Description: While riding home to lunch on his donkey, Fairclough of Customs is rudely unseated by shots fired from behind. The incident is the first of a series of attacks aimed at public officials. Even Captain Gareth Owen, the Mamur Zapt, British head of Cairo's Secret Police, barely escapes.
Brief description:
Michael Pearce grew up in the (then) Anglo-Egyptian Sudan among the political and other tensions he draws on for his books. He returned there later to teach and retains a human rights interest in the area. His career has followed the standard academic rake's progress from teaching to writing to administration. He finds international politics a pallid imitation of academic ones.
Review Quotes: ""More magical resurrection of Egypt under British rule...Pearce's dry humour matches his skill at evocative plot-stirring."" --Sunday Times