It's 1909, and Cairo is the murder capital of the world. Deaths are two a piastre. But the death of an effendi is something different. Effendis-the Egyptian elite-are important. Especially if they happen to be foreign. When effendi Tvardovsky is shot at a gathering of financiers in Crocodilopolis, the ancient City of the Crocodiles, Mamur Zapt Gareth Owen-Chief of Cairo's Secret Police-is called in to investigate. In some countries, if someone goes for a walk or a boat ride with the Head of the Secret Police and doesn't come back, it's best not to ask any questions. And there are powerful people who might prefer Tvardovsky dead. There are still crocodiles-of all kinds-in Egypt. And when the crocodiles start cooperating, it's time to really watch out.... Praise for Death of An Effendi... "Fans of Pearce's delightful Mamur Zapt series will find this...among the best of the bunch and clearly deserving of its shortlisting for the Ellis Peters Award....Witty and beguiling, with an amusing cast of characters, this story also offers a charming glimpse of turn of the century Cairo." -Booklist starred review The prolific Michael Pearce grew up in the (then) Anglo-Egyptian Sudan among the political and other tensions he draws on for his books. He returned there later to teach and retains a human rights interest in the area. He now lives and writes in England.