This was the bestselling book in the US in 1949. It's about an Egyptian physician and close friend to Pharoahs Akhenaten and Horemheb. Attention to historical detail is remarkable, but so is readability, with colorful characters, cynical humor, and a recurring theme of the dangers of good intentions. There seem to be allusions to contemporary politics, with occasional jokes and jabs I just don't get, but it worked pretty well for me anyway.