The Mark of the Pasha (Mamur Zapt Mysteries) [Large Print] [Paperback]

Michael Pearce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2008 | Series: Mamur Zapt Mysteries

The Great War has ended, and the army is keen to be demobbed. Willoughby, the British High Commissioner in Egypt, hasnt been long in his job. The Khedive is affronted when Britain refuses to receive rival delegations fueled by rising nationalism. A state of emergency has been declared. Some Armenians and Copts have been attacked. So have some English Civil Servants.
Gareth Cadwallader Owen is the Mamur Zapt, the Head of the Khedives Secret Police. Unlike his British colleagues, Owen works for the Khedive. Its not a comfortable perch as agitation for political and social restructuring grows. Furthermore, Owen is married to a pashas daughter, Zeinab, herself straddling a cultural divide.
The Khedive has declared a procession. Hes going to drive around Cairo with his Ministers. Owen, who has spent his career defusing political time bombs, learns from his agents, some Greek and Egyptian, that the streets have been made dangerous by threats of real bombs. The first order of business is to ward them off. The second is to insure the safety of an impending major European delegation to the capital.What does it all have to do with Owens shiny new motor car?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The movement for Egyptian independence turns increasingly violent at the end of WWI, in 1918, presenting Gareth Owen (aka the Mamur Zapt or head of the secret police) with fresh challenges in the enjoyable 16th entry in Pearce's series set in Egypt in the waning years of British rule (The Camel of Destruction, etc.). After a failed attempt in the streets of Cairo to bomb a government procession led by the khedive, Egypt's ruler, Owen and his team begin a frantic investigation to trace the bombers and head off further attacks. To up the ante, Pearce has his appealing hero placed in charge of security for a British commission of inquiry scheduled to arrive in Cairo. On the personal side, Owen's longtime love and new wife, the fiercely independent Zeinab, struggles to carve out a fulfilling role for herself. The convincing period detail, combined with comic touches, will charm newcomers as well as established fans. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Pearce continues to chronicle murder and mayhem in early-twentieth-century Egypt with the sixteenth installment in the superbly crafted Mamur Zapt series. As the Mamur Zapt, the head of the Khedive’s Secret Police and the husband of a pasha’s daughter, Welshman Gareth Cadwallader Owen is precariously positioned between British and Egyptian sensibilities at a juncture in history when the movement for Egyptian independence is strengthening. When a bomb scare threatens the safety of the Khedive, Egypt’s royal figurehead, Owen leads an investigation that wends its way through the backstreets, the bathhouses, and the backrooms of Cairo. As usual, Pearce infuses the delightful narrative with an irresistible blend of humor, politics, culture, and intrigue. --Margaret Flanagan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 303 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; Large type / large print edition (May 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590584457
• ISBN-13: 978-1590584453
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,501,336 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 A tense mystery thriller, August 17, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mark of the Pasha: A Mamur Zapt Mystery (Hardcover)

This new Mamur Zapt mystery will appeal to old fans, newcomers and any mystery collection strong in international intrigue as it tells of the end of the Great War and a new British Commissioner in Egypt who is facing a state of emergency. Gareth, the head of the secret police, finds himself between to conflicting political parties as a result, with intrigue and dangers abounding in this tense mystery thriller.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Mamur Zapt is a great character, November 1, 2009

By 

Susan K. Hughes "wordwright" (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Mark of the Pasha: A Mamur Zapt Mystery (Hardcover)

Michael Pearce has now written many volumes in this series -- each one has been interesting and engaging. His plots are intriguing and the characters very sympathetic. The setting in Egypt in the early part of the century is of historical interest -- with the clash of cultures during British oversight of an Egypt in transition. Pearce has written other series, which are good, but not as good as the Mamur Zapt. Read them all.