The Camel of Destruction

July 22, 2002
British author Pearce (The Snake-catcher's Daughter) offers the seventh fascinating installment in his series featuring Capt. Gareth Owen, the Mamur Zapt, who serves as head of the political branch of the British police in 1910 colonial Egypt. Having jurisdiction over crimes that may have political ramifications, Owen becomes enmeshed in a homicide investigation when a Ministry of Agriculture employee is found dead at his desk. Both government officials and private businessmen want Owen to sweep the matter under the carpet. A dramatic drop in cotton prices that jeopardizes the economy and the growing debts of the poor create a volatile environment that threatens the stability of both the Egyptian ruler, the khedive, and his British "advisers." Utilizing a network of informers and undercover operatives to untangle the victim's financial and real estate dealings, Owen must head off the feared "Camel of Destruction," a metaphorical beast who heralds chaos. Owen is confident enough to bend rules when necessary, as well as adept at assessing the underlying motivations of bureaucrats and the mysterious members of the Khedivial Agricultural Society. Able to think several steps ahead, he's at ease in dealing with all segments of the culture he both rules over and serves. Pearce vividly captures a little-known time and place with three-dimensional characters, financial turmoil that is surprisingly resonant and an intriguing puzzle that is not, alas, matched by an equally clever resolution. (Aug. 1)FYI:Poisoned Pen has published in paperback three other titles in this series:
The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet,
The Night of the Dog and
The Donkey-Vous.

July 1, 2002
Set in 1910 Cairo, the latest in Pearce's Mamur Zapt series delivers a sparkling treasure for the discerning reader. The story focuses less on its murder plot and more on the cast of amusingly depicted characters: endearing scoundrels, bungling bureaucrats, vociferous women, precocious street urchins, and cunning con men. The suicide of a senior civil servant seems like an open-and-shut case. Osman Fingari was under extreme pressure from his job, and he'd even taken to drinking heavily at lunch with his "new best friends," colleagues from the Khedival Agricultural Society. But to Gareth Owen, Mamur Zapt (Chief Investigator) of Cairo, things just don't add up. Owen is certain Fingari was murdered, and he's determined to find out whodunit, which means negotiating the notoriously corrupt bureaucracy of Edwardian Cairo. Willing to offend government ministers and upset long-established customs, the Mamur Zapt shakes the case in his tenacious teeth until the truth drops out. Delightful, charming, and completely engaging.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)