Death of an Effendi (A Mamur Zapt Mystery) - Hardcover

Pearce, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 000232685X ISBN 13: 9780002326858

Publisher: Collins Crime, 1999

Synopsis

Shortlisted for the Ellis Peters Award for best historical crime novel, this is an engrossing murder mystery set in the Egypt of the 1900s, featuring the inimitable Mamur Zapt.Cairo, 1909. The murder capital of the world, where deaths are two a piastre. But the death of an effendi That is something different. Effendis the Egyptian elite are important. Especially if in a country ruled by foreigners they happen to be foreign. Gareth Owen, the Mamur Zapt, is called in to investigate. But is he the right man to be investigating In some countries, if someone goes for a walk or a boat ride with the Head of the Secret Police and doesnt come back, its best not to ask questions. And powerful people might have preferred Tvardovsky dead. As the maverick financier said, before going on the shooting party, there were still crocodiles in Egypt. Of all kinds. And perhaps the place to look for them was Crocodilopolis, the ancient City of the Crocodiles, where the financiers were to hold their meeting. It is when the crocodiles start co-operating, said Tvardovsky, that you really have to watch out

About this title

About the Author:

Michael Pearce grew up in the (then) Anglo-Egyptian Sudan among the political and other tensions he draws on for his books. He returned there later to teach and retains a human rights interest in the area. His career has followed the standard academic rake's progress from teaching to writing to administration. He finds international politics a pallid imitation of academic ones.

From AudioFile:

Gareth Owen, the Chief of Cairo's Secret Police (whose position is also known as the "Mamur Zapt"), is called on to investigate the death of a Russian financier--one of the elite of Cairo, who, at this time (1909) are referred to as "effendi." He soon finds that there are many possible motives for this "accidental" shooting to have been murder. Nigel Carrington's narration employs not only a precise British accent, but also believably creates the voices of local Egyptians and foreigners from Russia and elsewhere. While his timing, phrasing, and emotional shading cannot be faulted, he cannot overcome the book's failure to involve the listener in a setting that is very foreign to most Western listeners. This is ultimately an uninvolving production. M.A.M. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Collins Crime
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 000232685X
• ISBN 13: 9780002326858
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192