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The City of Dreams #3
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is a fast moving murder mystery set in the exotic and vibrant 11th century city of Málaga, and is the third novel in The City of Dreams series. It opens when a young Moorish prince wakes to the filth and stench of his new home; at first he can’t understand what’s happened to him. Where is he? Gradually he remembers what his brother Hasan has done to him, but the question remains, why? His brother is the new khalifa of Málaga but instead of welcoming Ben-Yahya, with open arms, he has him thrown into prison. He can only guess what Hasan is plotting, but one thing he does know is that no-one gets out of these dungeons alive.
Against this unsettled period in the history of Moorish Spain, where life becomes even more turbulent as intrigues and treachery within the royal household threaten the stability of the city, Salma and her family arrive in Málaga, hoping to follow their dreams and make new lives for themselves. However they soon discover that life in the city is not all they had hoped for; she and her husband share a secret, which if discovered could mean they would face exile or even death.
Against this unsettled period in the history of Moorish Spain, where life becomes even more turbulent as intrigues and treachery within the royal household threaten the stability of the city, Salma and her family arrive in Málaga, hoping to follow their dreams and make new lives for themselves. However they soon discover that life in the city is not all they had hoped for; she and her husband share a secret, which if discovered could mean they would face exile or even death.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 31, 2020
3 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Joan Fallon
31 books55 followersJoan Fallon was born in Dumfries, Scotland but spent most of her adult life in England. Teacher, management trainer and business woman, she moved to Spain at the beginning of the new millennium and became a writer. Her first published work was a social history, 'Daughters of Spain', inspired by the women she met in her adopted home. Her subsequent books too have grown out of her experiences living and working in Spain. She is especially interested in Spanish history and has set her novels in periods as distinct as the Golden Age of the Moorish conquest and the Spanish Civil War. She is a member of the Society of Authors and the Alliance of Independent Authors.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 4, 2026
Now I am truly bereft! This was the last in the series. What am I going to do? No more Makoud, Bakr, Selma and all the other wonderful characters brought to life so beautifully in the voice of Jacob Daniels. Thanks to this trilogy, I have taken a daily 1.5 hour walk (minimum) just so I could get to the next part!
All's well that ends well - for now. All of our favourite characters are safe and sound and where they need to be.
Joan Fallon is a mistress of bringing a period and a place to life. You can almost hear the sounds, and smell the scents and visualise the hubbub of life in 1042 in Malakah (Malaga). I am so going to miss this.
All's well that ends well - for now. All of our favourite characters are safe and sound and where they need to be.
Joan Fallon is a mistress of bringing a period and a place to life. You can almost hear the sounds, and smell the scents and visualise the hubbub of life in 1042 in Malakah (Malaga). I am so going to miss this.
May 10, 2022
Once again, I have the pleasure to submerge myself in 11th-century Andalucía; more specifically in the city of Malaqah. Ms Fallon is an excellent guide through the complexities of Moorish Spain, be it the cultural aspects, the tensions between the various faiths, or the political intrigue that killed off one khalifa after the other.
The Prisoner opens with a scene that indicates the story will be primarily about the power struggles at the top. The young new khalifa, Hasan, has his younger brother arrested and thrown into a dungeon, there to slowly rot to death. Intriguing, but soon enough it becomes evident that the main plot centres round Salma, Simon, and their family. Salma is a female scribe, a Muslim woman who decades ago fled Qurtubah in the aftermath of civil war with a Christian monk, Simon. It is forbidden for a Christian man to wed a Muslim woman, but Simon loved Salma and so he officially converts, while clinging to his true faith in secret.
Initially, things seem to go well. After years living out in the country, Salma and Simon arrive in Malaqah and are welcomed by Makoud, Salma’s cousin. Makoud is a recurring character in Ms Fallon’s series, an engaging and intelligent apothecary who lives with his two wives and four grown children in Malaqah. He is delighted that Salma and Simon now want to make their home in his city, and it is through his efforts that Salma and Simon find work at the library in Malaqah.
Salma and Simon have not travelled alone: they have two daughters, one who is safely married to a potter while their younger daughter desires to attend university.
In her various books about the period, Ms Fallon has repeatedly offered glimpses of a surprisingly modern life, a world where women could work as scribes or translators and even study to become lawyers or doctors. Still: a woman must accept that in some aspects her life is restricted. As a wife, she must obey her husband and has little recourse should he choose to abuse her—something Ms Fallon illustrates in The Prisoner.
Not everyone approves of women working outside their homes. The assistant librarian, Marwen, develops an intense dislike of Salma and will do anything to discredit her—or her family. So he starts snooping, and suddenly, Simon’s secret adherence to his Cristian faith can put all of them in danger.
As always in Ms Fallon’s books, the setting is brought to vivid life, the historical details woven casually into the narrative. To me, the central storyline is that of Salma and Simon, and there are moments when I am not quite sure why Ms Fallon has included some of the other plot-lines, as they contribute little to the main story. They do, however, offer insightful and educational glimpses into a distant past, reflecting not only Ms Fallon’s fascination with the period but also her expertise.
For anyone interested in learning more about Moorish Spain, The Prisoner is an excellent and educational read.
Originally Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
The Prisoner opens with a scene that indicates the story will be primarily about the power struggles at the top. The young new khalifa, Hasan, has his younger brother arrested and thrown into a dungeon, there to slowly rot to death. Intriguing, but soon enough it becomes evident that the main plot centres round Salma, Simon, and their family. Salma is a female scribe, a Muslim woman who decades ago fled Qurtubah in the aftermath of civil war with a Christian monk, Simon. It is forbidden for a Christian man to wed a Muslim woman, but Simon loved Salma and so he officially converts, while clinging to his true faith in secret.
Initially, things seem to go well. After years living out in the country, Salma and Simon arrive in Malaqah and are welcomed by Makoud, Salma’s cousin. Makoud is a recurring character in Ms Fallon’s series, an engaging and intelligent apothecary who lives with his two wives and four grown children in Malaqah. He is delighted that Salma and Simon now want to make their home in his city, and it is through his efforts that Salma and Simon find work at the library in Malaqah.
Salma and Simon have not travelled alone: they have two daughters, one who is safely married to a potter while their younger daughter desires to attend university.
In her various books about the period, Ms Fallon has repeatedly offered glimpses of a surprisingly modern life, a world where women could work as scribes or translators and even study to become lawyers or doctors. Still: a woman must accept that in some aspects her life is restricted. As a wife, she must obey her husband and has little recourse should he choose to abuse her—something Ms Fallon illustrates in The Prisoner.
Not everyone approves of women working outside their homes. The assistant librarian, Marwen, develops an intense dislike of Salma and will do anything to discredit her—or her family. So he starts snooping, and suddenly, Simon’s secret adherence to his Cristian faith can put all of them in danger.
As always in Ms Fallon’s books, the setting is brought to vivid life, the historical details woven casually into the narrative. To me, the central storyline is that of Salma and Simon, and there are moments when I am not quite sure why Ms Fallon has included some of the other plot-lines, as they contribute little to the main story. They do, however, offer insightful and educational glimpses into a distant past, reflecting not only Ms Fallon’s fascination with the period but also her expertise.
For anyone interested in learning more about Moorish Spain, The Prisoner is an excellent and educational read.
Originally Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews