Book Description
The murder in Cairo of Dr al-Ghali, Egyptian-born adviser to the US President, brought both the local police and the FBI to the scene. Feisty, country-born Lieutenant Sami is paired with the FBI agent, arrogant, attractive Daisy Brooke, with her degree in middle eastern studies from California.The only thing the dying man said was Firebird.The explosive mix of character and national interest was fuelled by the discovery at the murder scene of an amulet traced to the Sanusiya Brotherhood, a fundamentalist Muslim sect thought to have disappeared at the turn of the century. The Sanusiya appear to have been involved in the excavation in the Western Desert of a remarkable site where Camyses III, King of Persia, and his vast army, armour and gold bullion, disappeared in a powerful sandstorm. And the words Operation Firebird seem enough to have every door slammed against you
The activities of a renegade group of Americans, apparently working for a secret organisation, of a strange Bedouin woman, always present just before violence occurs, and of the US Embassy and the various elements of Cairo police, make Sami and Daisys investigations both difficult and dangerous.The combination of Egyptian myth and history with contemporary politics and violence, the authors deep and authoritative knowledge of the peoples and places of Egypt, the strength of the storytelling and characters make this, as it did his first novel, The Eye of Ra, a fascinating thriller.
About the Author
Michael Asher has served in the Parachute Regiment and the SAS, and studied English at the University of Leeds. He has made expeditions in many countries, always preferring to travel on foot or with animal transport. He lived for three years with a Bedu tribe totally unaffected by the outside world and, with his wife, made the first west-east crossing of the Sahara on foot and with camels – a distance of 4,500 miles – without technology or back-up of any kind. He has travelled a total of 16,000 miles by camel.
His first two novels, Eye of Ra and Firebird, were set in Egypt. The second two, Rare Earth and Sandstorm, are set largely among the deserts and tribes of north Africa, and are atmospheric, high-octane thrillers. Perfect for fans of Wilbur Smith and Andy McNab.
‘The best novel of African adventure since King Solomon’s Mines.’ Jack Higgins on Sandstorm
Michael Asher currently lives in Nairobi, Kenya, with his wife and their two children.