Khaleel Datay's Blog - Posts Tagged "paul-sussman"

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 Labyrinth of Osiris by Paul Sussman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Brilliant. A fantastic story filled with so many twists and plot complexities it keeps you guessing all the way. Sussman turns a murder mystery into a treasure hunt, a fast paced thriller, political commentary and just one enjoyable read. Sussman's passing last year is a great loss to the writing world



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The Hidden Oasis by Paul Sussman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was my third Paul Sussman novel but the earliest that he'd written. I'm sure many other people do the same when they find a good author, and go back to read all the stuff he's written before. The beginning takes place more than two thousand years BC and was a bit confusing as Sussman lays the groundwork of the legend of the hidden oasis deep in the south of Egypt. In present time we are introduced to ace American mountain climber Freya Hannen who has to rush to Egypt to attend her sister Alex Hannen's funeral. Alex was an adventurer and died from a debilitating disease. Unable to cope with her sister's death in the prime of her life, she doubts the circumstances and does enquiries of her own. When she finds some inconsistencies in the story she becomes convinced there was foul play. She teams up with Egyptologist Flin Brodie who was a very good friend of her sister's. Brodie is a professor at the American University in Cairo whose special interest is the famed Hidden Oasis. Myth and legend has it that the oasis was home to a great round stone with extraordinary powers that would give its owners control over the entire world. The ancient Egyptians feared its power so much that they hid the stone and killed everyone who had any knowledge thereof. For more than two thousand years nobody had managed to find it. Brodie and Freya become embroiled in its search when it becomes known that 50kgs of weapons grade plutonium went down in a plane crash in the vicinity of the oasis. This sets off a race for the location of the oasis and the plutonium by the CIA and a wealthy Egyptian businessman and his pack of thugs. Sussman gives us brilliantly drawn villains, a breathtaking dash across the deserts of Egypt so reminiscent of the Indiana Jones series and twists and turns in the story that keeps you guessing to the end. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves a good adventure story.



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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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