Mamur Zapt and the Night of the Dog, The (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The Mamur Zapt would have treated it all as a joke if Nikos, his official clerk, had not been so insistent..." (more)
Key Phrases: assistant kadi, two sheikhs, Jane Postlethwaite, Mamur Zapt, Miss Postlethwaite (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

First met in The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet , Captain Gareth Owen is a colonial police officer in British-controlled Cairo. As Mamur Zapt, his job is to keep the uneasy peace between the Coptic and Muslim factions of the city. One night a dead dog is left at a Coptic gravesite. Smarting over the insult, the Copts retaliate and a Zikr , a Muslim dancer, is murdered during a dervish-style ceremony. These incidents land smack on Owen's plate, and lead to increasing violence in the city. That Jane Posthelthwaite, the attractive niece of an influential British politician, was witness to the murder--and, worse yet, in Owen's less-than-protective company--makes for lots of pressure on Owen to find the guilty parties and calm the city down. In a slyly witty and altogether logical manner, Pearce's self-effacing sleuth discovers (through bribes, conversations, stakeouts and deduction) that the strife is due to high-level government sneakiness and abuse of power. Each scene is sharply rendered with local color, and Pearce explains often complex social and political behavior through believable dialogue.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The desecration of a Coptic tomb and the stabbing death of a Muslim dervish--two politically sensitive events that could easily cause destructive rioting between age-old rival sects--test the abilities of Cairo's British Mamur Zapt, otherwise known as Captain Owen. Utilizing his intelligence network and judicious bribes, and paying diplomatic obeisance to Egyptian rulers, the British Consul-General, and regular police, Owen homes in on the party instigating the unrest. Exotically claustrophobic streets, appropriate roundabout rhetoric, and hidden plot convolutions characterize the author's second title ( The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet , Doubleday, 1990). Moderately absorbing, but not essential.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; First American Edition edition (April 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385415214
• ISBN-13: 978-0385415217
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,930,183 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The Mamur Zapt Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable and relevant, September 4, 2006

By	L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Captain Gareth Cadwallader Owen is the Mamur Zapth; head of Cairo's political CID. When a dead dog is placed at the Coptic tomb and a Moslem Zikr dancer is murdered, it is up to Own to find out who is behind the escalating unrest. At the same time, he much find the money to support his investigation, resolve the marital problems of his office bearer, and entertain the niece of a visiting British MP while keeping happy his beautiful Egyptian girlfriend.

Pearce does a wonderful job of conveying the delicacy needed to maintain peace between religious and political factions. This look at the past is very relevant to the present. But he balances that nicely with the humor of Owan's involvement in a marital situation. Pearce creates a wonderful sense of place and period. This is a fairly quick read, but a fascinating one. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, April 6, 2008

By	Elizabeth Durbin - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Night of the Dog, The: A Mamur Zapt Mystery (Missing Mysteries) (Paperback)

This is an enjoyable mystery with great period detail set in a time that not many of us know about. I'm not sure what I enjoy more the story line or the pictures painted of the place and time.