The Last Cut

In this classic mystery from Michael Pearce’s award-winning series, set in the Egypt of the 1900s, the Mamur Zapt investigates the discovery of a young woman’s body at the site of a dam.

Cairo, 1908. When an attempt is made to blow up a key regulator in the Cairo Barrage, the Mamur Zapt, British head of Cairo’s secret police, is called in to investigate.

To make matters worse, the ceremonial cutting of a dam always requires careful policing, especially on this occasion as it is going to be the Last Cut. Which means the discovery of a young woman’s body at the site of the dam is extremely embarrassing. Is this the traditional ritual sacrifice? Or something more sinister?

Reviews

‘Takes apart ancient history and reassembles it with beguiling wit and colour’ Sunday Times

‘Marvellously convoluted… Dryly and deeply funny’ Literary Review

‘Urbane, intelligent and never patronising, Pearce writes about Egypt with the observant eye of the lover who sees yet forgives all faults’ Val McDermid

‘Irresistible fun’ Time Out

‘An entertaining story in which the author has cleverly woven a mystery into the background of the city, bringing it and its varied population to noisy life’ Sunday Telegraph

About the author

Michael Pearce was raised in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, where his fascination for language began. He later trained as a Russian interpreter but moved away from languages to follow an academic career, first as a lecturer in English and the History of Ideas, and then as an administrator. Michael Pearce now lives in London and is best known as the author of the award-winning Mamur Zapt books.