The Fig Tree Murder: A Mamur Zapt Mystery: 10 (Mamur Zapt Mysteries) - Softcover

Pearce, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 159058175X ISBN 13: 9781590581759

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 2012

Synopsis

Praise for The Fig Tree Murder... "A droll view of clashing cultures and nubile daughters, with some helpful advice on why you might want to think twice before taking possession of an ostrich." -Kirkus Reviews As the tide of Nationalism sweeps the British Protectorate of toward the realities of the dawning 20th century, New Egypt is eroding the ways of the Old. But Gareth Owen, head of Cairo's Secret Police, well knows, "The Old Egypt had a habit of rising up every so often and giving the New an almighty kick in the teeth." It's called the Tree of the Virgin, a species of fig. The tree is a site of religious interest, said to be a spot where the Virgin Mary and Child rested on their flight into Egypt. Now it's perilously close to the gash being cut for the new electric railway running out of Cairo to the New Helipolis being built in the suburbs. Sinister power groups are jostling for position. Then the body of the humble villager is found on the track. Had the victim been caught up in a traditional revenge killing? Or did someone want to halt construction? Adept in picking his way through the local and national power structures, the Mamur Zapt refers the removal of the body to committee. But what is the significance of the fig tree? Does it matter that the caravans for Mecca gather only a mile or so away? And what of the ostrich that passed in the night? 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.

About this title

Review:

Praise for Michael Pearce:

‘Sheer fun’ The Times

‘Effortlessly funny and engaging’ Literary Review

Michael Pearce’s light touch and witty dialogue make this series a continuing delight’ Sunday Telegraph

‘Urbane, intelligent and never patronising, Pearce writes about Egypt with the observant eye of the lover who sees yet forgives all faults’ Val McDermid

From the Back Cover:

Why was the body put on the line? Did someone want to halt the progress of the new railway out from Cairo to the ‘City of Pleasure’ being built in the suburbs? Or was it just another traditional revenge killing?

To answer these questions the Mamur Zapt, British Head of Cairo’s Secret Police, has to look both in the luxurious quarters of the dazzling New Heliopolis and in the more humble houses of the dead man’s village and in neither place are things quite as straightforward as they seem. What is the significance of the Tree of the Virgins? Does it matter that the gathering place for the Mecca Caravan is only a mile or two away? And what of the ostrich that passed in the night?

“Effortlessly funny and engaging. Packed, as ever, with fact, flavour and the kind of insouciance which makes history lighter than air”
PHILIP OAKES, 'Literary Review'

“Michael Pearce’s light touch and witty dialogue make this series a continuing delight”
SUSANNA YAGER, 'Sunday Telegraph'

“Urbane, intelligent and never patronising, Pearce writes about Egypt with the observant eye of the lover who sees yet forgives all faults”
VAL MCDERMID, 'Manchester Evening News'

About this edition

• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 159058175X
• ISBN 13: 9781590581759
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 188