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The Mamur Zapt, Gareth Owen, is helping the British Ministry collect German citizens and place them in internment camps. It is 1914 and the war in Europe has begun to make itself known in Egypt much to the regret of many. As Britain is at war with the Germans, it is not safe for the Germans to roam free in Egypt. While Owen does not see the purpose of putting the Germans in camps, he does understand the importance of following orders. While collecting a group of German citizens, he finds that one of them has been murdered. Hilde Langer had been missing for several days and was found buried in a cat cemetery. No one seems very interested in investigating this death, as Langer was a foreigner. As a foreigner, she did not belong, even though she was married to an Egyptian, and had no place in the community. Owen does not accept this explanation and decides to force the issue. In addition to this mystery, the ghaffirs - every village has a man responsible for scaring away crows and protecting the village - have been given army-issued guns to help protect themselves. This is a huge problem as the ghaffirs are not organized and have no need for these weapons. Owen must find a way to get the guns returned and find a murderer before the situation gets completely out of hand. THE FACE IN THE CEMETERY, the 14th book in the Mamur Zapt series, is a well-written mystery. The organization of the book is slightly choppy, although the story is presented coherently. In this book, Pearce continues to explore the relationship Egypt had with Europe and Britain. Unlike previous books, the issue of European politics and the war makes itself felt. While British politics have always had an influence on Egypt, this is the first time that war and war concerns have made themselves known. As in previous books, the characters are expressive and realistic. The struggle Hilde Langer faced, as a European married to an Egyptian, is the same struggle that Gareth Owen and his Egyptian girlfriend, Zeinab, face or might face if they get married. This personal plight makes the murder investigation itself very important to Owen. Since Owen empathizes with Langer's situation, he cannot help but hope that finding the solution to her death will allow him peace of him about his own situation.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, October 2004
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