Thriller set in Egypt (both Cairo and Siwa)

• Book: The Ghost Runner
• Location: Cairo, Siwa
• Author: Parker Bilal

Review Author: tripfiction

The third in the Private Investigator Makana series by Parker Bilal. Makana is hired by a lawyer after a woman in Cairo is burnt to death in a fire (a murder, although it is meant to look like suicide…). The chief suspect is Musab, the estranged husband of the woman – he is a criminal and jihadist, who has been ‘rendered’ from Denmark back to Egypt… and then escaped custody. Musab, and his murdered wife, came from Siwa, an oasis town 350 miles from Cairo and just 30 miles from the Libyan border on the edge of the Great Sahara Desert. And Siwa, where he believes Musab will have fled to, is where Makana heads to solve the mystery.

But Siwa is a long way from Cairo, and law and order are handled very differently. Memories and feuds go back a long way. The corrupt local magistrate is murdered and Makana himself is a suspect. He struggles to demonstrate his innocence and to move his own enquiries to a conclusion. He gets involved with racketeers and cross border smugglers.

I read The Ghost Runner pretty quickly. It is a good thriller and a great page turner. There are a couple of twists at the end (and pleased to say that I spotted one of them before it unfolded – but that in no way detracted from the pleasure of the book). I ended wanting more…

The Ghost Runner is also a brilliant book for TripFiction aficionados who look for well described locations. It really brings Egypt to life. The overcrowded bustle and hustle of Cairo come through loud and clear, and is in stark contrast to the all pervasive heat and sand of Siwa. Siwa (I hadn’t hear of it either…) is a real life tourist destination with ancient archaeological ruins and a couple of very decent looking hotels. I hope the inhabitants are a deal more friendly than most of those described in the book…! it looks a fascinating place to visit.

This review originally appeared on our blog: https://www.tripfiction.com/thriller-set-in-egypt-cairo-siwa/

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