Allah's Architect

The Cordoba Mysteries #4

by Mark Dewar

In the Caliphate of Cordoba the ruler, Hakam, is consolidating the position of his only son, Hisham, as heir to the throne. In celebration of Caliph Hakam's power and piety his officials are finalising the arrangements for the opening of a magnificent extension to the Great Mosque. As the self-designated architect of Allah, Hakam has arranged for an ancient and revered copy of the Quran to be installed in the Great Mosque. When the Quran goes missing what ensues is a precursor of the bloodshed that will follow as various factions bid to seize control of the Caliphate. What starts as a celebration, ends in a bloodbath. Allah’s Architect offers a fascinating glimpse into history, taking readers to a time and place that may be unfamiliar to many, but one which is populated by a host of vivid and memorable characters, places and events that will thrill lovers of historical fiction and character-driven novels alike. Praise for Mark "Brilliantly plotted and rich in period detail" - Robert Foster, best-selling author of The Lunar Code “Awesome. A fascinating story I highly recommend” – Perusing the Shelves Mark Dewar is the pen name of the writing team Peter Dewar and Mark Heywood. Peter spent many years working in a number of Islamic countries and has an abiding interest in the history and consequences of Islamic culture in Spain as well as other countries in Europe. Mark is a novelist and screenwriter with a keen interest in the history and culture of Spain. He lives in London and Andalucía.

196 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 3, 2018

About the author

Behind the pseudonym Mark Dewar lies a writing combination (Mark Heywood and Peter Dewar) specialising in historical crime fiction.

Mark Dewar has a fascination for Spain in the time of the Moors, Al Andalus, and for murder most foul. The Cordoba series explores this fascinating period in Spanish history and its finely balanced political situation and threat of imminent war with Baghdad. The absorbing rituals of daily life are played out amongst tightly plotted murder mystery investigations.

The first book in the series was shortlisted for the 2008 Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger Award. In 2012 it was published in Spanish as 'Final de Partida en Cordoba' and in 2014 it was published in English as 'Checkmate'.

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ì've thoroughly enjoyed the series of Cordoba mysteries although the fourth book has left me on the edge of the cliff. I love historical mysteries as it satisfies my love of whodunnits along with my thirst for historical intrigue. I find the latter more and more fascinating as the storytellers weave their magic through historical facts which can quite often leave me astonished even before the fiction part begins. The political systems of old were just as complicated as they are now and I'm amazed at how the writers bring all the complications and characters together to produce a really great read. But the cliffhanger......how long do I have to wait?

[Aviar Savijon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allah's Architect

A very interesting, timely story in the realm of fiction, but not completely out of what could or might happen. I Loved It.

[Joanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not get on with this at all; it seemed to assume that I had read all the previous books in the series and had perfect recall of all the details.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caliph Hakam's new extension to the Great Mosque will house a copy of the Quran, with the resulting procession to the Mosque. Meanwhile his brother intends trouble. Who will survive the resulting fight.
An enjoyable historical story