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Daughter of Damascus : Her Secret Life Will Shock the World
£0.80
Imagine yourself walking the cobblestone streets of Damascus, where history comes alive. You’ll hear the echoes of ancient civilizations and feel the magic of the city in the air. But be careful, for there are dangers lurking in the shadows.
Then, you’ll be transported to the glittering metropolis of Dubai, where luxury is the norm. You’ll stay in five-star hotels, dine in Michelin-starred restaurants. But even in this paradise, there is darkness lurking beneath the surface.
And throughout your journey, you’ll be trying to solve the mystery of a heartbreaking murder. And you’ll need to use all your wits to unravel the truth.
Then, you’ll be transported to the glittering metropolis of Dubai, where luxury is the norm. You’ll stay in five-star hotels, dine in Michelin-starred restaurants. But even in this paradise, there is darkness lurking beneath the surface.
And throughout your journey, you’ll be trying to solve the mystery of a heartbreaking murder. And you’ll need to use all your wits to unravel the truth.
“A deeply intelligent, dramatically captivating murder mystery.” Kirkus Reviews
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Additional information
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| File size | 2250 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 315 pages |
by Lisad
This is written by one of the most original voices to be writing about Syria at the moment. The setting is deeply evocative and the characters are cleverly formed. The plot is entertaining and will keep the reader on the edge of their seat, desperate to reach the end and find out the truth. Well worth a read! I cannot recommend it highly enough.
by Dua
From the crime scene to the clues to the culprit, a great mystery novel turns readers into amateur sleuths. I really enjoyed reading this book. Reading this Novel gave me a feeling of pleasurable fascination and excitement mixed with apprehension, anticipation, and tension. The best thriller story I have read in 2023. This Novel is definitely worth to read.
by Hasan
I have given this book 5 stars as since I start reading I never want to stop!I absolutely love this book and am about to purchase five more copies for some friends.
by Linda Johnson
I RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS AN INSPECTION COPY
In this story set in Damascus, Hussin Alkheder unravels a murder through a complex cultural lens. Whilst crime novels are always an effective device for examining issues within society, Hussin goes a stage further by placing the milieu of Damascus centre stage, unfolding the murder as a discreet incident within it. Evoking the physical, religious, historical and social environment of that city through atmospheric descriptions and character experiences, the novel gracefully transports the reader to the heart of a community few of us are familiar with. In the short span of a single novel Hussin moves us out of our everyday lives into a city where we can recognize emotions and relationships in a context that is both explorative yet familiar. So unlike most crime stories, this novel grips the reader not only to find out who did the killing, but, perhaps more so, to understand as much as we can about Damascus.
At the outset we learn of the death of a mother of five children living in poverty in an old district of the city. The police detective called to the scene is not, however, the detective we follow. Instead it is the imam of a local mosque, Mullah Abdullah, an amateur detective who pursues investigations as part of his responsibilities to the community, that we come to know through his deeply drawn character. The death of the woman is not treated as a murder by the authorities and we are steered through the city’s corruption and a complex of familial relationships entangled by cultural mores to reveal why. The position of women in Syrian society, migration to work, the trap of debt, the overarching significance of Islam, pervasive corruption and the threat of extremism are all skillfully woven into the story to bring the murder into the open. These are not left as disparate threads but are part of the weave made visible as we read, and for me this where the fascination lay. Highlighted by atmospheric descriptions of the hammam, the meals prepared and enjoyed, young men studying the Quran, women talking together and the old city itself. A real feast of life in Damascus, with the darker side of the secret service, corruption, extremism and violence never far away.
Like any good crime story, there are convincing twists and turns and the mullah is a well-rounded character the reader enjoys getting to know. Being jolted out of a Western context was also very satisfying, especially as there is a strong recognition in the writing of the problems as well as the pleasures of Damascus life.
There’s a second murder and some scenes of not too graphic torture to keep the story focused on the crime. There are also some difficult issues about the psychological and physical treatment of vulnerable individuals which, without giving any spoilers, are generally handled carefully and convincingly.
This is a difficult book to write, with so much to conjure in the reader’s mind, blending non-fiction with fiction. Hussin has done it by bringing together an intimate knowledge of the culture of Damascus and a story of an unacknowledged crime to create a compelling, richly-embroidered story. My criticism would be that the byline on the book cover, ‘her secret life will shock the world’ is sensational, but does the complexity of the story a disservice. Looking forward to the next Mullah Abdullah mystery.