Dark Water

by Parker Bilal Narrated by David Thopre

Overview

When British intelligence agent Marcus Winslow appears at Private Investigator Makana's door one April morning, Makana's life is about to change. Winslow has come with a mission: Ayman Nizari, an Iraqi scientist specialising in chemical warfare, is on the run and asking for asylum. He trusts only one man to bring him to safety: Makana. But why? And what part does Winslow have to play in this? The scientist has gone to ground in Istanbul, and Makana quickly discovers that in this place nothing is as it appears, in a case that will see his past and present collide with fatal consequences.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

05/08/2017
Set in 2006, Bilal’s tense sixth mystery featuring the Sudanese refugee turned PI Makana (after 2016’s City of Jackals) demonstrates the author’s ability to immerse the reader in the richness, vibrancy, and dynamism of its various locales, starting with Cairo, where Makana is approached by Marcus Winslow, a British intelligence agent. Winslow persuades the private eye to agree to participate in a perilous mission to help an Iraqi scientist, Ayman Nizari, who may have committed atrocious war crimes, flee a dangerous situation in Istanbul. In return for sanctuary, Nizari has promised to give them not only the location of an almost mythical jihadist named Abu Hilal, but also evidence that Makana’s daughter—who he thought died along with his wife in a car accident nearly 17 years earlier—is alive. Although some sequences strain the boundaries of believability, the relentless pacing and meticulously descriptive prose make this a page-turner. Agent: Euan Thorneycroft, A.M. Heath (U.K.). (July)

From the Publisher

"Makana (who uses only one name) is very much a noir hero, an updated version of Chandler’s hardboiled loner, a man of honor…The complex and cynical actions of the agents of various security services suggest the dark world of spy fiction, from John le Carré’s THE LOOKING GLASS WAR to the post–Cold War espionage novels of Mick Herron or David Ignatius." - The Los Angeles Review of Books for DARK WATER

"A new best for this absorbing series, this fifth entry offers a must-read, street-level look at African politics; a compelling personal journey; and a top-rate mystery." - starred review, Booklist on CITY OF JACKALS

"This excellent series . . . captures the climate of fear and rage that has come to define life in a perpetual war zone." - Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review on THE GHOST RUNNER

"[Makana has become] one of crime fiction’s most interesting and sympathetic detectives . . . [Bilal] gets better and better." - The Times on THE BURNING GATES

"Makana is a compelling, even an archetypal, hero . . . [A] must-read series." - starred review, Booklist on THE BURNING GATES

"Sharp, witty, politically astute thrillers . . . Makana's place as an exile on the margins of society . . . makes him the perfect 21st-century detective, capable of uncovering the many guises of power." - Al Jazeera America on THE GHOST RUNNER

Kirkus Reviews

2017-04-18
An Egyptian detective is lured into protecting a maverick scientist in hiding from terrorists. But who's the real target?An unnamed orphan girl who undergoes intense physical training is offered a promising future. Meanwhile, Cairo private investigator Makana gets an unusual offer from the queen's government, represented by veddy British Marcus Winslow. Chemical weapons expert Ayman Nizari is in hiding in Istanbul from terrorist leader Abu Halil, who wants to force him to make deadly weapons. Makana is asked to shepherd Nizari to safety. The clincher: Winslow reports that Nizari has information about Makana's daughter, thought to be dead but very much alive. (Could she be that girl from the prologue?) It disturbs Makana further that he can find no record of a Marcus Winslow. Yet despite the risk, Makana feels that he has no choice. Every new person Makana encounters in Istanbul seems slightly suspicious: the bellboy at his hotel, the Dutch businessman who tries to strike up a casual conversation, even his local guide. Winslow keeps in close contact by phone. Because he doesn't speak Turkish, Makana's progress is incremental and slow. On the third day of his assignment, he has a brief encounter with Nizari, who flees before any meaningful conversation can transpire. But the closer Makana gets to Nizari and possible answers, the more menacing forces seem to confront him. Has he fallen into a trap? Bilal's sixth (City of Jackals, 2016, etc.) again plants a seed of suspense as an entree into a nuanced look at an unfamiliar culture.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177039497
Publisher:	Oakhill Publishing
Publication date:	09/01/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged

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