|
Publisher:
Poisoned Pen Press |
Release
Date: May 2004 |
ISBN:
1590580664 |
Awards:
Shortlisted for the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger for
historical |
Format
Reviewed: Hardback |
Buy
it at Amazon |
Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
detective fiction / Historical Crime [1909 Egypt] |
Reviewed:
2004 |
Reviewer:
Kim Malo |
Reviewer
Notes: |
Copyright
MyShelf.com |
|
Death of An Effendi
A Mamur
Zapt Mystery
By Michael Pearce
Michael
Pearce’s early 20th century Egypt is the proverbial world
at a crossroads: a kaleidoscope of clashes and connections between
the old world of the pashas—with holdovers dating back to
the pharaohs—and the new world of the British occupation,
international finance, and Egyptian nationalism. This could be the
stuff of spy thrillers or dark sociological drama. But in Pearce’s
hands it’s a celebration of the human comedy, full of memorable
characters and small personal dramas, bringing the reader readily
into the vividly depicted world of the setting.
Gareth
Owen, the Mamur Zapt, is head of the Secret Police and more usually
involved in putting out political fires than acting as personal
bodyguard. Which may be why the subject of his guarding—a
Russian financier named Tvardovsky—gets shot to death practically
under his nose. Everyone from the local authorities to a royal prince
seems determined to treat the death as the regrettable hunting accident
it might even be. But a few too many coincidences, and all this
determined brushing under the table, leave Owen and friend Mahmoud
El Zaki of the Parquet (the Department of Prosecutions of the Ministry
of Justice) determined to investigate. Untangling Tvardovsky’s
wide ranging interests in Egyptian affairs enough to see if any
of them might be worth killing him over takes them through the worlds
of Russian émigrés, village markets, shareholder scams,
and the Capitulations at the heart of the foreign power vs. native
conflict in Egyptian politics. But finally, with the help of a grape-stealing
village boy, the Royal Prince, and a Russian woman whose shooting
impresses the Prince more than her beauty, they arrive at the solution
to most of the mysteries of Tvardovsky's life and his death. Following
along on the journey makes for a highly amusing read in a fun series.
|