The Last Cut

‘Irresistible fun' Time Out The latest novel in Michael Pearce's award-winning series, set in the Egypt of the 1900s. Everything in Egypt depends on the water of the Nile. So when an attempt is made to blow up a key regulator in the Cairo Barrage, Gareth Owen – the Mamur Zapt, Chief of Cairo's Secret Police – is hurriedly called in. What exactly is a regulator, though? Owen doesn't know. But then, he doesn't know many things: who is the Lizard Man, for instance, and why does he appear to have a grudge against Egypt's irrigation system?Quite unconnected (or is it?) is the ceremonial cutting of a dam which allows water to flow through the city. It is a ceremony which always requires policing, but on this occasion more than ever, for it is going to be the Last Cut.Which makes the discovery of a young woman's body at the site of the dam extremely embarrassing. Is this the traditional ritual sacrifice? Definitely not, says Owen – but this could be another of the things he doesn't know…