The Camel of Destruction: A Mamur Zapt Mystery [Paperback]

Michael Pearce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 2003

Cairo, 1910. Captain Owen, The Mamur Zapt, is the head of Egypt's Political CID in the heyday of British Rule. He is ultimately responsible for law and order in the Khedive's Cairo. When the rules, whether obvious or hidden, are flouted, he steps into action although it sometimes looks like he's merely stepped sideways, out of the way.
Now it is the end of the boom, leaving banks beleaguered and borrowers in trouble whether the poorest land-working fellahin or the richest land-owning Pashas. Then a civil servant suspiciously dies at his desk. The whiff of corruption is in the air. Even Owen, supposed to be investigating the affair, appears to be living beyond his means. As he turns to such unlikely allies as the Grand Mufti, the local barber, and the Widow Shawquat, he penetrates to the heart of such sinister organizations as the Khedive's Agricultural Society. The rich are tricky, and money speaks louder than words, challenging Owen to use all his skills to stop the Camel of Destruction....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British author Pearce (The Snake-catcher's Daughter) offers the seventh fascinating installment in his series featuring Capt. Gareth Owen, the Mamur Zapt, who serves as head of the political branch of the British police in 1910 colonial Egypt. Having jurisdiction over crimes that may have political ramifications, Owen becomes enmeshed in a homicide investigation when a Ministry of Agriculture employee is found dead at his desk. Both government officials and private businessmen want Owen to sweep the matter under the carpet. A dramatic drop in cotton prices that jeopardizes the economy and the growing debts of the poor create a volatile environment that threatens the stability of both the Egyptian ruler, the khedive, and his British "advisers." Utilizing a network of informers and undercover operatives to untangle the victim's financial and real estate dealings, Owen must head off the feared "Camel of Destruction," a metaphorical beast who heralds chaos. Owen is confident enough to bend rules when necessary, as well as adept at assessing the underlying motivations of bureaucrats and the mysterious members of the Khedivial Agricultural Society. Able to think several steps ahead, he's at ease in dealing with all segments of the culture he both rules over and serves. Pearce vividly captures a little-known time and place with three-dimensional characters, financial turmoil that is surprisingly resonant and an intriguing puzzle that is not, alas, matched by an equally clever resolution.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Set in 1910 Cairo, the latest in Pearce's Mamur Zapt series delivers a sparkling treasure for the discerning reader. The story focuses less on its murder plot and more on the cast of amusingly depicted characters: endearing scoundrels, bungling bureaucrats, vociferous women, precocious street urchins, and cunning con men. The suicide of a senior civil servant seems like an open-and-shut case. Osman Fingari was under extreme pressure from his job, and he'd even taken to drinking heavily at lunch with his "new best friends," colleagues from the Khedival Agricultural Society. But to Gareth Owen, Mamur Zapt (Chief Investigator) of Cairo, things just don't add up. Owen is certain Fingari was murdered, and he's determined to find out whodunit, which means negotiating the notoriously corrupt bureaucracy of Edwardian Cairo. Willing to offend government ministers and upset long-established customs, the Mamur Zapt shakes the case in his tenacious teeth until the truth drops out. Delightful, charming, and completely engaging. Emily Melton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 202 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (July 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590580419
• ISBN-13: 978-1590580417
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,316,403 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong historical who-done-it, August 17, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Camel of Destruction: A Mamur Zapt Mystery (Hardcover)

In 1910, Gareth Owen serves as the Mamur Zapt in the British colony Egypt. Gareth's job is to resolve crimes with political implications. When the economy was booming, Gareth often looked the other way. The recent economic collapse makes those cases he pursues that much harder as no one wants to cooperate.

When A Ministry of Agriculture civil servant dies at his work desk, Gareth claims potential political problems with this death. He leads the official inquiry even as pressure mounts for him to end the investigation immediately. Normally, Owen would heed the advise of the local establishment including his peers and superiors, but this time he stubbornly follows the money trail of the deceased though his actions places his position in jeopardy.

This historical who-done-it will excite readers on several levels. The story line contains an engaging police procedural, a fabulous look at a rarely seen time and locale (at least in western novels), and a glimpse into the hierarchy of the Empire where the sun never set. Historical, mystery, and political fans will enjoy THE CAMEL OF DESTRUCTION as Michael Pearce provides a triumphant look back into a bygone era through the microscope of a strong investigative tale.

riet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine writing, fascinating era, author still ignored in the USA, June 7, 2007

By 

Florence Adar (Tel Aviv Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Camel of Destruction: A Mamur Zapt Mystery (Paperback)

Michael Pearce does it again in this mystery, part of his Mamur Zapt series set in Egypt during British Rule. An additional mystery is why this series isn't readily available at bookstores. I have searched for years and not found them; only Amazon came to the rescue.

The series is a treasure. Intelligent mysteries that are really novels, charmingly written, tongue in cheek dialogue, an engaging hero in an exotic time and place that is generally little known. Descriptions of the hero's contact with the local population outrageously funny. Every discerning reader will enjoy these. Thankfully, he's written a lot.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific writing, great plot, wonderful setting, April 21, 2008

By 

Bookworm "Bookworm" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Camel of Destruction: A Mamur Zapt Mystery (Paperback)

This book is a gem! The writing is excellent, the plot is engaging, the characters' dialogue is witty, and the setting is so real you feel as though you're walking right along with Captain Owen as he navigates the various neighborhoods of Cairo hunting down a lead. Best of all, the book is filled with that droll, dry British sense of humor. There are some laugh-out-loud moments as Owen has to negotiate/cajole/lightly threaten a number of haughty civil servants and bureaucrats.

I like this series much more than Michael Pearce's "Dead Man" series (A Dead Man in Istanbul, A Dead Man in Athens, etc). The writing is much better and the plots are more interesting. So if any of you out there weren't impressed by the "Dead Man" series, I highly recommend you give this Mamur Zapt series a try. I'm so glad my local library has this series. It's a real shame that these books aren't more readily available.