The Mark of the Pasha

The umpteenth Mamur Zapt book and still as enjoyable as the first. The nice thing about this series is that times change in the course of the books. Now WWI is finished, and Egyptians are wondering why they should be ruled by the British. The Mamur Zapt has married his Zeyneb, and via her women's issues are introduced.
These books have taught me a lot about Egypt in the early 20th century, and are a pleasure to read. It will be hard to keep up the light tone, though, if the writer continues to let real history take its course in his books.

I really enjoy the Mamur Zapt series. They are well written and the story line progresses evenly through Egyptian history during the time of the Brits & Kedhive.

This book touches on the period after WWI, the new sport of automobile racing and the overthrow of the Kedhive by a member of his own family. It is very well written and interesting.

I really got a feel of the political climate as well social mores of the time. I also enjoy the humor and I love his (now) wife Zeinab (whom I have named my siamese after).

This is an excellent addition to the Mamur Zapt series. The Mamur Zapt is the head of the Egyptian Secret Service and is a British soldier.
The setting for the book is Egypt after the end of WW1, probably in 1919 because the Versailles peace conference is referenced. There is social and political unrest in Egypt which affects the continuing series characters; in the first few chapters there's an attempted bombing of a procession including the Khedive (the King of Eqypt) which gets thwarted. The main story is about tracking down those behind the bombing plot, and it gets solved in the last couple of chapters, although there are several hints before then.
This is a fast paced novel and easy to read. There's plenty of "local colour" about show more Eqypt during the early 20th Century. Much is made about the introduction of automobiles to Egypt.
It's not necessary to have read the previous books in the series, although you may want to read them after finishing this one. It is one of the better ones.
At the end, even though the days of British rule over Egypt seem to be ending, it looks as if the Mamur Zapt will be kept on. In that case, let's hope that the series can continue. show less

This was an interesting historical mystery.  The history of British/Egyptian relations was fascinating and the author described it well.  The mystery dragged in parts, but really picked up pace in the end.  The ending wrapped up nicely and the final thoughts of Owen's wife added charm to the story.