A Dead Man in Tangier
A Seymour of Scotland Yard Mystery
Michael Pearce
Carroll & Graf (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-7867-2045-X (078672045X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7867-2045-3 (9780786720453)
Publication Date: September 2007
List Price: $24.99
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Pig-sticking is a dangerous sport. Mainly for the pigs
of course, but sometimes for the huntsman too, like the unfortunate
Monsieur Bossu, an important member of Tangier's foreign community, for
whom pig-sticking is a popular recreation. One day, while pursuing that
recreation, Monsieur Bossu gets stuck himself
Something for the local police? Well, yes and no. In the Tangier of
1912 sometimes the police are present ... and sometimes not. And who
exactly are they answerable to? The new international committee to
which, as it happens, Monsieur Bossu was clerk? The chairman is the
British Consul, who is naturally above suspicion. But no one else is,
so it is decided to bring in an external investigator, Seymour of
Scotland Yard, a man who can be safely disowned if things go wrong.
And things inevitably do go wrong in Tangier. This is a country caught
between the ancient and the modern, where tradition can be harsh,
especially for women, and the future takes the crushing form of a
military boot. Soon Seymour realizes that the nearer he comes to the
truth of Monsieur Bossu's demise, the more he will be in danger of
getting stuck too.
Review: A Dead Man in Tangier
is the fourth mystery in this series by Michael Pearce to feature
Sandor Seymour of the Special Branch of the Scotland Yard Foreign
Office. It takes place in 1912 just after Morocco was decreed to be a
protectorate of France.
It is a Frenchman, one Monsieur Bossu, an official with an
international committee in Tangier, who has been murdered while
pig-sticking, a sport of dubious merits. Seymour is brought in as an
independent, and politically neutral, consultant to investigate the
crime. He takes a sophisticated approach to solving this crime and through careful observation and
methodical questioning, Seymour arrives at the only possible solution
to the crime, all the while navigating a fluid bureaucracy and prudently avoiding a series of political
landmines that lie in his path.
Much of the appeal of A Dead Man in Tangier is
how Pearce captures the substance of this exotic
region and succinctly instills in his narrative and
characters its very essence. The author also manages to convey the
political sensitivities of Tangier at the time this story takes place
without being overly burdensome. The solution to the murder is simple
yet elegantly presented, in many ways reflecting the book as a whole.
Michael Pearce is also the author of another series, the Mamur Zapt
mysteries, set in Egypt during this same time period. It's difficult
not to compare the two, but the Seymour of the Special Branch series
seem to be a bit more atmospheric and refined. Not necessarily better,
but different ... in a good way.
Special thanks to Da Capo Press for providing a copy of A Dead Man in Tangier for this review.
Review Copyright © 2007 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
A Dead Man in Trieste
Carrol & Graf (Hardcover), November 2004
ISBN-10: 0-7867-1465-4 (0786714654)
A Dead Man in Istanbul
Carrol & Graf (Hardcover), October 2005
ISBN-10: 0-7867-1579-9 (0786715979)
A Dead Man in Athens
Carrol & Graf (Hardcover), August 2006
ISBN-10: 0-7867-1828-5 (0786718285)
A Dead Man in Tangier
Carrol & Graf (Hardcover), September 2007
ISBN-10: 0-7867-2045-X (078672045X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7867-2045-3 (9780786720453)
Omnimystery keywords for A Dead Man in Tangier ...
Location(s) referenced: Tangier, Morocco.