A city divided. A killer on the streets. A past that refuses to be forgotten

It is the summer of 2001 and in Cairo's crowded streets the heat is rising... The unsolved murders of young homeless boys are fanning the embers of religious hatred. As tensions mount, Makana, who fled his native Sudan a decade ago, has been hired to investigate threats that have been made to a hapless travel agent. The case draws him close to Meera, a woman who knows what it is like to lose everything and who needs his help. But Makana's troubled past is trying to lay claim to him once again, this time in the form of a dubious businessman who possesses a powerful secret. When Makana witnesses a brutal killing he uncovers a web of intrigue, violence and old secrets, and attracts the attention of some very dangerous people.

"Excellent crime novel ... The pleasure the book offers is the realistic, eye-opening picture of a place and a lifestyle. Parker Bilal has written several novels but this is only his second mystery. More please" - Literary Review

"As gripping as the first ... His skills are evident in the pace, confidence and emotional truth of this brilliant novel" - Sunday Times

"All the satisfying complexities of his first ... Like all the best crime fiction, Bilal's story has a depth and resonance which stretches far beyond its cast of characters into the wider world" - Independent

"Brilliant" - Sunday Times Must Reads