Parker Bilal’s The Ghost Runner was in my top five reads of 2014. It was an evocative tale of despair and revenge set in the Egyptian desert. For The Burning Gates, Bilal brings his investigator, Makana, back to Cairo to track down a painting that was stolen from Baghdad during the US invasion. But soon his employer is dead and Makana finds himself the subject of competing attentions from various businessmen whose interests extend beyond the art world.
Bilal’s greatest strength is the quality of his writing. All the Makana books have been very well written and The Burning Gates is no exception. You get a feel of the writer’s craft that has gone into both plotting the book and executing the narrative. Bilal doesn’t shy away from violence and there’s always strong sense of menace in his books. This is particularly so in The Burning Gates where towards the end, it becomes quite a bloodbath.
Parker is excellent at depicting a Sudanese exile mourning his former country and the sense of loss permeates the novel. A recurring thread in the Makana books is the loss of his wife and daughter. It’s revisited again here and it would be nice to see it resolved at some point.
Bilal’s writing is something different to a lot of the crime fiction out there. Once again I recommend reading his novels. He’s proof that crime fiction can be written to the highest standard.
Thanks to Bloomsbury for my review copy.
Thanks, Sarah, as ever, for a fine review. I really need to read more crime fiction set in Egypt and the Middle East; and I’ve heard some very good things about Bilal. Thanks for the nudge to try this series.
Thanks Margot. It’s a high quality series that I enjoy reading.
I think I have the previous one in my TBR pile – probably due to your recommendation. I think it’s time I read it (and thought about investing in this, if I enjoy it, which I doubtless will!) You play havoc with my TBR pile!
Sorry, Linda 🙂 But Bilal is really an excellent writer.
Thanks Sarah, have not tried these yet but really like the topical sound and unusual subject matter – thanks chum 🙂
My pleasure 🙂
You are so adventurous and cosmopolitan in your reading, Sarah, I really admire the way you read books from everywhere.
Thank you, Moira! Bilal is one of my favourite writers so he’s always a delight to read.
Ditto. You venture so far out into the world it’s great. Will put this book on my TBR list (sigh).
Thanks, Kathy. I’d love to hear what you think!
Sarah, the Middle East and North Africa can be both a fascinating and intriguing setting for a novel, especially in our times. I like the contemporary nature of this story.
Thanks, Prashant.