Cloned or infected? I'm not sure which one you'd call it. In a distant future, Nucor Technologies has invented a "personality transplant." Recipients are implanted with the personalities of famous and infamous people from the past.

Naturally, many women want Cleopatra.

Forensic scientist and closet anthropologist Leda Hubbard and her father Duke, an ex-cop with a lot of ex-wives, are hired by Nucor to find Cleopatra's tomb so Nucor's scientists can harvest the Egyptian queen's DNA. But Leda discovers quickly enough that this isn't the safe assignment she'd expected. Many people want a transplant without Nucor's controls.

Elizabeth Ann Scarborough is always fascinating, whether she's writing medieval, current day or futuristic fantasy. In Channeling Cleopatra, she's created a world and a cast of characters that I can't fail to cheer for. The novel takes some interesting twists that leave you laughing -- and thinking about what truly makes up a person.