The Ghost Runner

December 2, 2013
In Bilal’s well-crafted third Makana mystery (after 2013’s Dogstar Rising), wealthy Cairo lawyer Magdy Ragab hires Makana to discover who set the fire that killed Karima Ragab, a young woman who may be related to the lawyer, but Makana isn’t sure. The horrible nature of Karima’s death suggests an honor killing, and Makana soon learns that her father, Musab Khayr, thought to still be a political refugee in Denmark, has somehow returned to Egypt. Makana travels to Musab’s hometown of Siwa, where the fugitive may have sought shelter. The harsh desert climate and the reticent natives that Makana finds there could almost be plucked from an American western film. Makana becomes entangled in a murder investigation that has its roots far in the past. Everything appears to be connected to the fate of Karima’s missing aunt, Safira Abubakr. Makana’s dogged investigation in the palpably hostile town of Siwa concludes with satisfying dashes of action and keen deduction. Agent: Euan Thorneycroft, A. M. Heath (U.K.).

December 15, 2013
The death of a teenage girl strikes painfully close to home for Sudanese private eye Makana. Cairo, 2002. Makana and his operative Sindbad are being handsomely paid by the imperious Magdy Ragab to follow her lawyer husband around, presumably for proof of his infidelity. Ironically, the supposed cheater separately contacts Makana and takes him to a clinic where a young woman named Karima lies dying after being severely burned. Comparisons to Makana's daughter, Nasra, and wife, Muna, both tragically killed, wrench him emotionally and make it impossible for him to turn down the investigation of Karima's burning, the details of which are shrouded in mystery. And how is she connected to the respected attorney and his wife? It's easy to see that Makana needs to answer this question but hard to see how. When he asks Mrs. Ragab about it, she offers him more and more money but makes no personal disclosures. Later, on the street, Makana is buttonholed by a different woman who claims that she's Magdy Ragab. Karima's death only intensifies Makana's commitment to the case even though his friend, Inspector Okasha, counsels him to abandon it. His probe takes Makana to the Sahara desert, where trouble follows. The mutilated corpse of a local qadi (judge) is found in the lake called Birket Siwa. Like Makana, he had been searching for the man believed to be Karima's father. Whom can Makana trust? With its elegant prose and its incisive insight into the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Makana's third appearance (Dogstar Rising, 2013, etc.) transcends genre, satisfying fans of both mystery and literary fiction.

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Starred review from February 1, 2014

The year is 2002, and the world is on terrorist high alert. Musab Khayr, an Egyptian political dissident banished to Denmark, has been secretly hauled back to Egypt to do covert work. Makana, a Sudanese ex-police inspector who lives in Cairo, is hired by Magdy Ragab to find out whether a young woman's death was a suicide. For complicated reasons, Magby suspects Musab of murdering her. Thus Makana makes the trek west to Siwa, where he believes Musab would go. Once there, Makana encounters a wall of silence that he patiently chips away at, surviving several dangerous encounters. Consequently, he's not entirely surprised when old enemies arise seemingly out of nowhere. The conclusion will startle and exhilarate readers. VERDICT This superb novel executes a slow build-up, exploring Middle Eastern cultural practices and explaining historical context. Thus drawn in, readers will be mesmerized by the rippling events that occur in quick order. Bilal is a pseudonym for literary novelist Jamal Mahjoub. His third lone wolf Makana title (after Dogstar Rising) will appeal to lovers of dark international crime fiction.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 1, 2013
In 2002 in Cairo, Sudanese private investigator Makana (Dogstar Rising, 2013) is navigating the complexities of investigating infidelity in a Muslim country when the husband in the case, Ragab, a prominent attorney, breaks routine to visit a private clinic treating a young burn victim bearing his name. Makana suspects he's found evidence of infidelity and possibly a botched honor killing. Surprisingly, the day after he reports his findings, Ragab appears at Makana's office and hires him to investigate the fire that has just claimed the mysterious girl's life. Ragab suspects the girl's death was orchestrated by her father, a former client who has been exiled for terrorist activity. The trail leads to Siwa Oasis, a small city with a Wild West feel, where the girl's parents grew up together. Makana's arrival coincides with a string of ritualistic murders starting with the city's judge, prompting Siwa's police captain to recruit a reluctant Makana to guide the investigation. Siwa's small-town secrets, black-market gangs, and casual corruption hinder both investigations, but Makana is doggedly determined, even as his life is threatened. Makana's sharp and sometimes melancholy observations bring both Cairo and Siwa to life, and Bilal handles grotesque crimes delicately, favoring characterization and culture over blood and gore. This third Makana mystery is a literary gem and a good match with Zo' Ferraris' novels and Shashi Tharoor's Riot (2001).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)