The Mouth of the Crocodile - (Mamur Zapt Mystery) by Michael Pearce (Paperback)

About the Book

Atbara, Sudan, 1913. A dead man is fished out of the River Nile. An accident - or something more sinister? A visiting Pasha from the Royal Household believes it was murder - and that he himself was the intended target. The Mamur Zapt, Head of the Khedive's Secret Police, determines to uncover the truth.

Book Synopsis

"A lovingly detailed portrait of Egypt during the Great War. The result is a bit like a police procedural reimagined by Douglas Adams" Kirkus Reviews on The Bride Box
Atbara, Sudan, 1913. A dead man is fished out of the River Nile. An accident - or something more sinister? A visiting Pasha from the Royal Household believes it was murder - and that he himself was the intended target. He insists that the Mamur Zapt, Head of the Khedive's Secret Police, escorts him on his return train journey to Cairo, for protection. It's to be an eventful voyage. Matters take an unexpected turn when the train is stranded in the desert following a sandstorm. With the help of English schoolboy Jamie Nicholson, the Mamur Zapt pursues his investigations, convinced that at least one of his fellow passengers has a secret to hide. And what was the Pasha really doing in that remote corner of the Sudan? Could the Mamur Zapt's deepest fears be true? Could he really be about to uncover a conspiracy against the British?

Review Quotes

"High-risk adventure, with the Mamur Zapt"-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"An excellent book in an outstanding series that belongs in all good mystery collections"-- "Booklist"

"This variation on the snowbound train full of suspicious characters is nicely done"-- "Publishers Weekly Starred Review"

About the Author

Michael Pearce grew up in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. He returned there later to teach and retains a human rights interest in the area. He now lives in south-west London and is the author of the highly-acclaimed Mamur Zapt historical mystery series as well as the Seymour of Special Branch police procedural series.