The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet [Import] [Paperback]

Michael Pearce (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Collins Crime; First Thus edition (April 27, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006177522
• ISBN-13: 978-0006177524
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Egypt as You Never Imagined It, December 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mamur Zapt & the Return of the Carpet (Paperback)

Michael Pearce's Mamur Zapt mysteries are funny, beautifully written sketches of life in Egypt in the early years of the 20th century. The books have all the panache and originality of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Why they haven't made it onto the big screen, or been turned into a Mystery! series on public television I can't imagine.

The central character is Gareth Owen, a young Welshman who is the Mamur Zapt -- the title given the (British) head of Cairo's secret police. The central theme is the tension between the British who governed Egypt at the time and the Egyptian people in whose name they governed.

"The Return of the Carpet" is the first in the series. Frequent appearances are made throughout the series by the Mamur Zapt's Egyptian counterpart in the office of the city prosecutor, by Owen's bosses, by members of Eqypt's dissolute royal family, by Owen's aristocratic and fiercely independent Egyptian paramour and by assorted members of Cairo's working class.

The stories are racy, wittily understated and steeped in the attitudes and rhythms of daily life in the Cairo of 100 years ago. Pearce's voice and his ear for dialogue are spot-on. The humor emerges naturally in his exploration of the complex relations between the English and native Eqyptians of all classes.

This is popular literature of the highest order. The books are, if possible, even more entertaining if you listen to the audio recordings produced, I believe, by Recorded Books.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A tale of suspense and color in 1908 Egypt, September 21, 2002

By 

David Brukman (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mamur Zapt & the Return of the Carpet (Paperback)

The place is early-twentieth century Egypt, nominally part of the Ottoman Empire, in fact ruled by the British. Among the plots and nationalist tensions, young Captain Owen, formerly of the British Army in Egypt, is appointed the Mamur Zapt: a formerly Turkish post in charge of the political police.

A case of granades goes astray from an Army storage. The biggest fear--that the weapons will be used by terrorists for assasinations--seems accurate. Owen, inexperienced but intelligent, is hampered by many foreign and local fingers in the heady Egyptian pie in the investigation.

This pleasant tale of suspense, local color, politics, and adventure is told with touches of humor and restraint of the old English tradition.

--inotherworlds.com

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating while confusing, September 5, 2009

By 

J. Anderson "Judith Marie" (Phoenix AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Mamur Zapt & the Return of the Carpet (Paperback)

So many unusual names and titles, and I had trouble keeping them all straight. Even the lead character, the Mamur Zapt, has his first name revealed without comment over half way through the book, leading me to wonder whom this new character might be. With further books in the series I plan to keep a running list, such as one needs for War and Peace.

And, I will be reading more. The writing was wonderful, the atmosphere intense, and each time I put this book down it was with the anticipation of picking it up again.

The political background is fascinating, the social background equally so, especially in terms of Egyptian women.

This is Egypt on the cusp of becoming its own country again - still dealing with British and French and Turkish influences and power. Budding Nationalism, the educated young stirring.

Yet old traditions survive, such as the wonderful ceremonies connected to The Return of the Carpet of the title.

The Mamur Zapt, already a bit separate as a Welshman among the English military rulers, walks a tightrope between all the factions, with a keen insight into human nature, no matter what the culture, and how to persuade people to do what needs to be done.