soon, those who dwell in the throne's shadows must enter into a fatal conspiracy to prevent Egypt from crumbling altogether.

When Akhenaten finally goes too far and meets his bloody fate, the court of Egypt is plunged into chaos. The royal family's most ambitious players are locked in a contest for the throne that can only end in victory for one...and death for the others. Nefertiti returns from her exile, wielding more than just her wits. She has Tutankhamun, Egypt's rightful heir. Smenkhkare's idealism makes him popular with the common people, but will his sense of justice and maat protect him from the vicious politics of his relatives?