Very atmospheric and rich in Moroccan culture…..
- Book: A Death in the Medina
- Location: Marrakech
- Author: James von Leyden
Death stalks the medina of Marrakech . . .
Set in Marrakech, Morocco this crime thriller ‘ A Death in the Medina”, written by James von Leyden is a highly atmospheric and rich in detail novel that will capture the imagination of any reader who loves to travel the globe through books and who enjoys an authentically written story.
Although for me it did take time to get into the ambience of the setting and get used to the many foreign places, names and phrases but once I did, I felt I was transported to Morocco and became a part of the story. Feeling the sweltering dry heat, hearing the call to prayer, the shouts from the local traders and the smells and taste of the honey, sesame, mint and the many pungent aromas, you could easily believe you were standing in the old part of the town and a member of the community.
Set in 2011 and based on a couple of real life events, the author has put a tremendous amount of his own personal knowledge and love of Morocco into the story and together with an obvious quantity of research in to the culture of Muslims including their religion and the Quran, this is a very enjoyable book if you like exploring and learning about different cultures. The intense details of Ramadan and the emotions of the people enduring it, made me feel I was actually fasting with them and I truly felt for their ordeal of not eating during the sweltering heat of the day and losing sleep at night to eat.
All in all, a modern day murder mystery wrapped up in rich, atmospheric detail that will appeal to many and I expect Detective Karim Belkacem to return again in the near future.
3 stars
Thank you to TripFiction’s #TFBookClub for my copy of the book in return for an honest review.
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