I have just finished reading The Golden Scales and enjoyed it very much. The dusty, gritty, chaotic, crowded city of Cairo, where life is a struggle for so many, is realistically described and is a character in its own right in the storyline.
The central character, Makana, is a refugee, or escapee, from the Sudan and his Sudanese backstory itself adds other layers of realism to the harsh realities of life in the region.
The detective storyline of solving abductions[s] present and past is absorbing and moves along: you can follow the twists and turns without becoming confused. As the story developes, so do the characters' histories; at the end, one has a very good idea of why each has become how or what he or she is. Many of the protagonists are not particularly likeable, but when day-to-day living is hard, and one dreams of escape (and tries any means to make the dream a reality), perhaps this is understandable.
Except for the wealthy few, life in Cairo is exhausting; life in Cairo is hard. Life in modern day Cairo can seem like 'every man for himself'.In Makana, however, we see that life does not have to be so - we can exercise choice whether to do right or wrong, whether to do good or bad, whether to be human and humane, or not. We may not become rich and/or famous through such choices but we can feel that we are living life in the right way.
Escape is a recurring theme, and is attempted by various means: drugs, football, religion, TV and films, or, simply, hopes and dreams. Disillusionment and sadness seem to be the end results of such escape routes: not many of the characters are truly happy as they attempt to improve their lot in life.
Why not five stars? I felt the story flagged in the last few chapters and was not wholly convinced by the resolution of the footballer's adbuction.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and the storylines; I recognised the backdrop; I felt the sense of time and place. I don't know if Parker Bilal will write another Makana Mystery, but if he does, I will not hesitate to buy it.
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