In this engrossing murder mystery set in the Egypt of the 1900s, the Mamur Zapt finds himself under threat from a campaign to discredit Cairo's senior policemen.

Cairo in the 1900s. The Mamur Zapt, Head of Cairo's secret police, finds himself in a compromising position. The city's senior policemen are the subject of a smear campaign, a stinging attack which raises uncomfortable questions about their integrity.

The Mamur Zapt himself is suspected, but is he above suspicion? Owen's investigation takes him into hitherto uncharted territory: the underworld of Cairo and the dangerous profession of snake-catching...