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Makana #6
Dark Water
A scientist specialising in chemical warfare is on the run in Istanbul in a gripping new investigation for 'one of crime fiction's most interesting and sympathetic detectives' (The Times)
When Marcus Winslow appears at Private Investigator Makana's door one April morning, Makana does not realize that soon he will risk losing everything he has built for himself in Cairo.
A representative of the British government, Winslow has come with a mission, one impossible to turn down: Ayman Nizari, an Iraqi scientist specialising in biochemical nerve agents, a man whose work could kill thousands, is on the run and asking for asylum. But he insists that he trusts only one man to bring him to safety: Makana. But why is Ayman demanding that only Makana can help him? And what part does Winslow have to play in this?
The scientist has gone to ground in Istanbul, and Makana quickly discovers that in this place nothing is as it appears, in a case that will see his past and present collide with fatal consequences.
When Marcus Winslow appears at Private Investigator Makana's door one April morning, Makana does not realize that soon he will risk losing everything he has built for himself in Cairo.
A representative of the British government, Winslow has come with a mission, one impossible to turn down: Ayman Nizari, an Iraqi scientist specialising in biochemical nerve agents, a man whose work could kill thousands, is on the run and asking for asylum. But he insists that he trusts only one man to bring him to safety: Makana. But why is Ayman demanding that only Makana can help him? And what part does Winslow have to play in this?
The scientist has gone to ground in Istanbul, and Makana quickly discovers that in this place nothing is as it appears, in a case that will see his past and present collide with fatal consequences.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 11, 2017
19 people are currently reading
638 people want to read
About the author
Parker Bilal
19 books105 followersParker 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.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 9, 2018
It’s with a great deal of exuberance and joy that I exclaim the book, ”Dark Water”, by Parker Bilal was most enjoyable and excellently written. The book being the sixth entry into a series I had never encountered previously, but will certainly delve into further.
I had also never previously walked the mean streets of Istanbul, Turkey. The common settings for this type of book are places like L.A., New York, or Boston. Mr. Bilal is amazingly cleaver in how he presents this novel of suspense and intrigue. He gives us the main character, a man named Makana, and supplies enough back story to allow the reader to gain sympathy and knowledge of his situation and to allow the forward flow of events.
Makana is originally from Sudan, and currently lives on a houseboat in Cairo. He speaks Arabic and English. He is a non-practicing Muslim. And amazingly for a P. I. does not drink alcohol. He was formerly a police inspector in Sudan and due to unfortunate events, he needed to quickly flee that city and go to Cairo, Egypt where he became a Private Investigator. As we join him in this excellent novel, Makana is recruited by a shady British Intelligence agent he does not know, to transport a man, a biological weapons chemist, who was one of Sadam Hussain’s chemical engineers, out of Istanbul before the man is apprehended by the Mossad.
Makana does not speak the local language. He does not have a valid passport. He has never been to Istanbul and does not know that city, nor anyone there. The year is 2006 and there is massive political unrest in the region. No one trusts anyone. Makana is presented with motivation to do this assignment which he is unable to turn down. The daughter he thought was long dead is reported to be alive in Istanbul.
Talk about ‘A Stranger In A Strange Land’ scenario! Mr. Bilal makes the book vividly come alive as Makana familiarizes himself with the city, the food and the architecture. His descriptions and colorful characters make the book move at a nonstop rate. I would comment that the book is closer to a ‘spy’ novel than a ‘P.I.’ novel with some elements of ‘James Bondish’ influences. The book is up for an award this year and well nominated.
‘Parker Bilal’ is the pseudonym of Jamal Mahjoub born in 1960 who is a mixed-race writer of British and Sudanese parents. Writer of numerous books under both names,
I had also never previously walked the mean streets of Istanbul, Turkey. The common settings for this type of book are places like L.A., New York, or Boston. Mr. Bilal is amazingly cleaver in how he presents this novel of suspense and intrigue. He gives us the main character, a man named Makana, and supplies enough back story to allow the reader to gain sympathy and knowledge of his situation and to allow the forward flow of events.
Makana is originally from Sudan, and currently lives on a houseboat in Cairo. He speaks Arabic and English. He is a non-practicing Muslim. And amazingly for a P. I. does not drink alcohol. He was formerly a police inspector in Sudan and due to unfortunate events, he needed to quickly flee that city and go to Cairo, Egypt where he became a Private Investigator. As we join him in this excellent novel, Makana is recruited by a shady British Intelligence agent he does not know, to transport a man, a biological weapons chemist, who was one of Sadam Hussain’s chemical engineers, out of Istanbul before the man is apprehended by the Mossad.
Makana does not speak the local language. He does not have a valid passport. He has never been to Istanbul and does not know that city, nor anyone there. The year is 2006 and there is massive political unrest in the region. No one trusts anyone. Makana is presented with motivation to do this assignment which he is unable to turn down. The daughter he thought was long dead is reported to be alive in Istanbul.
Talk about ‘A Stranger In A Strange Land’ scenario! Mr. Bilal makes the book vividly come alive as Makana familiarizes himself with the city, the food and the architecture. His descriptions and colorful characters make the book move at a nonstop rate. I would comment that the book is closer to a ‘spy’ novel than a ‘P.I.’ novel with some elements of ‘James Bondish’ influences. The book is up for an award this year and well nominated.
‘Parker Bilal’ is the pseudonym of Jamal Mahjoub born in 1960 who is a mixed-race writer of British and Sudanese parents. Writer of numerous books under both names,
June 20, 2017
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This is book six in the Makana series but the first book I read. I think while it can be read as a standalone, it would have been easier and more enjoyable if I had read the previous books. That being said I had no real idea of what I’m getting into.
The world setting is good and easy to understand and very well described. Sometimes a little over described. The same goes for the characters. I had a hard time to relate Makana at times but I think that could have been because I have not rad the previous books.
I thought for a crime-mystery it also was very political and various views of politics and foreign affairs and even terrorism comes up.
It was rather suspenseful and I never knew what would come next which I enjoyed.
Some parts seemed a bit dense but overall it was a good read. It was something I would have never picked up myself but ended up enjoying.
I rate it 3 ★
This is book six in the Makana series but the first book I read. I think while it can be read as a standalone, it would have been easier and more enjoyable if I had read the previous books. That being said I had no real idea of what I’m getting into.
The world setting is good and easy to understand and very well described. Sometimes a little over described. The same goes for the characters. I had a hard time to relate Makana at times but I think that could have been because I have not rad the previous books.
I thought for a crime-mystery it also was very political and various views of politics and foreign affairs and even terrorism comes up.
It was rather suspenseful and I never knew what would come next which I enjoyed.
Some parts seemed a bit dense but overall it was a good read. It was something I would have never picked up myself but ended up enjoying.
I rate it 3 ★
October 3, 2017
Makana is between jobs when he is approached by Marcus Winslow, a man who claims to be an agent of the British intelligence service, working on a secret project to smuggle Ayman Nizari, who is said to be an Iraqi scientist who designs chemical weapons, out of Istanbul. Winslow’s hooks are: Nizari is in hiding from a jihadi terrorist who wants to force him to work for him, he has information about Makana’s daughter, presumed dead for a decade, and Makana is the only one he will work with on his escape. The burning questions are – is any of this true, are any of these people who they seem, what is the real hidden agenda or agendas.
The possibility of news of his daughter is the thing that pushes Makana to accept the assignment. Winslow promises to provide him with money, a weapon, a contact to help with the extraction, a contact at the British embassy if there are problems. He does provide these things, but again nothing is as is seems and bodies start piling up around Makana. People are following him and it is impossible to tell who is friend, who is foe. He sees someone who may be his daughter. Mek Nimr, his old subordinate turned deadly enemy shows up, and the Israelis may be involved. Or not. The Turkish secret police are after him. There are a dangerous Dutchman and lethal Bosnians. One of the police officers seems helpful. Or dangerous. Perhaps both. Makana meets Nazari, who is whiny and venal, demanding money. Makana is robbed, his Embassy contact is murdered, he is beaten. Nobody is what they seems and nothing is what it is supposed to be. It’s all awfully confusing.
The possibility of news of his daughter is the thing that pushes Makana to accept the assignment. Winslow promises to provide him with money, a weapon, a contact to help with the extraction, a contact at the British embassy if there are problems. He does provide these things, but again nothing is as is seems and bodies start piling up around Makana. People are following him and it is impossible to tell who is friend, who is foe. He sees someone who may be his daughter. Mek Nimr, his old subordinate turned deadly enemy shows up, and the Israelis may be involved. Or not. The Turkish secret police are after him. There are a dangerous Dutchman and lethal Bosnians. One of the police officers seems helpful. Or dangerous. Perhaps both. Makana meets Nazari, who is whiny and venal, demanding money. Makana is robbed, his Embassy contact is murdered, he is beaten. Nobody is what they seems and nothing is what it is supposed to be. It’s all awfully confusing.
December 29, 2017
It was like I was reading John le Carre. Makana is lured to Istanbul to meet a rogue Iraqi scientist who is on the run and will only turn himself into Makana. But there’s more to it than that as Makana’s deceased daughter might be alive. So he has to go. He can’t live his life not knowing. What then transpires is Makana having more lives than a cat as bodies start piling up in his wake. Makana knows he is being played but thinks he is exercising enough restraint and prudence to manage. Wrong. Trust no one is the mantra. Bilal wraps it all up quickly with much excitement and numerous twists. So much to look forward in the next episodes of Makana’s adventures.
August 7, 2022
In the sixth installment of Parker Bilal's Makana series, our hero is moved out of his adopted home in Cairo where he's managed a new life in of exile trading on his past experience as a police inspector to survive as a private investigator, to Istanbul where he knows neither the language or the city let alone anyone there. He's lured into a scheme to retrieve an Iraqi scientist who escaped Israeli agents and promises to help capture an elusive and mysterious terrorist. The scientist will turn himself over to British Intelligence but only if Makana acts as go-between.
Those who've read the first five novels are well aware of Makana's angst over the accident that claimed the life of his wife Muna and daughter Nasra - or is his daughter still alive, 15 years later? The carrot in this drama is information on what happened to his daughter. His suspicions are naturally raised but Makana feels compelled to take the job.
Unfortunately, Makana's preoccupation with the is she/isn't she dead question serves only to stretch an otherwise fairly good plot to novel length. Indeed, the tale has all the qualities of a fine Le Carre novel, including the modern twist where the supposed good-guys invent a terrorist plot to further their own agenda.
It's not clear if the author has grown tired of his hero and approached his version of Riechenbach Falls only to back away at the last moment, or wishes to broaden his scope beyond Cairo and Egypt.
In any event, Makana never fails to satisfy the reader's need for a character who possesses realistic flaws while also strengths that make him aspire to the heroic.
Those who've read the first five novels are well aware of Makana's angst over the accident that claimed the life of his wife Muna and daughter Nasra - or is his daughter still alive, 15 years later? The carrot in this drama is information on what happened to his daughter. His suspicions are naturally raised but Makana feels compelled to take the job.
Unfortunately, Makana's preoccupation with the is she/isn't she dead question serves only to stretch an otherwise fairly good plot to novel length. Indeed, the tale has all the qualities of a fine Le Carre novel, including the modern twist where the supposed good-guys invent a terrorist plot to further their own agenda.
It's not clear if the author has grown tired of his hero and approached his version of Riechenbach Falls only to back away at the last moment, or wishes to broaden his scope beyond Cairo and Egypt.
In any event, Makana never fails to satisfy the reader's need for a character who possesses realistic flaws while also strengths that make him aspire to the heroic.
November 8, 2017
DARK WATER by Parker Bilal is a thriller about a Makana, a private investigator with a complicated past who is drawn into doing a job for the British government and quickly the job becomes infinitely more complex, layered and more personal than Makana ever though it would.
Bilal has created this character named Makana who is a troubled man who has experienced great loss in his life, but the reader pulls for him because Makana wants to overcome his past and live for his future, it's just that his past keeps haunting him. Most every character (except a loyal and pure of heart taxi driver) Makana comes across in DARK WATER having cloudy motives, a penchant for lying, and hiding the truth through misdirection and guile. Bilal drops clues, some blatant and some quite subtle, about what is really going on; as the reader, several times I had to go back to previous scenes to grasp what Makana was figuring out. As with many book series that I have jumped into in the middle, I did find myself thinking this book would be enhanced had I read the previous books in the series.
Full of twists and double crosses, DARK WATER will keep the reader holding their breath and wondering how Makana will escape all of the traps set for him.
I received a copy of this book as part of the Goodreads Giveaway program.
Bilal has created this character named Makana who is a troubled man who has experienced great loss in his life, but the reader pulls for him because Makana wants to overcome his past and live for his future, it's just that his past keeps haunting him. Most every character (except a loyal and pure of heart taxi driver) Makana comes across in DARK WATER having cloudy motives, a penchant for lying, and hiding the truth through misdirection and guile. Bilal drops clues, some blatant and some quite subtle, about what is really going on; as the reader, several times I had to go back to previous scenes to grasp what Makana was figuring out. As with many book series that I have jumped into in the middle, I did find myself thinking this book would be enhanced had I read the previous books in the series.
Full of twists and double crosses, DARK WATER will keep the reader holding their breath and wondering how Makana will escape all of the traps set for him.
I received a copy of this book as part of the Goodreads Giveaway program.
September 11, 2023
This is the sixth, and maybe the last, in a series on an ex Sudanese cop in exile in Egypt. Here Makana, our protagonist, accepts a shady job from a very shady British spy (at least he says he is). There are two lures: 1) it’s for a lot of money, and 2) his long lost daughter my be involved.
So off to Istanbul to find a rogue evil scientist. Makana knows nothing about the city, can converse only in so so English, and soon finds a plethora of bodies and likely double crosses. But he perseveres, as always, and finds a new, and even more implausible, cabby friend.
Makana is an interesting lead character, and the action is intense. But after finishing the book I’m still not sure who was doing what why. A few too many convolutions and dei ex machina to rate a five.
So off to Istanbul to find a rogue evil scientist. Makana knows nothing about the city, can converse only in so so English, and soon finds a plethora of bodies and likely double crosses. But he perseveres, as always, and finds a new, and even more implausible, cabby friend.
Makana is an interesting lead character, and the action is intense. But after finishing the book I’m still not sure who was doing what why. A few too many convolutions and dei ex machina to rate a five.
July 19, 2017
Wonderfully topical mystery/thriller. Makana is a unique character- and his situation as a refugee in Egypt makes him even more intriguing. This latest installment in the series has him working with the UK to bring an Iraqi chemical weapons expert to safety. It's highly atmospheric, both in Egypt and in Turkey. You'll get a good sense of international politics, as well as challenges facing the global community. I'd read earlier books in the series, which I think was a plus, but this could well be a standalone. Some of the twists are a bit much but that was ok since this is meant to be a thriller. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Try this for something quite different in the genre.
November 15, 2019
This superb thriller, with Private Detective Makana, an ex-pat Sudanese, is set in Cairo and Istanbul, and treats of international crime in the present era of terrorism and shifting boundaries in racial and ethnic loyalties in the mid-east. It is a superb read on many levels -- plot, characterization, atmospheric setting, and eloquence of language. What a find! This is #6 in the Makana series. Now to find #1 - 5!
June 11, 2020
Set in Istanbul, a mystery and espionage combination that has numerous twists and turns. This is part of a series but reads excellently as a stand alone book. The main character -- Makana a private investigator who gets caught up in international espionage. Recommended.
Apologies to the author this was in a stack that got moved during a renovation and it recently surfaced.
Apologies to the author this was in a stack that got moved during a renovation and it recently surfaced.
July 9, 2018
It was a fine vacation read when I was in Cairo - but by no means essential reading if you're visiting the city. It was a fun way to spend some time off but I didn't find it to be a page turner. Perhaps spy novels are just not my thing!
July 2, 2017
7/2/17 Full review tk.
July 27, 2017
Excellent - the best book in this series to date.
October 7, 2017
I love this series
October 15, 2017
When does the next Makana come out?
April 3, 2020
Not his best, but still very readable.
December 21, 2020
8/10, 14%. A good yarn with An unpredictable ending only marred by feeling like an excuse to explain in detail all the varied places the author has lived! Might read more as engagingly written.
April 5, 2022
What an absolutely wonderful twisted mystery. Shocking right up to the ending. Was a slow and tense build up - 1st Bilal novel I have read - will be getting more of the Makanna series.
September 5, 2023
It was great. Please don't let it be the last Makana mystery!
June 11, 2024
I love thrillers, but I found this storyline boring. I hoped it would spark my imagination as I progressed, but sadly it didn't.
September 19, 2024
This was the book that showed the daughter and what happened to her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
February 10, 2019Synopsis: an Englishman appears at Makana's Cairo door one morning. He's from the Secret Intelligence Service. Find Ayoub Hadari!
March 28, 2024
I’ve bailed out having listen to 7:16 hours and with 4:07 to go. I’m listening to the excellent David Thorpe so if anyone could get me to finish it would be him. I like the Istanbul setting and the story was interesting to start. But it’s just one complication after another and I don’t feel I’m getting anywhere and I’m no longer interested in the outcome. Basically they’re all double crossing each other, things are not what they at first appear and Makana believes that his little dead daughter is somehow alive. Clearly well written, just not one for me
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews