The Fig Tree Murder: A Mamur Zapt Mystery

by Michael Pearce | Mystery & Thrillers |
ISBN: Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingPlum-crazywing of Brighouse, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on 10/17/2017
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7 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingPlum-crazywing from Brighouse, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Why was the body put on the line? Did someone want to halt the progress of the New Electric Railway out from Cairo to the "City of Pleasure" being built in the suburbs? Old Egypt is pitted against New and in the middle is the Mamur Zapt, British head of Cairo's Secret Police.

Journal Entry 2 by wingPlum-crazywing at Book Box, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases on Monday, November 6, 2017

Released 6 yrs ago (11/6/2017 UTC) at Book Box, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Added my "A World of Crime" Bookbox.

Released as part of the NOVEMBER "THE" CHALLENGE (#9)

Journal Entry 3 by wingrainbow3wing at Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom on Sunday, November 26, 2017
Plucked this out of Plum-crazy’s “World of Crime” book-box, to read & replace, before passing the box on. . .
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Book burble: ‘Effortless funny and engaging. Packed, as ever, with fact, flavour and the kind of insouciance which makes history lighter than air’ PHILIP
OAKES, Literary Review

Why was the body put on the line? Did someone want to halt the progress of the new railway out from Cairo to the ‘City of Pleasure’ being built in the suburbs? Or was it just another traditional revenge killing?

To answer these questions the Mamur Zapt, British Head of Cario’s Secret Police, has to look both in the luxurious quarters of the dazzling New Heliopolis and in the more humble houses of the dead man’s village and in neither place are things quite as straightforward as they seem. What is the significance of the Tree of the Virgins? Does it matter that the gathering place for the Mecca Caravan is only a mile or two away? And what of the ostrich that passed in the night?

‘Michael Pearce’s, light touch and witty dialogue make this series a continuing delight’ SUSANNA YAGER, Sunday Telegraph
‘Urbane, intelligent and never patronising, Pearce writes about Egypt with the observant eye of the lover who sees yet forgives all faults’ VAL McDERMID Manchester Evening News

THE FIG TREE MURDER by MICHAEL PEARCE (1996) | ISBN: 9780006499688 | Publisher: Harper Collins

Journal Entry 4 by wingrainbow3wing at -- Controlled Release 🤝 in Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom on Sunday, November 26, 2017

Released 6 yrs ago (11/26/2017 UTC) at -- Controlled Release 🤝 in Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

The setting of Egypt, I was most intrigued with and as this is a sliver of a book I hoped it may just be possible to read it in a trice. I found however, tiny wee print and a fairly dry style meant this was not the fastest read I could manage nor did I settle to it quickly, none-the-less pleasing as a new author for me, a period that offers great interest and a country I have read about though never visited.

Much more of a political administration procedural [OK yes I’ve just come up with that as a term] I’d say than an investigatory romp in the style of Agatha Christie’s, Hercule Poirot for example. I mention Christie’s Belgian fact-finder as Pearce’s Egypt is awash with Belgian financial speculators as well as French ex-patriates. So more of a low key, slow burn effort than a high drama, action-thriller but pleasingly delivered with a desert dry wit from a calm and perfectly reserved observer. Since finishing this I find it’s hovered in my mind much more than I had expected, perhaps that’s due to the feeling there are many layers to the plausibly detailed background provided which is rich in cultural references. If I had a great Uncle Edward, say an ex-Whitehall mandarin, to amuse over boxing-day I can imagine this is an author I’d make sure was introduced to him from under the Christmas tree. I could imagine reading another Pearce and I’d be sure to have greater patience on the next occasion. Probably not my next port of call though as it demanded a more reflective reading style than mine is at present. I appear to be in book guzzling mode!

More Scribbles: I think this must be set about 1912 30 years after the British occupied Egypt, if I have understood that correctly and Welsh Military Captain Gareth Owen is the Mamur Zapt. Owen purportedly works for the Kedhive, Egyptian Ruler, while Egypt is a protectorate under British rule [hmmm, autocratic us, oh dear!]. As far as I understand it at this time there is in effect a whole shadow government of British officials who actually control the Egypt. Looks like the Khedive is an Egyptian equivalent of the British Viceroy so I wonder where does the British Consul-General line-up in this hierarchy as its clear that Owen regularly ‘liaises’ with the Consul-General’s ADC Paul. “Aide-De-Camp = a military officer acting as secretary and confidential assistant to a superior officer of general or flag rank.” Well for sure it seems like this has sparked an interest in my finding out more it could be that I’m chasing more of this series up from the library sooner than I could have predicted!
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OK with much thanks I’m placing this back into Plum-crazy’s, WORLD OF CRIME BOOK-BOOOOOX

Journal Entry 5 by kinedi at Rushyford, County Durham United Kingdom on Monday, December 18, 2017
Taken out of the book box, thanks !

Journal Entry 6 by kinedi at Rushyford, County Durham United Kingdom on Friday, February 22, 2019
I was looking for a quick read while waiting for my next book club book to arrive and this certainly fitted the bill. Witty, quick and entertaining - part of a series so I probably missed some of the nods to earlier stories but all in all, a good read.

Journal Entry 7 by kinedi at Rushyford, County Durham United Kingdom on Monday, March 25, 2019

Released 4 yrs ago (3/27/2019 UTC) at Rushyford, County Durham United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Going into Plum-crazy's World of Crime book box.

Journal Entry 8 by wingPlum-crazywing at Brighouse, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Thursday, April 11, 2019
Rec'd back when my "World of Crime" bookbox arrived home.

Journal Entry 9 by wingPlum-crazywing at The White Swan Leeds in Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Thursday, April 11, 2019

Released 4 yrs ago (4/13/2019 UTC) at The White Swan Leeds in Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Taking to the Leeds meet up

Journal Entry 10 by wingDelticwing at Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, April 13, 2019
This looks fun and it contains the magic word “railway”. Look forward to this one. Picked up at today’s meet-up in Leeds.

Journal Entry 11 by wingDelticwing at Ossett, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, November 23, 2019
Probably would have been better not to have joined this series at book ten, but it was still a nice little read. Very evocative of the period in which it’s set.

Journal Entry 12 by wingDelticwing at Leeds Meet @ City Museum Café in Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Released 4 yrs ago (12/4/2019 UTC) at Leeds Meet @ City Museum Café in Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Hello, lucky finder. If you're new to Bookcrossing, thank you for visiting the website.

Please take a moment to let us know you have the book - then everyone who has had it previously can follow it's journey! Then please post a review when you've read it.

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Journal Entry 13 by wingNu-Kneeswing at Knaresborough, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, December 4, 2019
This is one of five books I brought home from the lunchtime gathering of BookCrossers in Leeds today - more than I intended to! I wonder how that happened!
Thank you for bringing it along, MrsD. It was lovely to see you again :-)

Journal Entry 14 by wingNu-Kneeswing at Knaresborough, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, December 21, 2019
A murder mystery with all sorts of political, religious and tribal complications, set in Egypt under British rule (wasn't it called the British Protectorate for some reason?), a time and place that doesn't often feature in my reading and one that I found rather alien! I'm not sure I always knew who was who, what was going on or why . . . knowing something of the previous nine in the series might have helped. Fantastic Fiction tells there are now 19 of them - but I doubt I'll try to find any . . .

Journal Entry 15 by wingNu-Kneeswing at Phonebox Library☎️ in Roecliffe, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Released 4 yrs ago (1/14/2020 UTC) at Phonebox Library☎️ in Roecliffe, North Yorkshire United Kingdom

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

The last time I drove through Roecliffe, which was probably a couple of months ago, all the books had been removed from the Red Telephone Box and it was being painted. I was concerned that it was being refurbished for some other purpose, so was delighted when I recently received a Release Alert that another BookCrosser had left a book there. This morning I went and swapped a few books myself. This is one of them :-)

Nearly two million people around the world give their books a unique BookCrossing IDentity number (BCID) before sending them out to find new readers. Since the start of the scheme in April 2001 over thirteen million such books have been put into circulation. This is one of them!

Our hope is that we can track the progress of our books once they've left our hands - and that's possible if finders like you visit the website, key in the BCID and leave a comment, however long or short. It's fun, it doesn't have to cost anything, although the site always appreciates donations towards running costs, and you can remain anonymous if you wish. You don't have to join but if you do you'll be able to number and track your own books!

Journal Entry 16 by FreeRangeHuman at Roecliffe, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, November 7, 2020
I was out for a bike ride to find a geocache or two, but passing this phonebox library too. So I swapped books... this one fulfils the final category in a 40 book reading challenge for a book with food or drink in the title. Also itoday I picked some sloes, and got some cooking apples from a honesty stall in Minskip that also had cut flowers, pine cones and some plants in plantpots.

Released 3 yrs ago (11/29/2020 UTC) at Marina Way Little Free Library in Ripon, North Yorkshire United Kingdom

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

This is the first time I have visited this community library, but very productive. I left a bag of BookCrossing books (from me and my Mum) and took a few in return to help us both finish a reading challenge.

Journal Entry 18 by GeorgiaMay2401 at Ripon, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Monday, December 7, 2020
Currently in our “Little Free Library”

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