The Jealous

The Sufi Mysteries #2

by Laury Silvers

Baghdad 295 hijri/907 CE

A woman’s howl of pain echoed through the courtyard. “She’s killed him!” Her husband’s face was twisted with terror, staring at something that was not there, looking at the space just over his chest, grasping at his left arm as if to wrest some unseen force away. Saliha gasped, “A jinn! God protect us from evil things!”

When a distinguished scholar dies at the Barmakid hospital in Baghdad, nearly everyone points the finger at his enslaved servant Mu’mina, as the one who called a demon to kill him. Tein, a former frontier fighter turned investigator with the Grave Crimes Section, has no time for religion, let alone jinn, and sets out to prove her innocent. But Ammar, Tein’s superior and old wartime friend, has already pushed her case before the Police Chief’s court where she’s sure to be executed or condemned to rot in the prisons built into the damp walls of Baghdad’s Round City.

With the help of his twin sister, Zaytuna, his childhood friend, Mustafa, and Zaytuna’s friend, the untamable Saliha, Tein plunges into a dangerous investigation that takes them into the world of talisman-makers and seers, houses of prostitution and gambling, and the fractious secular and religious court systems, all in an effort to turn back the tragic circumstances set in motion by Ammar’s destructive fear of a girl horribly wronged.

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The Jealous Fofky’s Readers Choice Award for Best Thriller

"Completely engrossing and richly atmospheric. Tenth century Baghdad comes alive through the eyes of a dazzling cast of characters." —Ausma Zehanat Khan, critically acclaimed author of A Deadly Divide from The Getty-Khattak Mysteries, and The Khorasan Archives

"Silvers masterfully uses literature to fuse suspense and mysticism and capture readers in an intricately-woven historical mystery that taps into timeless human experiences." --Layla Abdullah-Poulos, Managing Editor, NbA Muslims

“The Jealous intertwines the stories of two mysteries, the first – the murder of a wealthy Imam in tenth-century Baghdad – secular, the second – the mystery of the soul’s journey to God – spiritual. In this sequel to her acclaimed debut novel The Lover, Laury Silvers has written a riveting tale that will have the reader turning pages far into the night.”

— Joyce Lionarons, Bestselling Author of the Matthew Cordwainer and Gavin Rownt Mysteries

“Silvers’ exquisite descriptions of Baghdad and erudite knowledge of its historical denizens render real the people of Baghdad to the reader, whether pious mystics, cynical wine merchants, or frontier soldiers turned detectives. It’s a great mystery and its faithful portrayal of Baghdad.”

— Sherwan Hindreen Ali, McGill University

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Spirituality, Fiction

ebook

Published April 1, 2020

About the author

Author also writes as Jayne Green

Laury Silvers is a North American Muslim, raised in the United States but finally at home in Canada. She writes historical mysteries set in medieval Muslim lands and contemporary thrillers set in Toronto under the name "Jayne Green."

The Ghazi Ammar Medieval Mysteries are the spin-off series from The Sufi Mysteries Quartet. History moves into the background and mystery moves up front, Ammar and Zaytuna trade quips and solve crimes in medieval Baghdad.

The Toronto Thrillers, written under the name Jayne Green are emotionally layered and plot-twisty, and on the left side of things politically. No need to sell your emotional or political soul to enjoy a trashy thriller. Disgraced out now.

The Sufi Mysteries Quartet are big-screen cinematic, wild, romantic, spiritually melodramatic and are so historically reliable in detail and interpretation, they are used in university courses and are considered by some to be fictional academic writing in themselves. Thousands of readers love them, why not you?

Rat City is a medieval noir novella set in an alternative medieval West Asian world. It is found in Revenge in Three. Three Muslim Novelists re-interpret The Count of Monte Cristo. I love it, but my fans who prefer my novels with characters on the arc of redemption won't find that here. Be warned. Derya Mack is a post-menopausal private detective with no shits left to give.

Silvers' research and publications as a historian of religion focused on early Islam, early Sufism, and early pious and Sufi women. She taught at Skidmore College and the University of Toronto. Silvers also published work engaging Islam and Gender in North America in academic journals and popular venues, was actively involved in the woman-led prayer movement, and co-founded the Toronto Unity Mosque. She has since retired from academia and activism and hopes her novels continue her scholarship and activism in their own way. She lives in Toronto under Treaty 13.

Reviews

[Alex Cantone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zaytuna sat against a pillar in the nearly empty courtyard of Shaykh Abu al-Qasim al-Junayd’s home waiting for him to come down from his family’s rooms to the common areas where the Sufi community of Baghdad gathered each day.

Tenth-century Baghdad is a melting pot of Arabs and Africans, Shia and Sunni, Jew and Christian in this murder-mystery set against a background of Sufism (mystic Islam), and “jinn” (evil spirits, based on animals). The main characters here are Zaytuna (would-be Sufi) and her twin brother Tein (Grave Crimes police) – of mixed Arab/African descent; Tein’s supervisor Ammar, (they fought together on the frontier); Zaytuna’s friend Saliha (washer of female and child corpses for funeral); and a childhood friend Mustapha, of Persian/Arab descent, a student of Hadith. Plus innumerable members of extended family/servants.

But the book opens with Saliha cleansing and wrapping the body of a woman in preparation for burial. She finishes her work and steps back into the hospital, in time to witness an imam (religious teacher) admitted suffering death pains and hallucinations, attended by his melodramatic wife, who insists he was cursed by his African slave girl.

“His slave! Mu’mina, the slut! I saw her! She bought a talisman and forced him to wear it around his neck! He was bruised but he didn’t know how it happened! His eye blackened, his rib broken, and he didn’t know how! He wouldn’t believe me that it was her and he wouldn’t take that cursed talisman off.” The woman choked on the words, “That talisman drew an ifrit into our household to kill him.”

Tein and Ammar arrive on the scene to investigate, and seek the doctor’s conclusions, while the slave is apprehended. Earlier she had lodged a complaint of rape against her master with a judge, which was rejected on the grounds that, as the imam’s property, he could do with her as he wished. (Parallels here to the modern day of allegations of sexual abuse by leaders of the church, quietly hidden way). Mu’mina admits to seeking the help of a curse writer, but not to kill him.

Amid accusations of sorcery and Amman wanting a quick clean up to move to other matters, the possibility of other causes of death and/or others wanting the imam dead, causes a rift between the two men. Tein seeks the truth and justice for the slave, not just as she is Nubian, like his mother, and with Saliha’s help, goes “underground” to discover the secret life held by the imam, while Ammar, Mustapha and Zaytuna work to get the slave’s (alleged) crime moved from the criminal court to a religious one.

Canadian author and academic Laury Silver opens a window onto a different world and I really enjoyed the descriptions of the people, their clothing and food, how they lived and prayed, the buildings and landscape of the city on the Tigris (Baghdad once being Babylon).

They waited their turn to step out onto the bridge, catching their balance as the bridge swayed with the force of the current and the shifting weight of what must have been more than a hundred people walking in two lines in opposite directions, some balancing goods on their backs or heads. Once on the bridge, she slowed to look up at the homes along the water. Men and women leaned on balconies, chatting, and looking out at the river scene.

The theme of jealousy flits in and out, and is one of the many names given to God in Islam. The author includes a glossary of terms, which helped me understand the schism between Shi'a and Sunni Islam, and details on the characters, some of whom are based on actual Sufi figures from history. I really enjoyed the court scenes (unusual for me) and the brothel as Tein uncovers the truth.

I would have rated this higher except for the ending, which was inconclusive, perhaps leading into the third book in the quartet. It seemed to break away from the murder mystery, with everyone grief-stricken by the death of an elderly Sufi, which seems to leave a vacuum.

Reading it through western eyes, I found it hard to imagine life so wound up in religion: at what point does the pursuit of oneness with God / spiritual enlightenment / attaining paradise - tip into self-absorption, at the expense of improving the life of those around you? Overall, a thought-provoking story, but I’m not sure I am ready to read more.

[Karen Heenan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An evocative tale

This is the second book in the Sufi Mysteries, and I enjoyed meeting up again with Tein and Zaytuna and other characters from the first book. Although these books are billed as mysteries, it is still the character development that I find most interesting.

The Jealous spans a brief week, from the commission of a crime to its eventual solution, but time moves differently here. The pace of the story is leisurely, but never slow, giving adequate time to explore the thoughts and feelings of the characters, which are of equal importance to the action and the mystery. There is a definite feeling of growth and change In these wonderfully imagined people, and I look forward to continuing their journey in the next book.

[Zainab Bint Younus · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Jealous by Laury Silvers is the sequel to her debut novel, The Lover - and as gripping a mystery!

Zaytuna - the complicated, struggling Sufi woman who finds herself challenged by both the injustices of the world as well as her own character - finds herself drawn into the case of an African slave woman accused of murdering her abusive master via mysterious talisman. Officially, it is her policeman brother Tein and his partner, Ammar, who are tasked with this case, which quickly unravels and twists in ways none of them expect.

Touching on Islamic fiqh, the politics of imams and scholars (and their personal vices), gender, love - both earthly and Divine - and the mysterious ways of the Sufi path, The Jealous is an entrancing tale that pulls readers into the complicated world of medieval Baghdad.

While I love the story, I will note that the writing itself needs some refining in terms of editing - I found myself distracted often by run on sentences and less than ideal wording and sentence structure. (I can never truly put aside my editing hat!)

Other than that, I eagerly await the final book in this trilogy!

[Faiza Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know the author via social media and she is someone I look up to for guidance as well as history from early Islam and Sufism. Reading her series has been an absolute treat in exploring how muslims in the early days practiced as well as have a look at their daily lives. So much of the stories muslim tells of early muslims has been clouded in flowery language like 'they were so pious back then" when Laury really reveals that they were as human as we are, facing the same questions of morality, religion, desire, pain, and suffering as we do now. Masterful! I can't wait for the third book!

[Sanjida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated the focus on gender and race/color, and the theme of jealousy was well integrated into the plot.

Thanks again to the author for a Ramadan ebook giveaway.

[Pat MacEwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tenth-century Baghdad is a dangerous place for those accused of witchcraft, cursing others for money, consorting with the djinn, or poisoning their masters. A young slave who's been accused of murdering her master by way of black magic has only one champion - Tein, a former soldier who is now an investigator with the Grave Crimes Section of Baghdad's police. His supervisor, Ammar, is also an old wartime friend, but Ammar is convinced of Mu'mina's guilt in the matter, regardless of her mistreatment by the dead man. If Tein doesn't figure this out, the girl will end up being executed or disappear forever into one of the prison cells built into the walls of the Round City. Tein turns to his twin sister, Zaytuna, a mystic who is now a corpsewasher and a witness in the case. Their childhood friend, the scholar Mustafa, and Saliha, Zaytuna’s best friend, join together to search for the truth among the denizens of the red light district as well as the halls of religious teachers and secular leaders, and the lesser dwellings of seers and apothecaries, of witches and loan sharks. A sequel to The Lover, Silvers' new Sufi mystery is even more puzzling than the first book in the series, and well worth your time. This book captures the age, the time and the place as well as the many flavors of religious fervor to be found among Baghdad's inhabitants and along the way it explores the lives of characters unlike any I've ever encountered in a medieval murder mystery. Recommended.

[Marian Thorpe]

The Jealous is an investigative story with many depths. There is the crime: the death of a respected Imam, and an enslaved servant girl who admits to creating the circumstances that led to it. Ammar, Grave Crimes investigator in 10th C Baghdad, believes her confession. Tein, his partner, has doubts – and Zaytuna, Tein’s sister, sees the situation very differently.
Along with the crime, other investigations occur: each of the three main characters must examine their motives for their assumptions about the death and those involved in it. Jealousy plays a large role, but so does agency, or the lack of it, and the arbitrary granting or denying of it by people who believe they care about another, who may believe they are protecting that person. But protective jealousy can be as damaging as possessive jealousy.
Complex and compelling, The Jealous carries on from the events in The Lover. I’d strongly recommend the books be read in order, for character development. I am very much looking forward to the next of the planned quartet, The Unseen.

[SteamyBookLover · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author delivered another amazing mystery with a historical backdrop. I love the depth of the characters and the way she included religion and the supernatural. The courtroom drama was some of the best I ever read!

[Julie Bozza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent historical fiction, with a very engaging set of main characters, and a thorough look at a fascinating time and place. The story felt as if it started a bit slow and perhaps overly detailed, but so much of the earlier content ends up being relevant later on, so it's worth paying attention and keeping on reading! Strong emotions, and even death from the dying character's POV, are handled very well. And I can *feel* the strong love and loyalty between the main characters - it's a tangible thing - even though they are each so different, with different beliefs and motivations.

I'm looking forward to more adventures with Zaytuna and Saliha, Tein and Mustafa, and their multifarious world.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with the first book in this series, The Jealous shows the complexities between what is right and what may be your rights, the biases we hold even if we don't realise we hold them and the trauma that is inflicted on the innocent and guilty alike. I really hope book three isn't too far away.

[Helen Hollick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jealousy abounds in Laury Silvers’ The Jealous, the second of her Sufi Mysteries. Set in medieval Baghdad, this story follows on from the first, The Lover, and should be read in order to fully understand both the characters and the spiritual and moral paths they are on. (The titles to both books are names Sufis use to refer to Allah.) Because while these books can be approached purely as procedurals, the solving of a crime, they are much more than that.

Centered on the washerwoman Zaytuna and her twin brother, the policeman Tein, The Jealous begins with the death of a respected scholar, Imam Hashim. His wife insists he has been cursed to the death by the enslaved girl he used for sexual purposes; the girl confesses. But is she telling the truth?

Silvers’ eye for sensory detail means the reader is immersed in the setting, both in the meagre quarters of Zaytuna and the richly appointed dwellings of the rich. The street sounds and smells; the pleasures of food; the heat of the sun and the coolness of courtyards are all evoked with skill. But against this background, hard questions are being asked of both the characters and the reader.

Three intertwined themes run through the story: jealousy, both possessive jealousy and protective jealousy; the inability to truly listen, and the concept of consent. In their weaving together to tell a story of assumptions made from a failure to understanding – whether that is from fear or prejudice or complacency – and the effects of those assumptions on the lives of others, Silvers again takes us into the lives of women of little agency. In The Jealous, the enslaved Mu’mina has no power over her life at all, not in law or practice. She is a possession, to be used as her owner sees fit. But neither is she listened to by those who offer her help, men or women.

As the investigation into who killed Imam Hashim unfolds, the imperfections and excesses of his life reveal more people with both motive and opportunity to kill him. But can Tein and Zaytuna, and Ammar, Tein’s superior, put aside their own anger and open their own minds to find the truth?

The Jealous is not a light read, but it is an engrossing one. Silvers parallels the search for spiritual truth and its difficult demands with the tenacity and hard questions that must be asked to solve a crime, and asks one of the hardest questions of all: what might change in our own lives if we learned to truly listen?

Immersive, engrossing, and challenging. A definite 5 stars

Originally Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds

[Farah Zaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kudos again to Laury Silvers for another masterpiece of historical mystery set in medieval Baghdad. From the first chapter, The Jealous gets off to a great start and you’re smack-dab in the middle of a sizzling intrigue. Who murdered Imam Hashim? Was his death caused by human hand or a demonic one? Everyone suspects Mu’mina, the enslaved girl, of dabbling in devilry to get rid of her master but not Tein, the hunky and brooding hero we first met in The Lover. With the help of his moody twin sister Zaytuna and Saliha, the spunky woman in love with him, Tein and his partner in Grave Crimes, set out to search for answers. As they question witnesses, they soon realize that things are more complicated than they seemed and there’s no shortage of suspects who had a motive for the murder. At first, the trail leads them around in circles but eventually all is revealed in a satisfactory conclusion. As with her first book, Ms. Silvers weaves in threads of mysticism throughout the book, stirring the senses with her evocative portrayal of Sufism. Thank you for another wonderful read, Ms. Silvers!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Jealous was my favourite of the three books which are beautifully set in ancient Baghdad (with all the major characters that are present in The Lover and The Unseen…these books are masterfully written and truly transport and immerse the reader into this historic world full of mystery, with characters (Sufi, Sunni, Shia, non-Muslim) like moths on their own journeys and paths, seeking and drawn to the flame of His Love. Highly recommend them all and absolutely can’t wait for The Peace (which the author has tentatively promised will release in the first quarter of 2023 InshaAllah) Each successive book is better than the one before and by the end of the third one, I sincerely hoped the author would write 99 books, one for each of His Blessed Names!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way Laury Silvers incorporates Islam and sufi practice seamlessly into the characters and story. She creates a palpable sufi experience for the reader where most writers might tediously try to explain sufism, which cannot be done.
This is also excellent crime story with lots of historical and sociological detail.

[Patzia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kindle edition
The past becomes alive in Laury's descriptions; as do Sufi teachings. I find it hard to describe the depth of her narrative and how moving the characters are. I so identify with the difficulties of the Path

[Katharine Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the character development in this novel. I was moved to tears several times. I enjoyed sharing the ups amd downs of Zaytuna's inner journey. I can't wait for the next book!

[sisi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars, excellent character growth and story telling!

[Leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book even more than the first in the series, The Lover. She is so good on the streets and city scape of Baghdad early in its Golden Age. The people are mostly the ordinary sorts who are a mere backdrop in tales of princes and princesses. And they are wonderfully well drawn -- I would love to meet the Arab-looking washerwoman, Zaytuna, an ascetic who struggles with her jealously of a beautiful Chinese Sufi girl, her twin brother Tein, a policeman who looks all Zanj (black African), and is scornful of all religion; his boss and friend, Ammar, an Arab Shi'ah (not a good thing in Baghdad at the time). The joyous Saliha, a young washerwoman, who retrains as a corpsewasher. The potter, Mustafa, who is training as a Hadith scholar and is given a great and unexpected gift. And the Zanj slave girl, Ma'muna who has taken her master to court, in The Lover, and then finds herself on trial for her life in this, the sequel. I'm impatient for the other two books in this quartet. Professor Silvers wears her learning very lightly, but one can follow up on her website. It's well worth a visit

[Katharine Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the character development in this novel. I was moved to tears several times. I enjoyed sharing the ups amd downs of Zaytuna's inner journey. I can't wait for the next book!