Dogstar Rising

The first Makana mystery was hailed by the Guardian as “an enthralling read.” The second in this gripping crime series is set again in vividly evoked Cario—now on the edge of revolution.

Summer 2001. The mutilated bodies of young boys are turning up in the backstreets of Cairo, and the finger of suspicion is pointing at the city’s Coptic community. As Makana, a private investigator who fled his native Sudan a decade ago, watches the embers of religious hatred begin to glow, he has a premonition that history may be about to repeat itself. But for now, Makana has another case to solve, involving a disgruntled travel agent, stolen money, and threatening letters—an assignment that appears to point to nothing more than a family feud. That is, until Makana meets Meera—a woman with a dangerous secret who asks for his help—and stumbles upon an unlikely link to the murdered boys.

When the travel agent’s office becomes the backdrop to a brutal killing, Makana is the sole witness, and he attracts the unwanted attention of not only the state security services and the police but also a disreputable Sudanese businessman—who claims to hold the key to Makana’s past.

His search for answers takes him from the labyrinth of Cairo to the city of Luxor and an abandoned monastery near the tombs of the pharaohs, where he uncovers a web of intrigue, violence, and secrecy that reaches deep into Egypt’s political heart.

Parker Bilal is the pseudonym for Jamal Mahjoub. Born in London and brought up in Khartoum, Sudan, Mahjoub originally trained as a geologist and has written six critically acclaimed literary novels, which have been shortlisted and awarded a number of prizes. His works include In the Hour of Signs, Travelling with Djinns, The Carrier, and The Drift Latitudes, as well as the first Makana novel, The Golden Scales. He currently lives in Barcelona.

Coverage in print and online crime/mystery columns nationwide
Prepublication promotion of author’s backlist
Digital assets: excerpts, author Q&A on Bloomsbury.com