Kahire'nin Yanan Melekleri - Bir Makana Vakası

Makana #2

by Parker Bilal, İdil Dündar (Translator)

2001 yazı, 9/11 arifesi. Mısır'da din istismarı giderek büyümektedir. Ülkesi Sudan'da iktidarın polisi olamadığı için sürgün edilmiş Makana, Mısır'ın da Sudan'a döneceğinden endişelidir. Dini liderlerin bir sözü bile toplumdaki fanatizme varacak ayrımcılık fitilini ateşleyebilir. Gökyüzünde yanan bir meleğin tezahürü, öldürülen bir dizi sokak çocuğunun yarattığı infialle aynı zamana denk gelir. Bu gerilimli günlerin arka planında, kara paraların aklandığı paravan şirketler, kirli polisler ve suç çeteleriyle Mısır'ın görünmeyen yüzü bulunmaktadır.

Ünlü Sudanlı yazar Jamal Mahjoub, Parker Bilal mahlasıyla yazdığı Makana serisinin bu ikinci kitabında, devletin imkânlarını kullanmak için büyük hesaplaşmaların yaşandığı Mısır'ı anlatıyor. "Bu polisiye serisinde her şey var. Kesinlikle okunması gerekenlerden."
-Sunday Telegraph-

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Egypt, Fiction, Africa, Thriller, Middle East

336 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2013

About the author

Parker Bilal is the pseudonym of Jamal Mahjoub. Mahjoub has published seven critically acclaimed literary novels, which have been widely translated. Born in London, he has lived at various times in the UK, Sudan, Cairo and Denmark. He currently lives in Barcelona.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to understand the Arab Spring you might want to read these mysteries. Bilal captures the hopelessness that the average Egyptian has about his or her government. Makana, a Sudanese exile, is a good man to have on your side as some urchins and a reporter soon find out. We have street children being killed, tension between Christians and Muslims over the killings-each blaming the other, money laundering via a travel agency which handles Western tourists, and terrorist intrigue involving a nemesis from the Sudan. The time is 2001 and the book ends with the planes striking the twin tower in NYC. Makana is a really captivating character or as his enemies and sometimes allies of convenience call "an interesting man." There are only three in the series and I hope Bilal continues this series. Given the current situation in Egypt I'm sure there is plenty to write about to keep Makana working.

[Aysegul Ozkan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oldukca ilginc bir seri. Eski polis olan Makana, Sudan'da yasarken rejimin degismesi surecinde esi ile kızını kaybetmenin ardindan Kahire'ye gelmis ve polislik bilgilerini kullanarak Kahire'de kacak dedektiflik yapan bir gocmen.

Serinin ikincisi olan bu kitabin bir kismini Turkce, bir kismini ise trenlerde Ingilizce okudum. Son derece akici bir dil, ilginc politik referanslar ve Arap Bahari'na giden yol hakkinda cok akillica tesbitler var.

Kitap polisiye olarak her zaman okudugumuz Amerikan ve Ingiliz polisiyelerinden cok farkli ve genel olarak basariliydi. Ben keyifle okudum.

Makana serisi aslinda alti kitap. Ama Kirmizi Kedi ucuncu kitaptan sonrasi Turkce basmadi. Serilerin sansizligi.

#bizimbuyukchallengeimiz2025
#madde10

[Umut Çalışan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sudan'da yaşanan İslami darbeden sonra Mısır'a kaçan, kaçarken canından can bırakan, yorgun, yaralı, yüreği buruk kahramanımız Makana yine iş başında. Bu kez kendi gibi sığınmacı olan Talal'ın müstakbel kayın pederine gelen tehdit mektuplarını araştırmak için kiralanıyor. Ancak Makana, ilk başta basit bir vaka gibi görünen mektupları araştırırken, kendini İslami terörist örgütlerin, dinler arası çatışmaların, uluslar arası komplocuların, eski darbecilerin, silah kaçakçılarının ve daha nicelerinin arasında buluyor.

İlk kitap Kahire'de Kayıp da olduğu gibi, yine sürükleyici bir polisiye ile birlikte, alt metin olarak daha o zamanlardan duyulmaya başlayan "Arap Baharı"nın ayak seslerinden bahsedilmiş. Pek çok noktada ülkemizdeki yakın tarih ve gündem ile ilgili benzerlikle kurmak mümkün. http://www.umutcalisan.com/2017/03/ka...

[Jacki (Julia Flyte) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in Cairo in summer of 2011, shortly before the 9/11 attacks, this is the story of a private detective hired to investigate threatening notes with a religious tone sent to a local travel agency. The detective, Makana, who previously appeared in The Golden Scales: A Makana Mystery, is a former policeman who fled his native Sudan some years previously. He quickly learns that the notes were intended for someone other than the owner of the travel agency but also that the owner has his own reasons to feel apprehensive. This is a complex mystery with multiple strands but the real standout of this book is the way that it conveys modern Egypt, with its religious conflicts, corruption and violent underworld.

I feel like my giving this book three stars is my personal failure, because I kept feeling when I was reading it that it was a great book that I just wasn't quite appreciating as I should. Somehow I kept losing interest in it, getting confused by the many characters and the multiple plot strands. Makana is a terrific character that I really like and as I've mentioned above, the sense of place is one of the best things about this book. I just couldn't help feeling that maybe if he'd kept the story slightly simpler and more linear, that the book may have worked better. I enjoyed it, but as it took me almost two weeks to read, I don't feel that I can justify giving it more than 3 stars.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summer (northern hemisphere), 2001, and religious and political tensions in Egypt form the basis of the second Makana crime novel by Parker Bilal. Whilst there's nothing new in the use of crime fiction as the vehicle for exploring society on the edge, DOGSTAR RISING set, as it is, in that place at that time, provides an illuminating alternative viewpoint. Not automatically that of the "opposing", it is a look at pressures and perspectives from another angle. It's edgy fiction based in a very edgy world.

Whilst it's obvious to Makana, Private Investigator and Sudanese refugee, that the rise of religious hatred and intolerance is history repeating itself, other outcomes are less obvious. The plot of the book revolves around the connections between the murder of a number of young boys mostly forgotten, abandoned children and the persecution of Coptic Christians. Into this mix must fit the State Security Services, the local police, religious leaders, a lowly travel agent and his family connections and a disreputable Sudanese businessman. There is also the story of Makana himself, a refugee from war-torn, corrupt Sudan, his family gone, his life lived now somewhere on the outskirts. Partially as a result of being a refugee, partly because of who he is.

Bilal works his way steadily through a plot which, whilst complicated, never bogs down. He does that whilst continuing to draw a picture of a place and a culture which is searingly honest and instructive.

DOGSTAR RISING is the second book in the Makana series, and in two books it's proved itself extremely impressive. Tackling a range of issues in a society that is particularly on edge, neither book (THE GOLDEN SCALES is the first) pull any punches, albeit without beating the reader around the head and shoulders. Clever, intelligent and extremely thought-provoking, in two books, in the space of a couple of months for this reader, this has become a series to follow closely.


Parker Bilal will be attending the Perth Writer's Festival and Adelaide Writers Week where he'll also be doing Crime Writing Workshops and launching Bloomsbury's Short Sentence Writing competition for Budding Crime Writers

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...

[P.D.R. Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book two in a series well worth reading.

An unusual mystery novel set in contemporary Egypt. Young boys are turning up dead and mutilated. In the muddle that is Eygpt's mix of cultures someone is trying to stir up trouble and blame the Coptic Christians.

Investigator Makana, a mystery man from the Sudan, becomes involved when he sees a murder. He finds a thread linking that murder to those of the boys. Suddenly the police and state security services are breathing down his neck and all hell breaks loose.

Tightly written, the second in a series, and well worth a read for the exotic locations.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting that the story took place in Egypt and that the author is mid eastern, but aside from that, not so much. Too many characters to keep track of and why do children have to be victims of crazed demonic killers. Aren't they already victims of a sort, powerless? Dependent on the kindness of grown ups?

[Paul Batchelour · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won't detail the plot, it's been done previously. I found this quite hard work and very put downable. I just didn't feel particularly engaged with the plot or characters. However it seems I'm in the minority so what do I know.

[Christine Van Heertum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le Caire, été 2001. Les corps mutilés de jeunes garçons sont découverts à intervalles réguliers, attisant les tensions antre les communautés musulmanes et coptes. Makana, détective privé soudanais qui a fui son pays une dizaine d’années plus tôt, est appelé par son neveu pour enquêter sur une lettre de menaces envoyée à son patron, directeur d’une agence de tourisme. Durant ses investigations , Makana fait la connaissance de Meera, une jeune femme qui cache un lourd secret. Lorsque celle-ci est assassinée sous les yeux de Makana, l’enquête prend une tournure inattendue.
L’enquête en elle-même n’est pas extraordinaire, mais le personnage de Makana me fait penser aux inspecteurs blasés des vieilles séries policières. Quant à l’ambiance qui se dégage du livre, il nous suffit de fermer les yeux, et l’on se voit suivre Makana dans les quartiers insalubres du Caire, terreau nourricier des tensions entre les communautés, exarcerbées par les discours religieux de fanatiques. Le prélude au Printemps Arabe.

[Tbfrank · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is installment 2 in the author's series focused on Makana, the exiled former Sudanese policeman who makes a living as a private detective in Cairo. The author gives a dark picture of life in Cairo during the late summer of 2001 and includes commentary looking backward and forward on internal Egyptian politics that eventually produce the 2011 uprisings.

Makana is an intriguing character, if more physically resilient than expected in a man of his age. He is smart, observant, confident, has a wry sense of humor, compassionate, brave and reckless at the same time. The other characters are drawn deftly, though the number of them is confusing.

In the first half of the novel, the author seemed to be searching for his footing, unable to repeat the successful style of installment one. The narrative suffered noticeably from an overuse of similes. However, as the plot unfolded past the mid-point, the pace picked up and the writing became more self-assured. The conclusion struck me as a little on the fanciful side and the religious conflict too easily swept away.

[Jim Bogue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makana is an exile from Sudan living in genteel poverty on a houseboat in Cairo in 2001. He was a policeman before political upheaval in Sudan cost him job and family. He is asked to look into threats against a travel agent; deaths ensue. With the aid of a friendly reporter and semi friendly Cairo cop he traces the mystery around Cairo and up the Nile to Luxor.
The setting is fascinating, the action fairly constant, and the characters memorable. This is a series to get involved in.

[Mlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

+:
Het verhaal speelt zich af in Egypte. De detective is een Sudanese vluchteling. Daarmee is het boek in sfeer heel anders dan detectives die ik eerder las. De schrijver weet de geuren en kleuren op straat,en de spanningen die er in de samenleving spelen goed te vangen.

-:
Heel veel personages. Ik was af en toe kwijt wie wie is.

[Jerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good quick read with interesting background and setting (Cairo, Egypt). Both of the mysteries in this series that I've read now have James Bond type endings that are a bit over the top but good reads.

[Claudia Prieto-Piastro · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not your classic detective story, if you are into Mankells' novels you will probably dislike this

[Anneke de Bundel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good thriller with a sharp eye for social & political environment of Egypt. Reminds me of the French Izo policiers.

[Magda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable series.

[Tony Whittaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have read and enjoyed this whole series. Well written a fascinating look into how policing works in a third world country.

[Hermien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story and interesting setting in Cairo.

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had in veel minder bladzijden gekund.

[Ibisette · Rating 2 out of 5]

nah

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: it's 2001. Bodies of boys are turning up across Cairo and suspicion falls on the Coptic community. But PI Makana has other worries.

[Bree T · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the summer of 2001, before the terrorist attacks that rocked America and the globe, Cairo is concerned with the brutal murders of young and homeless boys. The deaths are creating religious tensions between the Muslims and the Coptics, the Egyptian Christians. Further complicating matters is the angel that appears on the rooftop of a nearby building whenever a body is found.

As a favour to the son of an old friend, Makana has paid a visit to the owner of a travel company who believes that he is receiving threats. When Makana arrives, he finds the office in a shambles and although there are various people drifting in and out, no one seems to be actually working. Despite not really wanting to take the job, Makana agrees to investigate, under the cover of an auditor brought in to help streamline the company for more efficiency. When Makana meets one of the workers and begins to talk to her, he realises that things are definitely not what they seem in this travel business and that there are some odd things going on.

Having fled his native Sudan a decade ago, Makana is stunned when someone approaches him and rocks his world with just one statement. Now he must decide whether or not to continue with the quiet life he aspires to in Cairo or take a chance on something that could be little more than a dream.

I read the first Makana book, The Golden Scales, last year and loved it. Cairo is portrayed in all its dirty, gritty, rough and overcrowded glory. In that novel there was a highlight of the rich against the poor and how corrupt the city was. In this second book, it’s more about religion.

Straddling Africa and the Middle East, Egypt is a country almost without a clear identity. It is home to refugees that have fled wartorn nations in Africa, it is home to Muslims and it is home to Christians. Wherever there is religious fervour there is bound to be trouble and this book tackles an attempt to divide the different religions by setting them against each other.

Dogstar Rising is rife with the same grittiness as The Golden Scales. Despite his wish to live a safe, comfortable life, Makana does have the knack of poking his nose into things that people really don’t want him poking his nose into…and then they try to kill him. He is poor, with barely enough money to pay the rent on his houseboat, his taxi fares and his bribes for information but he always seems to get by. He still mourns the loss of his wife and child and the loss of his idyllic Sudan as well. He’s resigned to the fact that he can never go back there but Egypt is not exactly what one would call safe, either. In fact in this book alone I think at least five people should’ve attempted to find refuge in other countries or tried to, or were fleeing. Despite the danger, the city seems to foster a great love and pride in its residents, almost at the same time as they seem in despair about it. It’s so far removed from what is familiar to me that I can’t help but lap it up – the sights, sounds, smells are all described here as Makana works his way through all parts of Cairo – the seediest underside with 12 year olds running drugs, guns and who knows what else for wealthy corrupt men, the middle income earners who keep their heads down and stay out of trouble, the journalists and their quests for the truth and the wealthy who are almost untouchable.

There’s a twist in this one as someone attempts to throw Makana with information to make him do something. It may or may not be true, Makana has no way of knowing and he must agonise over what to do. He’s used to being alone, he’s used to thinking that he knew what happened on that day that he fled Sudan. I think it was an interesting side plot and I’d love to see Makana return to Sudan one day, even though he does not believe that to be possible. Until that particular part of the plot, I would not have said it was necessary to have read The Golden Scales before tackling this one but now I think that it would be best for a reader if these were consumed in order.

Dogstar Rising is one slick crime novel that marries up a fabulous setting with truly clever plots. I love immersing myself in the streets of Cairo again as Makana tracks his investigations and learning more and more about this area and the people who live there. The next one will be set in a post-9/11 world and I do wonder whether or not that will be obvious in the next novel, if there will be stark differences that reflect how different things became after that day. This series is quickly becoming a favourite of mine and I look forward to more books. As Parker Bilal is a pen-name for Jamal Mahjoub, I really need to have a look at some of his literary novels under his name.

[Steven Z. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Periodically we read in a newspaper or hear broadcast news accounts of attacks against Coptic Christians in Egypt. The latest and every bit as horrific as others during recent years was in October, 2013 as Egyptian gunmen opened fire on a Coptic Christian wedding in Cairo. “Three people, including a girl aged eight, died when gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on the wedding party outside a Coptic Christian church in Cairo.” (BBC News 21 October, 2013) Some Islamists groups have been targeting Coptic Christians who accuse them of supporting the army’s overthrow of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi last July. Human Rights Watch reports that attacks against Coptic Christians in Egypt have been on the rise and Egyptian authorities have done little to investigate the attacks or take actions to prevent them. Another aspect of the problem is the kidnapping of Coptic Christian women and forcing them to convert to Islam, and then releasing them. The issue is that Islamic conversion is irreversible, even under threatening conditions, and if one tries to reverse the marriage, the punishment is death. “One priest in Cairo estimates that at least 21 young girls, many as young as 14, have disappeared from his parish alone.” (THE AUSTRALIAN May 21, 2011) This atmosphere becomes part of the background for Parker Bilal’s novel DOGSTAR RISING. The story is extremely timely as he begins the narrative with the murder and mutilation of Moslem children in Cairo. The event takes place in 2001, shortly before the 9/11 attacks and involves threats against employees of the Blue Ibis Tours company for supporting and aiding western pollution of Islam. Makana, Bilal’s central character, a former Sudanese policeman who is a detective in Cairo is hired by the head of the tourist agency to investigate. From this point on the novel twists and turns around the murder of the children and its possible link to a pedophile who is involved in smuggling linked to military officials, and attempts by journalists to expose the creation of an Islamic bank, the Eastern Star Bank that was set up to launder money for illegal activities.

The plot rests on a series of attacks on Moslem boys, journalists, and anyone who might be an impediment to the corruption that poisons Egyptian life. By making the murders appear as if Coptic Christians are performing ritual murder, the television “Islamic evangelist,” Sheikh Mohammed Waheed publicizes this conspiracy theory to further the radical cause to make Egypt another Iran. The story highlights the dichotomy that is Egypt. As Sami Barakat, a journalist points out, “You know what our problem is? We can’t decide what we want. Do we want West or East, Islam or the joys of secularism? We think we can have it all.” (201)

Bilal has constructed a many layered novel involving fears of ritual murder, the plight of Coptic Christians, government corruption, Islamic extremism, and the hopes by some to recapture and make amends for their past. The characters are numerous and well conceived. Some return from Bilal’s previous novel, THE GOLDEN SCALES, but he introduces many new ones i.e.; a murdering pedophile, a Coptic priest, assorted Egyptian mobsters, corrupt police officials, a radical Imam, and every day Egyptians who have to bear the weight of the poverty that is their existence. Throughout the novel, Bilal makes numerous references to Egyptian history and tries to place contemporary Egypt in that context. His discussion of radical philosophers is accurate as his use of certain historical events to assist in the flow of the narrative.

The story itself is extremely complex and Bilal’s literary style makes it easier for the reader to keep up with the constant changes that seem to take place on every other page. The ending is somewhat of a surprise and it will easily lead to another sequel as Makana’s search for his daughter, who he thought was dead, remains unresolved. I enjoyed both Makana mysteries and I look forward to the publication of the third installment, THE GHOST RUNNER.

[Krista (CubicleBlindness Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a private investigator, Makana spends a lot of time out in the field. As with the first book in the series The Golden Scales, the readers get a in depth look into the street life of Cairo. It's not only a detective story regarding a threatening letter, but the politics, religion and daily lives of the people of the city itself. We get a deeper look into the friendships and working relationships that were introduced in the first book. Although reading book one is not a requirement to enjoy Dogstar Rising.

Makana is hired to look into a threatening letter that was sent to a traveling agency. Which eventually leads him onto several different paths as stories begin to collide. The newspapers are reporting on sightings of an Angel in the sky, and Makana soon finds himself involved in the religious goings-on of a city in uproar after the discovery of murdered children. A city high on violence and religious uproar, looking for anybody to blame on the killings. A corrupt policing system and an overabundant amount of runaways throughout the city. Some not caring that the children are dying, considering them pests. But most of them are looking for answers. Eventually a man from Makana's past arrives, very unwelcome and turns his world upside down.

Although a very solitary and reserved when it comes to his private life, Makana is a very open minded person and dedicated friend. In this case it doesn't take Meera long to earn his trust and Makana is dedicated to finding out who has sent the letters, as she fears for her and her husbands life. The writing fully engages the reader into the relationships that he's gained and the emotional heartache when things begin to go wrong.

There are some scenes that are heavy on violence. The focus of young children living off the streets, in gangs and unfortunate lives they get mixed up in was sometimes hard to stomach. Not only a provoking character driven story, this novel gets you lost in the atmosphere of the city and it's people. Great pacing and gripping storylines, hits you emotionally and informative.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detective Makana is hired by Farouk Faragalla of Blue Ibis Travel. Makana needs to find out who wrote a threatening letter to the travel agency. Mira, who works as a receptionist at the travel agency, fears that the letter was meant for her. She suspects that someone has found out her real identity. Mira is the wife of Professor Ridwan Hilal, who is accused of blasphemy. Moreover Mira belongs to the Coptic minority; she is a Christian.

The Christian community is currently scapegoat. In Imbaba, a Cairo slum, several mutilated bodies of boys were found. According to the famous TV imam sheik Wahied, the Christians have a hand in these killings due to certain religious practices. Along with the killings an angel appeared in Imbaba. Is there a connection between the killings and the appearance of the angel? Some seem to think there is.

Is Mira's fear well-founded? And how does Blue Ibis Travel keeps its head above water?

‘Dogstar rising’ is the second book in the Makana detective series. You don’t need to read the first one, it’s a stand-alone. Obviously there are little references to the first instalment with regards to Makana and his former life. Makana, so we learn, is a refugee from Sudan who earns a living as a detective. In Sudan he used to be a police officer.

Makana is actually the right man to hold the modern Egyptian society up to the light. In ‘Dogstar rising’ you actually feel the undercurrents of a society on the brink of change. On top of this, the novel also spoils you with knowledge about the culture and history of the region.

I really like to read the other books in the series as well.

[Jjudyfl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this title from Goodreads.
Isn't it wonderful when you get a 400 page book that you get so engrossed in that the pages just seem to fly by? Or how bad it is to find yourself with a 240 pager that drags on forever?
Happily, "Dogstar Rising" is of the former quality. (The actual finished page count, I don't know, but this Advance Reader's Copy is so good, I doubt they'll chop it in half!)
Farouk Faragallo is the owner of an Egytian tour company. He receives one letter with a quote from the Quran. He perceives it to be a threat and Detective Inspector Makana is called in to find out the who/what/why of the letter.
Simple, right? But Makana is quickly caught up in a swirling entanglement of murdered children, rumor-believing angry Muslims, a scared Christian minority, and too many bad people with bad agendas. Add, then, the well-meaning, good people who manage to ALSO have bad agendas... and you've got one heck of a book.
"Dogstar Rising" is an intelligent book for the intelligent reader who wants something more than a 10 cent plot followed by a 5 cent ending.
Read one of the most exciting, thrilling, action-packed conclusions!
I can't wait to locate Parker Bilal's (aka Jamal Mahjoub) first Inspector Makana book, "The Golden Scales.

[PrimalAwakening · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his book Parker Bilal creates, in a distant land of historical and theological significance for which many have died for or still die for, an atmosphere with a sense of humour, consequential events, an assortment of characters, amazing sights, lingering local cuisine smells and tastes and exotic sounds,therefore, you cannot look past a Makana Detective Mystery that has it all.
Even the title of the book “Dogstar Rising”, with its mystical definitions, draws in the most curious of intellects who wish to discover what lies beneath these translated meanings of human history and how far back these meanings establish their roots to actual happenings in this story.
This book is a must read for people who are intrigued by all things Middle Eastern, including language, culture, architecture and thus who would like to experience what the Middle East has to offer in many aspects one imagines and beyond, hence the authenticity of the contents as you read appear almost as good as if you yourself were right there.

[Suz · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE second Makana Mystery (you need not have read the first one to get into the plot of book #2) revolves around the titular police inspector, in exile from his native Sudan. Now based in Cairo, he offers his services as a private investigator. Employed by the owner of Blue Ibis Tours, a formerly prosperous travel company, to investigate a threatening letter sent to the agency, Makana faces truculent staff and a bookkeeping system that would take 10 years to decipher. Yousef, an employee with street cunning, takes Makana on as a driver. The streets are filled with tension and violence as a spate of brutal killings of homeless boys has Muslims and Christians accusing each other of inciting racial hatred. When Makana witnesses a killing he attracts the attention of the state security services and a ruthless gang. Investigations collide and Makana finds himself on the wrong side of the law, when an unexpected associate from his past presents the detective with information that threatens to derail not only his case, but also his life.

[Rob Kitchin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this second outing for Makana, a refugee cop turned PI from Sudan, Parker Bilal tackles Christian/Muslim sectarianism, rising Islamic radicalism, and state security corruption in Egypt pre-9/11 head on, whilst keeping the mystery element of the story at its core. Dogstar Rising then is very much a religious/political crime thriller but one played out by relatively minor players in the everyday life of the city. That is, it’s not a political Thriller with a big T. While the case relating to the murdered children adds tension, it is the thread concerning the workings of a dysfunctional travel agency that is most interesting and takes a different path to those well worn by crime fiction tropes. Bilal does a good job of placing the reader into urban and social landscapes of Cairo and in particular its political and religious tensions. The characterisation is nicely observed, in particular the stoic Makana, who often places justice ahead of his own interests. Overall, an engaging read.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A multilayered, beautifully written picture of Cairo in 2001. The sectarian conflicts between Islamists and Coptics are becoming more intense with the murders of several young street boys. Private security forces on both sides are keeping tensions high.

Sudanese exile Makana, a former police inspector turned private investigator, is hired by the owner of a shabby travel agency to find out the source of a threatening letter. An employee of the agency, a Coptic woman, is murdered in the street outside the office and Makana becomes involved in that as well.

The characters are complex and well drawn - Makana, Meera, the dead woman and her husband, his reporter friend and his wife, his neighbors and his cabby, and the many people on both sides of the divide that he encounters. Cairo is the unforgettable character - rich in history, troubled and torn, politically and religiously split in ways that are life threatening to everybody all of the time.