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Seymour of Special Branch #4
A Dead Man in Tangier
This is the third exciting crime thriller in Michael Pearce's "Dead Man Series". Why is Seymour of Scotland Yard summoned to somewhere so exotic as North Africa? Isn't the death of a Frenchman there something for the local police? Well, yes and no. The local police are answerable to the International Committee, of which the chairman is the British Consul. So naturally the ensuing investigation has to be above board. And so Seymour is bought in as he has had experience of this sort of thing before. And if he fails - well he is expendable, after all.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2007
About the author
Michael Pearce
54 books53 followersMichael Pearce grew up in the (then) Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. He returned there later to teach, and retains a human rights interest in the area. He retired from his academic post to write full time.
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February 24, 2019
A Dead Man in Tangier
The Dead Man series are set around the Mediterranean a few years before the Great War. Although the series does follow a time line you can read each story separately.
Seymour of the London Special Police has a knack with languages. He learned them from his European family and also from growing up in the multi ethnic community of East End.
He had been sent to Tangier to investigate the murder of a French business man in order to keep the European Powers happy as Morocco became a Protectorate.
Here is a conversation between pair of lovable rogues Idris and Mustapha and Sadiq a young activist newspaper editor...
"When he came out of the office with Sadiq, Mustapha and Idris closed in again.
Sadiq was alarmed.
‘What are you doing?’
‘Looking after him,’ said Mustapha. ‘Which is more than you’re doing bringing him to a place like this.’
‘It’s a newspaper office!’ protested Sadiq indignantly.
‘Oh, yes!’
They walked on a little way in silence. Then ‘What’s your newspaper like, then?’ asked Idris.
‘It’s sort of… political.’
‘Political!’
‘Then he has been taking you to the wrong sort of place!’ said Idris. ‘You want to keep away from anything like that.’
‘Have you no shame?’ cried Sadiq, touched nearly and aroused despite himself. ‘Keep away from politics? At a time like this!’
‘What’s this about the time?’
‘When the French have imposed a Protectorate on us?’
‘What’s that?’
‘Protectorate. You know about the Protectorate. Don’t you?’
‘I think I’ve heard something,’ said Mustapha vaguely.
‘They’re taking over Morocco!’
‘The French?’
‘Yes.’
‘I thought they had taken over Morocco?’
‘Look, it’ll make no difference to us,’ said Idris.
‘Oh, yes, it will. There’ll be soldiers everywhere.’
‘There are now,’ said Mustapha.
‘There’ll be more!’ promised Sadiq. ‘And police.’
‘Police?’
‘Real police. French police!’
‘That could be a problem,’ admitted Mustapha.
‘Naow,’ said Idris. ‘Just offer them more.’
‘You don’t understand!’ cried Sadiq. ‘It will be different. The French will be running everything. Everything!’
‘Good luck to them.’
‘They’ll be in control!’
‘Not a chance!’ said Idris dismissively.
‘We’ll be all right,’ said Mustapha.
‘Is that all you think of?’ said Sadiq hotly. ‘Have you no pride? Have you no thought for Morocco?’
‘Morocco?’
‘You’re a Moroccan, aren’t you?’
‘Not me,’ said Mustapha. ‘I’m from the Rif.’
‘But that is — ’
‘And I’m a Berber,’ said Idris.
‘We’re all Moroccans!’ cried Sadiq desperately. ‘And we must stand together and fight the French.’
‘Fight the…?’
‘French, yes.’
‘Soldiers?’
‘If necessary.’
‘He’s mad!’ said Mustapha.
There was a silence. Then ‘Is that what this newspaper of yours is all about?’
‘Well, yes.’
‘Stand up against the French? And get your heads blown off? Thank you very much!’
‘If we don’t fight now, we’ll never-’
‘Listen, laddie: do you know what fighting is?’
‘Well-’
‘Me,’ said Idris virtuously, ‘I don’t want to fight anybody. I just want to get on with my work.’
‘Well, of course, everyone — But… What is your work?’
‘Well, we do a bit in kif-’
‘Kif!’
‘Yes. Run the occasional load. Spread it around. That sort of thing.’
Sadiq was silenced for a moment. Then, as they walked on, he whispered to Seymour:
‘These are not good people, Mr Seymour. I feel I should tell you.’"
As a side plot Seymour becomes aware of Chantelle, who has a French father and a Moroccan mother. You can follow their love life in the continuing series...
A clever who-done-it, with understated humour and a developing love.
Enjoy!
The Dead Man series are set around the Mediterranean a few years before the Great War. Although the series does follow a time line you can read each story separately.
Seymour of the London Special Police has a knack with languages. He learned them from his European family and also from growing up in the multi ethnic community of East End.
He had been sent to Tangier to investigate the murder of a French business man in order to keep the European Powers happy as Morocco became a Protectorate.
Here is a conversation between pair of lovable rogues Idris and Mustapha and Sadiq a young activist newspaper editor...
"When he came out of the office with Sadiq, Mustapha and Idris closed in again.
Sadiq was alarmed.
‘What are you doing?’
‘Looking after him,’ said Mustapha. ‘Which is more than you’re doing bringing him to a place like this.’
‘It’s a newspaper office!’ protested Sadiq indignantly.
‘Oh, yes!’
They walked on a little way in silence. Then ‘What’s your newspaper like, then?’ asked Idris.
‘It’s sort of… political.’
‘Political!’
‘Then he has been taking you to the wrong sort of place!’ said Idris. ‘You want to keep away from anything like that.’
‘Have you no shame?’ cried Sadiq, touched nearly and aroused despite himself. ‘Keep away from politics? At a time like this!’
‘What’s this about the time?’
‘When the French have imposed a Protectorate on us?’
‘What’s that?’
‘Protectorate. You know about the Protectorate. Don’t you?’
‘I think I’ve heard something,’ said Mustapha vaguely.
‘They’re taking over Morocco!’
‘The French?’
‘Yes.’
‘I thought they had taken over Morocco?’
‘Look, it’ll make no difference to us,’ said Idris.
‘Oh, yes, it will. There’ll be soldiers everywhere.’
‘There are now,’ said Mustapha.
‘There’ll be more!’ promised Sadiq. ‘And police.’
‘Police?’
‘Real police. French police!’
‘That could be a problem,’ admitted Mustapha.
‘Naow,’ said Idris. ‘Just offer them more.’
‘You don’t understand!’ cried Sadiq. ‘It will be different. The French will be running everything. Everything!’
‘Good luck to them.’
‘They’ll be in control!’
‘Not a chance!’ said Idris dismissively.
‘We’ll be all right,’ said Mustapha.
‘Is that all you think of?’ said Sadiq hotly. ‘Have you no pride? Have you no thought for Morocco?’
‘Morocco?’
‘You’re a Moroccan, aren’t you?’
‘Not me,’ said Mustapha. ‘I’m from the Rif.’
‘But that is — ’
‘And I’m a Berber,’ said Idris.
‘We’re all Moroccans!’ cried Sadiq desperately. ‘And we must stand together and fight the French.’
‘Fight the…?’
‘French, yes.’
‘Soldiers?’
‘If necessary.’
‘He’s mad!’ said Mustapha.
There was a silence. Then ‘Is that what this newspaper of yours is all about?’
‘Well, yes.’
‘Stand up against the French? And get your heads blown off? Thank you very much!’
‘If we don’t fight now, we’ll never-’
‘Listen, laddie: do you know what fighting is?’
‘Well-’
‘Me,’ said Idris virtuously, ‘I don’t want to fight anybody. I just want to get on with my work.’
‘Well, of course, everyone — But… What is your work?’
‘Well, we do a bit in kif-’
‘Kif!’
‘Yes. Run the occasional load. Spread it around. That sort of thing.’
Sadiq was silenced for a moment. Then, as they walked on, he whispered to Seymour:
‘These are not good people, Mr Seymour. I feel I should tell you.’"
As a side plot Seymour becomes aware of Chantelle, who has a French father and a Moroccan mother. You can follow their love life in the continuing series...
A clever who-done-it, with understated humour and a developing love.
Enjoy!
June 6, 2012
Sandor Seymour, once a denizen of the polyglot streets of London's East End is now a member of of Scotland yard. In a way he is one of the precursors what is now known as the flying squad because in 1912 or so he is sent to many political hot spots to help solve sensitive murder cases. He is chosen for these jobs because of his facilities for languages, most of which he picked up as a youngster.
In this particular situation he is trundled off to exotic Morocco, in particular to Tangier where they speak both French and Arabic.
Morocco has been governed by Sultans in the past but the country has been in trouble and there has been some negotiations among the European countries, almost like trading baseball cards the result of which a reorganization known as the French Protectorate is coming into play. When a prominent Frenchman in killed during a pig hunt and the cause is felt to be political outside help is called for.
Seymour personally avoids politics because he comes from a family of political refugees. Both of his parents learned the hard way what speaking out against governments in powers can bring about. His grandfather also was an activist for one cause or another so Seymour's main rebellion was joining the police which totally shocked his family. In Morocco he finds the somewhat naive intellectual discussions among the students and nationalists very refreshing as these are people who truly hope for a better future. This historical background really added depth to the story and I found much of the history confirmed on Wikepidia.
Moroccan live by a certain etiquette called caida, a kind of tact, sensitivity and respect. For the most part they avoid alcohol. They felt the French, Spanish and Germans could not spend one evening without wine or whine. But Morocco was deteriorating, buildings were falling apart, alleyways were strewn with refuse and rotting vegetables. But here and there there were still beautiful old facades, exquisite wood carvings or perfect Moorish patio with delicate balconies.
Seymour had to tred a fine line to find the culprit but what he learned about the politics and the culture on the way gave me a lot to take home from this book.
In this particular situation he is trundled off to exotic Morocco, in particular to Tangier where they speak both French and Arabic.
Morocco has been governed by Sultans in the past but the country has been in trouble and there has been some negotiations among the European countries, almost like trading baseball cards the result of which a reorganization known as the French Protectorate is coming into play. When a prominent Frenchman in killed during a pig hunt and the cause is felt to be political outside help is called for.
Seymour personally avoids politics because he comes from a family of political refugees. Both of his parents learned the hard way what speaking out against governments in powers can bring about. His grandfather also was an activist for one cause or another so Seymour's main rebellion was joining the police which totally shocked his family. In Morocco he finds the somewhat naive intellectual discussions among the students and nationalists very refreshing as these are people who truly hope for a better future. This historical background really added depth to the story and I found much of the history confirmed on Wikepidia.
Moroccan live by a certain etiquette called caida, a kind of tact, sensitivity and respect. For the most part they avoid alcohol. They felt the French, Spanish and Germans could not spend one evening without wine or whine. But Morocco was deteriorating, buildings were falling apart, alleyways were strewn with refuse and rotting vegetables. But here and there there were still beautiful old facades, exquisite wood carvings or perfect Moorish patio with delicate balconies.
Seymour had to tred a fine line to find the culprit but what he learned about the politics and the culture on the way gave me a lot to take home from this book.
June 23, 2013
I loved discovering Michael Pearce and this was fascinating--really felt like being in Tangier in that halcyon pre-WWI world. The French role in Morocco was interesting to see up close, and thanks to reading about Gertrude Bell, the colonial world by the side of the European who speaks Arabic really gives an inside look, and deepens my mixed feelings about the whome enterprise. The pig sticking opener is the perfect metaphor! Intrigue and characters pulled me in and I wished I could time travel and hang out for a while longer.
September 18, 2018
I really enjoy Michael Pearce's book. The writing is very witty and the humor is quite dry. Although he does deal with some of the social problems of the day, not is not the main focus of the books.
October 4, 2020
A Dead Man in Tangier by Michael Pearce is the 4th book in the Seymour of Special Branch historical mystery series, set in 1912 Morocco. Tangier is in political and cultural turmoil. The Sultan with his Parasol (overarching sphere of influence) is replaced by the French Protectorate. An international committee representing the Great Powers (including France, Spain, England) oversees political affairs. University students are disenchanted with the "old Morocco" of their parents but protest French control.
A ritual hunt is still performed: the pig-sticking. In a combination of traditions from India and England, wild boars are chased by hunters on horseback armed with lances. All classes of society attend the event, most just to watch the spectacle. French businessman Monsieur Bossu, clerk of the international committee, was murdered during the pig-sticking. The international committee sent Seymour of Scotland Yard's Special Branch to investigate, due to his fluency with multiple languages.
Seymour interviews many residents of Tangier, in all social classes, frequently accompanied by two self-appointed bodyguards, Mustapha and Idris. Seymour patiently and persistently asks questions and weighs the answers against scraps of information he learns about the universally disliked Bossu. It takes many repeat interviews to piece together events of the past and reveal old crimes and grudges. Seymour follows up on every detail, patiently and sympathetically. When he eventually confirms his hypothesis of what happened, he carefully suggests the best approach for appropriate justice.
Making a list of key players would probably help, as the process of extracting clues is tedious. The people of Tangier kept secrets very well. Seymour departs in an excellently tailored new suit, with what seems to be a cliff-hanger ending: can it be, a possible new partner?
A ritual hunt is still performed: the pig-sticking. In a combination of traditions from India and England, wild boars are chased by hunters on horseback armed with lances. All classes of society attend the event, most just to watch the spectacle. French businessman Monsieur Bossu, clerk of the international committee, was murdered during the pig-sticking. The international committee sent Seymour of Scotland Yard's Special Branch to investigate, due to his fluency with multiple languages.
Seymour interviews many residents of Tangier, in all social classes, frequently accompanied by two self-appointed bodyguards, Mustapha and Idris. Seymour patiently and persistently asks questions and weighs the answers against scraps of information he learns about the universally disliked Bossu. It takes many repeat interviews to piece together events of the past and reveal old crimes and grudges. Seymour follows up on every detail, patiently and sympathetically. When he eventually confirms his hypothesis of what happened, he carefully suggests the best approach for appropriate justice.
Making a list of key players would probably help, as the process of extracting clues is tedious. The people of Tangier kept secrets very well. Seymour departs in an excellently tailored new suit, with what seems to be a cliff-hanger ending: can it be, a possible new partner?
December 6, 2024
🍷🍷🍷
Three glasses of wine for an outstanding outing in this series! Each year, I start putting aside several books by authors or in series I particularly enjoy, with a view toward December holiday time (Winter Solstice for me, thank you very much) “treats” to read. This book is one of them, and boy howdy did it hit the spot!
Tangier, Morocco 1912 and the political turmoil is gathering steam when the British are asked as a “neutral” party to have someone investigate the death of a politically connected economic mover and shaker - was it an accident or a staged murder? The French, now taking the reins of a “Moroccan Mandate,” and the Moroccans themselves especially the Islamic forces and previous Arab political apparatus, are seen as too partisan to be impartial or honest. The Brits however are not politically involved although they have commercial interests in the area and the military protections for those in place. It is of course a tricky situation, so….
Who to send that might resolve the matter without inflaming passions while still calming the affected parties with a satisfactory finding? Ah yes, once again Scotland Yard’s modest policeman Sergeant Seymour of Special Branch who has the requisite tact and a wonderful ability in several languages including fluent French and some Arabic as well…told with a terrific phlegmatic tone, a solid historical accuracy to the spirit of the times, and a slyly humorous take on the various peoples in this place at this time, just a real winner of a book!
Three glasses of wine for an outstanding outing in this series! Each year, I start putting aside several books by authors or in series I particularly enjoy, with a view toward December holiday time (Winter Solstice for me, thank you very much) “treats” to read. This book is one of them, and boy howdy did it hit the spot!
Tangier, Morocco 1912 and the political turmoil is gathering steam when the British are asked as a “neutral” party to have someone investigate the death of a politically connected economic mover and shaker - was it an accident or a staged murder? The French, now taking the reins of a “Moroccan Mandate,” and the Moroccans themselves especially the Islamic forces and previous Arab political apparatus, are seen as too partisan to be impartial or honest. The Brits however are not politically involved although they have commercial interests in the area and the military protections for those in place. It is of course a tricky situation, so….
Who to send that might resolve the matter without inflaming passions while still calming the affected parties with a satisfactory finding? Ah yes, once again Scotland Yard’s modest policeman Sergeant Seymour of Special Branch who has the requisite tact and a wonderful ability in several languages including fluent French and some Arabic as well…told with a terrific phlegmatic tone, a solid historical accuracy to the spirit of the times, and a slyly humorous take on the various peoples in this place at this time, just a real winner of a book!
February 9, 2022
A French committee man is transfixed by a lance at a pig-sticking meet near Tangier - at a time just before Moroccan independence becomes subject to French authority. Seymour of Special Branch is sent to investigate. How was the Frenchman involved in a corrupt railway scheme in Casablanca? Might he have been implicated in gun-running to a Moroccan revolutionary? And what is his relationship with Chantale, the young mixed race hotelier Seymour has got to know? Seymour solves the case, but he cannot stop the French Protectorate. Another clever, genial mystery in this excellent series.
June 10, 2018
Atmosphere is written very well. I guessed about halfway through who the perpetrator was but it was still an enjoyable read. Seymour is one of those people who doesn't say much but listens and watches so you don't know what he knows. He doesn't seem to grow much either as some other detectives do. I still enjoy the series.
May 18, 2019
A talent for languages has had Scotland Yard sending Seymour on cases throughout Mediterranean countries, this time to Morocco. In a theme that seems to recur over time, student unrest and other factors have political tensions ratcheted up, so Scotland Yard is asked for help when the secretary to an international committee is murdered.
November 6, 2025
Liked it. Good historical fiction and a murder mystery. Plot is good, characters are place-holders but the setting is magnificent: Morocco in the early 1900's.
I have read several of the author's "Dead Man in .." novels and enjoyed each of them as light reading.
I have read several of the author's "Dead Man in .." novels and enjoyed each of them as light reading.
March 17, 2017
Really liked how the ending was handled.
August 16, 2012
I've tried three books in the series, with this one being the last I've read, and the first one I originally wanted to read. But like with any series, let's just try it in order, and see how the stories and the characters develop... in the case of this series, the stories don't seem to link to each other, so go ahead, read them out of order. But also the characters don't really grow or develop - Seymour is always the same detective. Except with the variations of what his name actually is or was. He's still as flat as in the first book.
In this one, Seymour, the English detective from Scotland Yard, is sent to Tangiers, in Morocco, to investigate the death of a Frenchman. The superficial layers of Morocco were present, from their relatively recent history with the French to wearing djellabas and drinking mint tea, but that didn't seem to go deep enough. The happenings and the characters seemed too much like in the other books of the series, without really bringing the feel of Morocco thru. Some characters were annoying, in an equallly annoying way as in e.g. A Dead Man in Trieste. Pearce could have also investigated Ramadan better: drinking water during the daylight is not something that's allowed, and once Ramadan ends, there's Eid. A huge celebration, all traces of which were absent in the story, despite even Seymour noticing that Ramadan had ended now. Also, one of the Muslim characters said this in the book: "Ramadan will soon be over, God be praised". What a blasphemy - equally as out of place as saying "Allahu Akbar" to your white-bred Breederville soccer mum instead of the ever-present Jebusville "God bless". Some of these missed details could be forgiven, if there were some more interesting characters, and if there was some actual action in the book.
In this one, Seymour, the English detective from Scotland Yard, is sent to Tangiers, in Morocco, to investigate the death of a Frenchman. The superficial layers of Morocco were present, from their relatively recent history with the French to wearing djellabas and drinking mint tea, but that didn't seem to go deep enough. The happenings and the characters seemed too much like in the other books of the series, without really bringing the feel of Morocco thru. Some characters were annoying, in an equallly annoying way as in e.g. A Dead Man in Trieste. Pearce could have also investigated Ramadan better: drinking water during the daylight is not something that's allowed, and once Ramadan ends, there's Eid. A huge celebration, all traces of which were absent in the story, despite even Seymour noticing that Ramadan had ended now. Also, one of the Muslim characters said this in the book: "Ramadan will soon be over, God be praised". What a blasphemy - equally as out of place as saying "Allahu Akbar" to your white-bred Breederville soccer mum instead of the ever-present Jebusville "God bless". Some of these missed details could be forgiven, if there were some more interesting characters, and if there was some actual action in the book.
November 18, 2014
Pearce definitely has a talent for writing dialogue, and light-hearted humor. For that, his books are worth reading by anyone who enjoys the murder-mystery/detective genre in which he writes. His earlier book, The Mamur-Zapt and the Donkey Vous, is, I believe, better. Pearce's bio states he has some family and/or personal experience and connection to historical Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, and that makes his Mamur-Zapt stories very interesting. He does not seem to have such intimate knowledge of Tangiers. His Anglo-Egyptian Sudan stories (the Mamur-Zapt stories) are either based upon actual intimate knowledge of the period and place, or else they are extremely well imagined. This book seems to reflect a knowledge of old Tangiers based more upon book research and, perhaps, a vacation in Morocco -- hence, it lacks the magic of the Mamur-Zapt books' descriptions of period and place. Still, the skillfully written dialogue and understated comedy of this book make it worth reading.
April 5, 2009
here he is again, trying to solve a murder set in the early 1900's. The character, Seymour, needs to go and try to solve the crime. No one knows who is really in charge, as Tangier is just starting to be taken over by France. A former miltary man is killed while on a pig hunt and no one knows who did it. It is further ocmplicated because he married a native 20 years ago, so he has more enemies than normal. But Seymour figures it out.
January 4, 2010
I couldn't STAND Mrs. Bosu! How awful she was (and annoying). I liked this story and enjoy learning about other countries & cultures.
March 12, 2010
Dreadfully boring. I gave up halfway through and I never do that.
March 9, 2012
A fast moving, well written mystery. The author is a linguist and gives a good feeling for the time and place.
July 7, 2013
Best of this pre WWI series so far--wonderful images of the culture clash in Morocco in the early 20th century. Wonderful humor and ingenious detecting.
January 25, 2016
not bad
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews