The Mark of the Pasha
A
Mamur Zapt Mystery
Michael Pearce
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-444-9 (1590584449)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-444-6 (9781590584446)
Publication Date: May 2008
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis
(from
the publisher): The Great War has ended, and the army is keen to be
demobbed. Willoughby, the British High Commissioner in Egypt,
hasn’t 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
Khedive’s Secret Police. Unlike his British colleagues, Owen
works for the Khedive. It’s not a comfortable perch as
agitation for political and social restructuring grows. Furthermore,
Owen is married to a pasha’s daughter, Zeinab, herself
straddling a cultural divide.
The Khedive has declared a procession. He’s 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 Owen’s shiny new
motor car?
Review: Egypt
finds itself in a period of political unrest in 1918 and Gareth Owen,
the Mamur Zapt, head of the Egyptian Khedive Secret Police, has his
hands full dealing with members of the British High Commission and
protecting the Khedive from assassins in The Mark of the Pasha, the
16th mystery in this historical series by Michael Pearce.
The Great War has ended and the Egyptians are anxious to regain control
of their country from the British. The Khedive, nominal ruler of Egypt,
is planning a procession of motor cars through the city together with
other Egyptian royalty in a public display of solidarity. Owen
discovers a plot to bomb the motorcade and persuades the Khedive to
change his route at the last minute. A bomb is indeed found,
fortunately harming no one, but setting Owen on a quest to determine
its source. What he finds, however, are the seeds of a religious
insurrection. While Owen agrees in principle with their demands, he
understands that change, while good for some, would be bad for others
unless done so through proper channels. When the leader of the
rebellion is found murdered, Owen's position is even more tenuous as he
seeks to solve the crime.
Meanwhile, Owen's new wife, the only daughter of a pasha, a honorific
title typically given to important, wealthy, or politically connected
(sometimes all three) Egyptians, is trying to live the life of a modern
woman who dresses in the style of Europeans and who works as an
administrator in a hospital. In a country so heavily tied to tradition,
her attempts at change are, not surprisingly, met with resistance.
The Mark of the Pasha is not so much a mystery with a puzzle to be
solved as a mystery with a story and characters to be enjoyed. There's
a certain intrigue to the setting that is undeniably appealing. The
political aspects of the story are, at times, difficult to understand,
maybe appreciate is a better word, but they don't interfere with
following the basic plot. It is a fine addition to this fascinating
series.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Mark of the Pasha and to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet
Crime Club (Hardcover), October 1990
ISBN-10: 0-385-41520-6 (0385415206)
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-41520-0 (9780385415200)
The Mamur Zapt and the Night of the Dog
Crime Club (Hardcover), May 1991
ISBN-10: 0-385-41521-4 (0385415214)
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-41521-7 (9780385415217)
The Donkey-Vous
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), July 1992
ISBN-10: 0-89296-486-3 (0892964863)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-486-4 (9780892964864)
The Mamur Zapt and the Men Behind
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), July 1993
ISBN-10: 0-89296-487-1 (0892964871)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-487-1 (9780892964871)
The Girl in the Nile
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), December 1994
ISBN-10: 0-89296-509-6 (0892965096)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-509-0 (9780892965090)
The Spoils of Egypt
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), October 1995
ISBN-10: 0-89296-560-6 (0892965606)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-560-1 (9780892965601)
The Camel of Destruction
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), July 2002
ISBN-10: 1-59058-024-9 (1590580249)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-024-0 (9781590580240)
The Snake Catcher's Daughter
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), March 2003
ISBN-10: 1-59058-051-6 (1590580516)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-051-6 (9781590580516)
The Mingrelian Conspiracy
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), July 2003
ISBN-10: 1-59058-069-9 (1590580699)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-069-1 (9781590580691)
The Fig Tree Murder
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), November 2003
ISBN-10: 1-59058-068-0 (1590580680)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-068-4 (9781590580684)
The Last Cut
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), February 2004
ISBN-10: 1-59058-067-2 (1590580672)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-067-7 (9781590580677)
Death of an Effendi
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), May 2004
ISBN-10: 1-59058-066-4 (1590580664)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-066-0 (9781590580660)
A Cold Touch of Ice
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), August 2004
ISBN-10: 1-59058-065-6 (1590580656)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-065-3 (9781590580653)
The Face in the Cemetery
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), December 2004
ISBN-10: 1-59058-070-2 (1590580702)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-070-7 (9781590580707)
The Point in the Market
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), April 2005
ISBN-10: 1-59058-137-7 (1590581377)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-137-7 (9781590581377)
The Mark of the Pasha
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), May 2008
ISBN-10: 1-59058-444-9 (1590584449)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-444-6 (9781590584446)
Omnimystery keywords for The Mark of the Pasha
...
Location(s) referenced: Cairo, Egypt.