Khaleel Datay's Blog - Posts Tagged "middle-east"

The Last Secret Of The Temple by Paul Sussman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


An Egyptian policeman reopens one of his first cases after fifteen years with the discovery of new evidence. A mourning Israeli cop fueled by liquor to quell his nightmares is drawn into a case he wants no part of. A Palestinian journalist is sent a mysterious letter containing references to a centuries old mystery. If you love Middle East history, Egyptology, a good murder mystery and a proper treasure hunt this is the book for you. Throw in the explosive struggle between the Palestinians and the Israelis and you have an epic that's worth sitting up for at night. Paul Sussman deals with some heavy subject matter here and does a brilliant job of depicting life on the tough streets of Jerusalem and Cairo with really well drawn characters. Exploring age old Jewish traditions and matters of faith, Sussman portrays the bitterness of old beliefs and the hope that is possible in new beginnings.



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The Lost Army Of Cambyses by Paul Sussman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


An antique dealer is killed in Luxor and an archeology professor is found dead at his dig house in Saqqara. The professor's daughter, Tara Mullray always had a difficult relationship with her father whose love for his work transcended the love for his family. After having received a call from her dad to come to Egypt she looks forward to an unlikely reconciliation. She seeks assistance from the British Embassy but gets an odd feeling about their handling of the matter. Inspector Yusuf Khalifa from Luxor Police Dept is assigned to the case of the murdered antique dealer. When another dealer is killed in a similar fashion in Cairo, he sets off to find a link to his case. When Tara Mullray is pursued by parties unknown she suspects foul play in her father's death. Her pursuers, led by a giant German, were after a missing piece from an ancient tomb wall. When she meets up with a former lover, a long time associate of her father's, she is hopeful of a way out. After a terror incident in Cairo where several people are killed by a lone gunman, it is clear there is a link between the terrorists and the murders. Inspector Khalifa digs deeper and deeper into the investigation and the more he finds the more he dreads the outcome. The missing tomb piece has a relevance to an ancient mystery and lost treasures. The killer German and his black robed terror outfit drop bodies at will, nothing standing in their way to get to the missing piece. There are explosive twists throughout the book right up to the very end. This was Paul Sussman's first Inspector Khalifa novel (he gets a mere mention in a previous book)where he gives us a glimpse into the Egyptian culture, its people and the tough problems they faced. Written prior to 9/11 it is eerily prescient of the happenings in the Middle East. Instead of giving us clichéd bad guys, he deconstructs the terrorist mind and gives those of us from the West something to think about. If you're a fan of the murder/mystery genre, this book is for you. A bit long, as his books normally are, but definitely worth it.



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Thoroughly enjoyed this book featuring Alex Berenson's John Wells character. Wells, former CIA and US Ranger, is approached by the ailing Saudi King to help him secure a succession battle with his brother Prince Saeed. King Abdullah wishes to cede power to his son while his brother feels its his birthright to be king. The book starts with a terrorist attack in Bahrain on a nightclub frequented by Westerners. We are introduced to Jihadis who feel aggrieved with the Saudi monarchy repressive rule. Wells is offered millions to take the assignment and at first refuses the desperate monarch. After some cajoling by the king's brother, Prince Miteb, Wells agrees and starts following up a lead from the king that leads him to a Jihadi camp in Lebanon. All the while Wells stays in contact with his former boss at CIA headquarters who provides technical assistance like tracing cell phone numbers and using the US satellites to pinpoint the Jihadi camp. What starts out as a personal favour to the king soon escalates into a much bigger problem when the king's favourite grand-daughter is assassinated by a suicide bomber. The world gave scant attention, but when the US ambassador to the kingdom is brutally kidnapped the world is on a knife's edge. Oil prices soar, markets plummet and the US prepares for full blown war with its old ally in the Middle East. As a former journalist, Berenson has researched the situation in the Middle East meticulously and provides incisive descriptions of life in modern day Saudi Arabia. When Wells connects the Lebanese camp to former Saudi soldiers the plot really stirs as the reality dawns that the terrorist attacks could have been ordered from within the kingdom, possibly even by someone within government. Wells, a self professed Muslim, pulls out all the stops to stop a war in the centre of the Islamic world that could result in its ultimate destruction. A desperate search for the ambassador sets up a thrilling end that could come straight off the pages of tomorrow's news.