Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Grove Press (2008), Edition: Reprint, 555 pages
Description
Joining forces with Israeli cop Arieh Ben-Roi, Egyptian detective Yusuf Khalifa investigates the discovery of a body at an isolated archaeological site, a death he connects with a murdered Israeli, which ultimately leads to an enigma dating back to 70 A.D.
User reviews
LibraryThing member pierthinker
An historical mystery centred in the very modern Middle East with a MacGuffin that could alter the politics of Israel and Palestine in moments. A very real portrayal of the daily lives of Palestinians in Israel and of the mutual misconceptions that each side holds for the other. Sussman does not
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explain or justify, but by observing reveals more about the people of this region and how they feel about each other than any ten political tracts. As a novel this cranks up the tension and excitement in a very realistic way that kept me engaged from first to last. Show Less
LibraryThing member CharDixon
I would not have found this book if not for the Nook free Friday offerings. I am so glad I did though. A “thriller set against the tumultuous politics of the present-day Middle East” is not a book I would normally pick up, but this was a pleasant surprise. There is an intriguing mix of history,
My knowledge of the Middle East as it currently exists is probably on par with most Westerners. My historical context is perhaps slightly above the average, but not by a whole lot. Where I feel I have a certainly more than fair grasp of the context is the religious history and folklore. Why am I telling you this – so you can understand better what I brought into reading this book.
It would be so very easy to adopt a moral position and tone and turn any story set against this backdrop into a heavy-handed lecture. Paul Sussman not only avoids this trap, but makes it seem effortless to have done so.
The 3 main characters are an Egyptian police inspector, a Palestinian journalist and a Jewish detective. A diverse cast, but even more interesting is the fact that for a good portion of the book they inhabit their own worlds only being brought into each other’s as the book nears its climax.
Oddly I found myself relating most closely to the middle aged Muslim Egyptian detective, Khalifa. His love of history and sadness at giving up the life he had planned paired with his love of family, questions about his faith and his sense of right and wrong is perfect. Arieh and Layla are dynamic and fully developed characters as well. In Arieh, the Jewesh detective, Sussman gives us a man grieving, hurt and angry – but who still wants to do what is right, even if he isn’t sure what that is. The Palestinian journalist Layla is hard and fierce but also vulnerable deep down inside. The history given to both of them deepens not only the characters but the reader’s understanding of the two sides involved in this ever present conflict.
Add to this a brilliant storyline crossing centuries and continents and what you have is an amazing book. The way in which the story weaves together is always fascinating and the pattern that develops constantly surprises but never in a contrived or forced way.
I took more time reading this book than I normally do. As I read very quickly normally and would usually have finished this book in less than 4 hours I was surprised to find that I spent about 6 ½ hours reading this. Part of that can be attributed to pausing to research a couple of things, but mostly it was because it caused be to think about my own beliefs and prejudices.
This book is described as a thriller, which it most definitely is, but it is also part political and social commentary – in the best way.
Thank you Paul Sussman for an exciting, well written and moving book.
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politics, religion and mysticism that grabs you and keeps you in the story.My knowledge of the Middle East as it currently exists is probably on par with most Westerners. My historical context is perhaps slightly above the average, but not by a whole lot. Where I feel I have a certainly more than fair grasp of the context is the religious history and folklore. Why am I telling you this – so you can understand better what I brought into reading this book.
It would be so very easy to adopt a moral position and tone and turn any story set against this backdrop into a heavy-handed lecture. Paul Sussman not only avoids this trap, but makes it seem effortless to have done so.
The 3 main characters are an Egyptian police inspector, a Palestinian journalist and a Jewish detective. A diverse cast, but even more interesting is the fact that for a good portion of the book they inhabit their own worlds only being brought into each other’s as the book nears its climax.
Oddly I found myself relating most closely to the middle aged Muslim Egyptian detective, Khalifa. His love of history and sadness at giving up the life he had planned paired with his love of family, questions about his faith and his sense of right and wrong is perfect. Arieh and Layla are dynamic and fully developed characters as well. In Arieh, the Jewesh detective, Sussman gives us a man grieving, hurt and angry – but who still wants to do what is right, even if he isn’t sure what that is. The Palestinian journalist Layla is hard and fierce but also vulnerable deep down inside. The history given to both of them deepens not only the characters but the reader’s understanding of the two sides involved in this ever present conflict.
Add to this a brilliant storyline crossing centuries and continents and what you have is an amazing book. The way in which the story weaves together is always fascinating and the pattern that develops constantly surprises but never in a contrived or forced way.
I took more time reading this book than I normally do. As I read very quickly normally and would usually have finished this book in less than 4 hours I was surprised to find that I spent about 6 ½ hours reading this. Part of that can be attributed to pausing to research a couple of things, but mostly it was because it caused be to think about my own beliefs and prejudices.
This book is described as a thriller, which it most definitely is, but it is also part political and social commentary – in the best way.
Thank you Paul Sussman for an exciting, well written and moving book.
Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2005
Physical description
555 p.; 8 inches
ISBN
0802143938 / 9780802143938
Local notes
FB Uncorrected proof. Includes 15-page glossary of Egyptian historical references. A thriller.