Snake-Catcher's Daughter - Softcover

Michael Pearce

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0008259437 ISBN 13: 9780008259433

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2017

Synopsis

In this engrossing murder mystery set in the Egypt of the 1900s, the Mamur Zapt finds himself under threat from a campaign to discredit Cairo's senior policemen. Cairo in the 1900s. The Mamur Zapt, Head of Cairo's secret police, finds himself in a compromising position. The city's senior policemen are the subject of a smear campaign, a stinging attack which raises uncomfortable questions about their integrity. The Mamur Zapt himself is suspected, but is he above suspicion? Owen's investigation takes him into hitherto uncharted territory: the underworld of Cairo and the dangerous profession of snake-catching...

About this title

About the Author:

Michael Pearce was raised in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, where his fascination for language began. He later trained as a Russian interpreter but moved away from languages to follow an academic career, first as a lecturer in English and the History of Ideas, and then as an administrator. Michael Pearce now lives in London and is best known as the author of the award-winning Mamur Zapt books.

From Publishers Weekly:

British author Pearce again masterfully blends period detail and a compelling plot in his eighth mystery, set in Colonial Egypt, to feature Captain Gareth Owen, the head of Cairo's secret police (aka the Mamur Zapt). When the deputy commandant of police disappears, Owen discovers that the man secretly attended a mysterious women-only exorcism rite known as a Zzarr. The reopening of an old case of bribery involving Owen's predecessor and the then-commandant of the Cairo police casts a shadow on the reputation of the current commandant, who unmasked an extortion racket that may never have existed. Further complicating matters are the various attempts to entice Owen himself to accept graft, which suggest that there may be a concerted campaign to oust the highest-ranking British police officials, who only manage to maintain control by maintaining the appearance of power in the face of local opposition and nascent Egyptian nationalism. Refreshingly, Pearce weaves an engaging tale based on corruption and intrigue, not violence. A captivating character, Owen balances his ethics with keen political savvy and great sensitivity to the native population. As in The Camel of Destruction (2002), there's little genuine suspense about the identity of the figure behind the schemes, but this deficiency doesn't detract from the pleasure of a well-crafted historical.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0008259437
• ISBN 13: 9780008259433
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 194