Tangled Web UK Review November 2000
A Cold Touch Of Ice by
Michael Pearce
hbk out August 00
Published by HarperCollins
at £16.99
The Mamur Zapt has problems. Not the least of which is the new Consul-General, Kitchener, who still thinks that Egypt is the same as he knew twenty years earlier. He does not appreciate the changes that have occurred. Then there are the death threats being sent to the British civil servants. To top it all, an Italian merchant has been found murdered. Is it political, does it have something to do with the gun running that is going on, or is there some other reason? What makes it so puzzling is that the dead merchant appeared to have no enemies.
This is in a climate of war. The turks against the Italians. Egypt is neutral, but many Egyptians feel a sympathy for the Turks. The world is changing, and the political upheaval and the background of war affect the Mamur Zapt's personal relationships with work colleagues and also his love affair with Zeinab, the daughter of an Egyptian Pasha.
A well told tale, and definitely one for fans of this ongoing series.
(
J.O.
)
