Pearce, Michael 1933-

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Pearce, Michael 1933-

PERSONAL:

Born 1933.

ADDRESSES:

Home—London, England.

CAREER:

Writer, novelist, teacher, and administrator in academia.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Crime Writer's Association Last Laugh Awards for funniest crime novel of the year, for The Mamur Zapt and the Spoils of Egypt.

WRITINGS:

"THE MAMUR ZAPT" SERIES

The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet, HarperCollins (London, England), 1988, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1990.

The Mamur Zapt and the Night of the Dog, HarperCollins (London, England), 1989, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1991.

The Mamur Zapt and the Donkey-vous, HarperCollins (London, England), 1990, Mysterious Press (New York, NY), 1992.

The Mamur Zapt and the Men Behind, HarperCollins (London, England), 1991, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1993.

The Mamur Zapt and the Girl in the Nile, HarperCollins (London, England), 1992, Mysterious Press (New York, NY), 1994.

The Mamur Zapt and the Spoils of Egypt, HarperCollins (London, England), 1992, Mysterious Press (New York, NY), 1995.

The Camel of Destruction, HarperCollins (London, England), 1993, Poisoned Pen Press (Scottsdale, AZ), 2002.

The Snake-Catcher's Daughter, HarperCollins (London, England), 1994.

The Mingrelian Conspiracy, HarperCollins (London, England), 1995.

The Fig Tree Murder, HarperCollins (London, England), 1997.

The Last Cut, HarperCollins (London, England), 1998.

Death of an Effendi, HarperCollins (London, England), 1999.

The Cold Touch of Ice, HarperCollins (London, England), 2000.

The Face in the Cemetery, HarperCollins (London, England), 2001.

The Point in the Camel Market, Poisoned Pen Press (Scottsdale, AZ), 2005.

"THE DMITRI KAMERON" SERIES

Dmitri and the Milk Drinkers, HarperCollins (London, England), 1997.

Dmitri and the One-legged Lady, HarperCollins (London, England), 1999.

"SANDOR SEYMOUR" SERIES

A Dead Man in Trieste, Carroll & Graf Publishers (New York, NY), 2004.

A Dead Man in Istanbul, Constable (London, England), 2005.

A Dead Man in Athens, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2006.

OTHER NOVELS

The Dragoman's Story, Severn House (Sutton, England), 2000.

SIDELIGHTS:

Michael Pearce grew up in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan; he returned there, for a time, to teach, and he remains involved in the country's human rights issues. He utilizes his knowledge of Cairo's political and social environment under early twentieth-century British rule to create the setting for his award-winning "Mamur Zapt" mystery series. By incorporating descriptions of Cairo's cafes, small shops, clubs, offices, and pubs frequented by the elite of the time, Pearce creates a historical, political, and cultural sense of the city. Pearce was also trained as a Russian interpreter for military intelligence purposes during the Cold War. He believes that for a brief period near the end of Russia's tsarist regime and before the rise of communism (the 1890s), democracy and an independent legal system had a fleeting chance to take hold in Russia, which would have drastically altered world events. Significantly, he makes this period the backdrop for his "Dmitri Kameron" mystery series.

The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet was Pearce's first "Mamur Zapt" novel. The setting—Cairo, Egypt, 1908; the protagonist—Welsh Captain Gareth Cadwallader Owen, head of the Mamur Zapt, the political arm of Cairo's secret police; the mystery—the attempted murder of Nuri Pasha, prominent Egyptian politician and philanderer. Newgate Callendar, in the New York Times Book Review, commented that Pearce's debut provides "an affectionate, frequently humorous picture of Egypt and its inhabitants before World War I." Publishers Weekly contributor Sybil Steinberg wrote: "Pearce depicts the intricate politics and social mores … to provide authentic background for an outstandingly well-wrought and satisfying mystery."

Pearce continues the Cairo/Owen theme through the rest of the series. Regarding the second book, The Mamur Zapt and the Night of the Dog, Steinberg wrote in Publishers Weekly: "Each scene is sharply rendered with local color, and Pearce explains complex social and political behavior through believable dialogue." In this mystery, Owen attempts to keep the uneasy peace between Muslim and Coptic factions in Cairo. However, a wave of racial violence sweeps across the city when a dead dog is left on a Coptic grave, and the Coptics retaliate by murdering a Muslim dancer. The murder occurs virtually under Owen's nose, and the most important witness is the beautiful niece of an influential British policeman who was, as it happens, accompanying Owen at the time of the murder.

The Mamur Zapt and the Donkey-Vous finds Owen investigating the disappearance of European visitors from a sophisticated and elite Cairo "watering hole." The kidnappings occur before numerous witnesses, including several "donkeyvous" boys, young men who offer transportation on their animals. A Publishers Weekly contributor wrote: "The sleuthing here demands that the reader understand period and place, but does not demand much of the Mamur Zapt and his cohorts." Keith Kahala, on the other hand, in Armchair Detective, Commented that the book "manages the difficult trick of being both a light entertainment and a well-rounded novel, beautifully written."

Another contributor to Publishers Weekly wrote, of The Mamur Zapt and the Girl in the Nile: "Pearce delights in political and social detail, but he squanders the romantic suspense … stuffy British colonials are no substitute for real mystery and adventure." In this mystery, Owen is called to examine the body of a young woman floating in the Nile. Upon his arrival, however, the body is missing. The woman was attending a party on a boat owned by Prince Narouz, who claims not to know her. Owen's sleuthing determines she was the former companion of an influential journalist, then of an up and coming sculptor, and that Narouz had met her previously at a play.

As for Pearce's award-winning The Mamur Zapt and the Spoils of Egypt, Brendan O'Keefe commented in the Times Literary Supplement: "The book is intelligent, non-committal entertainment, rather than an unfulfilled novel within the frame of genre." The novel's plot involves tomb-robbing and illegal trade in antiquities. Two potentially fatal accidents ensnare an attractive, visiting American in intrigue—Miss Skinner, a woman who interviews Cairo's most wealthy and influential residents in pursuit of her mission to stem the smuggling of artifacts. Emily Melton of Booklist commented on Pearce's "cast of eccentric and engaging characters … and an appealing blend of gentle humor, historic ambiance, high adventure, and exotic settings."

By the time Pearce penned his twelfth and thirteenth "Mamur Zapt" novels, reviewers were generally enthralled by the series. Of A Cold Touch of Ice, Judith Gray wrote for the Crime Time Web site: "In a series as long-running as this, refreshing the customary ingredients must be a Herculean task, but … we are never conscious of having encountered these particular situations before."

Pearce has continued to contribute to the "Mamur Zapt" series with titles such as The Face in the Cemetery and The Point in the Camel Market. The first novel finds Owen investigating the discovery of a woman's corpse hidden among ancient mummies of sacred Egyptian cats, leading the locals to believe she was murdered by the mysterious Cat Woman. Writing in Booklist, Emily Melton commented that the author "manages to offer up a highly entertaining read … and some thought-provoking commentary on British colonialism."

In The Point in the Camel Market, Egypt is now a protectorate of the British Empire due to the outbreak of World War I. As he investigates the murder of a spy named Sabri, Owen must also deal with numerous other problems, including a string of liquor store arsons and the ostracizing of his wife, the pasha's daughter Zeinab, for marrying an Englishman. An MBR Bookwatch contributor noted: "The Egyptian culture during World War I is exquisitely detailed." Another tale featuring Owen, Death of an Effendi features Owen trying to find the assassin of a Russian official he was assigned to protect. Booklist reviewer Emily Melton commented that Death of an Effendi is "among the best of the bunch" in the series.

In 2004, Pearce also began a new series of mysteries set in the early twentieth century and featuring British agent Sandor Seymour. In the first book in the "Sandor Seymour" series, A Dead Man in Trieste, Sandor finds himself investigating the disappearance of the British consul in Trieste, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Sandor poses as a king's messenger and soon makes friends with the missing consulate's cadre of companions, including artists and revolutionaries. Before long, the missing consulate turns up dead and Seymour begins looking for a murderer. "Pearce again demonstrates his skill at making the past come alive," noted a Publishers Weekly contributor. Rex E. Klett, writing in the Library Journal, noted: "The steady, pace, atmospheric design, and detailed description re-create a complicated city."

A Dead Man in Istanbul features Sandor in 1911 Istanbul investigating the murder of the undersecretary of the British embassy. This time, Sandor is not only investigating the potential political aspects of the murder but also the undersecretary's numerous romantic involvements with women. In the third entry in the series, A Dead Man in Athens, Sandor is assigned to discover who poisoned the of the Sultan of Turkey, who has been living in exile in Greece. The British believe that the case is important because of political issues concerning the Greeks, the Ottoman Empire, and what they see as a coming world war. They also think the Sultan may be the next victim. When someone is murdered, Seymour sets out to find the connection. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that the author "effectively … [weds] prewar intrigue to an often humorous plot." Writing in Kirkus Reviews, another reviewer also commented that the author "brings a lighter, droller touch [with this contribution] to the Seymour series."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Armchair Detective, fall, 1992, Keith Kahala, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Donkey-Vous, p. 494.

Booklist, February 15, 1994, Barbara Baskin, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Night of the Dog, p. 1100; December 1, 1994, Emily Melton, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Girl in the Nile, p. 656; September 15, 1995, Emily Melton, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Spoils of Egypt, p. 143; July, 2002, Emily Melton, review of The Camel of Destruction, p. 1827; April 1, 2003, Emily Melton, review of The Snake-Catcher's Daughter, p. 1382; March 15, 2004, Emily Melton, review of The Last Cut, p. 1272; June 1, 2004, Emily Melton, review of Death of an Effendi, p. 1709; December 15, 2004, Emily Melton, review of The Face in the Cemetery, p. 712; April 15, 2005, Margaret Flanagan, review of The Point in the Market, p. 1435.

Bookwatch, February, 2005, review of The Face in the Cemetery.

Internet Bookwatch, February, 2005, review of The Face in the Cemetery.

Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 1991, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Night of the Dog, p. 440; May 15, 1993, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Men Behind, p. 627; October 1, 1994, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Girl in the Nile, p. 1315; July 1, 2002, review of The Camel of Destruction, p. 921; November 1, 2003, review of The Fig Tree Murder, p. 1296; October 1, 2004, review of A Dead Man in Trieste, p. 943; November 15, 2004, review of The Face in the Cemetery, p. 1071; March 1, 2005, review of The Point in the Market, p. 263; August 15, 2006, review of A Dead Man in Athens, p. 813.

Library Journal, November 1, 2004, Rex E. Klett, review of A Dead Man in Trieste, p. 58.

Listener, March 10, 1988, Gerald Kaufman, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet, p. 22.

New York Times Book Review, December 23, 1990, Newgate Callendar, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet, p. 15; May 26, 1991, Newgate Callendar, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Night of the Dog, p. 22.

MBR Bookwatch, April, 2005, review of The Point in the Market.

Publishers Weekly, September 21, 1990, Sybil Steinberg, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet, p. 66; March 22, 1991, Sybil Steinberg, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Night of the Dog, p. 74; June 22, 1992, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Donkey-Vous, p. 49; May 10, 1993, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Men Behind, p. 54; November 7, 1994, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Girl in the Nile, p. 68; August 14, 1995, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Spoils of Egypt, p. 74; July 22, 2002, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Camel of Destruction, p. 161; February 24, 2003, review of The Snake-Catcher's Daughter, p. 56; June 30, 2003, review of The Mingrelian Conspiracy, p. 60; November 24, 2003, review of The Fig Tree Murder, p. 45; October 4, 2004, review of A Dead Man in Trieste, p. 73; November 1, 2004, review of The Face in the Cemetery, p. 58; August 15, 2005, review of A Dead Man in Istanbul, p. 37; July 17, 2006, review of A Dead Man in Athens, p. 139.

Times Literary Supplement, December 25, 1992, Brendan O'Keefe, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Spoils of Egypt, p. 19; May 10, 1993, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Men Behind, p. 54; December 3, 1993, Robert Irwin, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Camel of Destruction, p. 20; March 10, 1995, review of The Snake-Catcher's Daughter, p. 24; December 17, 1999, Heather O'Donoghue, review of Death of an Effendi, p. 20.

Tribune Books (Chicago, IL), July 5, 1992, Dick Adler, review of The Mamur Zapt and the Donkey-Vous, p. 6.