King of Kings

February 25, 2019
Smith and Robertson’s melodramatic sequel to 2005’s The Triumph of the Sun opens in 1887 Cairo, where the jealous Lady Agatha Woodforde breaks up Amber Benbrook’s engagement to Maj. Penrod Ballantyne by sharing secrets of his past with Amber. Two years earlier, Amber was taken prisoner after the fall of Khartoum. Amber’s twin sister, Saffron, and her husband, Ryder Courtney, rescued her “just as Amber’s maturing beauty was provoking” her captor’s attentions. The memoir that Amber published about her experiences, Slaves of the Mahdi, became a bestseller. In the wake of her romantic disappointment, Amber joins Saffron and Ryder on a trip to Abyssinia to pursue a silver mining venture, but betrayal and murder threaten the success of that enterprise. Meanwhile, the Italian government seeks to exert its influence over the self-proclaimed king of kings, Menelik; Amber is taken captive yet again; and a lion, whom Amber raised as a pet, saves her from a gunman. Romance fans are most likely to enjoy this adventure. Agent: Kevin Conroy Scott, Tibor James & Assoc. (U.K.).