A Dead Man in Tangier (Sandor Seymour Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Michael Pearce (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sandor Seymour Mysteries | Publication Date: September 7, 2007

Tangiers in 1912 is an unusual city — sometimes the police are there, and sometimes they aren't. When Seymour of Scotland Yard arrives to investigate a murder things inevitably go wrong. Seymour finds himself caught between the ancient and the modern worlds in this divided country, where tradition is harsh and limiting, and the future crashes in the form of a military boot. There is a woman, of course, to complicate matters, and soon Seymour comes to realize that the closer he comes to discovering the truth about the murder, the closer he may be to his own demise.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"As always, Pearce's dialogue sparkles, and the period background has a strong feeling of authenticity, making for a very enjoyable read."

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 South-West London and is best known as the author of the award-winning Mamur Zapt books.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf (September 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078672045X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786720453
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,860,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visit another storied time and place!, November 19, 2007

By 

James Ellsworth (Caldwell, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Dead Man in Tangier (Sandor Seymour Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Pearce is a wonderful story teller and he has both a feel and a depth of information for the period in which he sets his "who dunnits." Atmoshphere is most important in his novels and takes precedent over investigative procedure. Neither does Pearce present murder investigations as puzzles to be solved by tantalizing clues sprinkled along the way. Living in the place and time are paramount, with the mystery engaging our attention and drawing us along for the ride. After Victoria and before World War I, the "sun never set" on the British Empire so who knows where Pearce will visit next? Seymour "Of The Yard" has had three thoroughly invigorating outings and "A Dead Man in Tangier" is every bit as enjoyable as the others. Exotic Morocco at the period where the European powers are competing to establish a protectorate is wonderfully evoked--and is compellingly different than the Egypt that Pearce deals with in his Mamur Zapt series (also a tour de force.) I have read historical treatments of this period and I am certain that Pearce has read more of them because this rings very true. If you want a page-turner of a murder mystery that explores the last ripe stage of Colonialism, Michael Pearce is your author!

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars shoddy research, generic plot, December 4, 2008

By 

jibli - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead Man in Tangier (Seymour of Special Branch 4) (Hardcover)

is crime fiction just to "kill time"? some writers working in this genre give us more: carefully observed settings and characters with a psychological depth. michael pearce gives us precious little. judge this slipshod research: someone working for the "mahzen" (sic), eating "pastrilla" (sic) and speaking "sanussi" (sic)...not to mention the various anachronisms...we don't even really get a chance to guess who the killer is, in that it is not plotted in that way at all- we aren't really involved in the piecing together of evidence....pearce may have visited tangier once but i doubt he spent more than a couple of days....there is a benign passive racism here that is uninterested in other peoples and their cultures....the sun never sets on this type of lazy fatuousness.