The Golden Scales (Makana Mystery #1) by Parker Bilal

Review by: Meagan Dashcund

The short
Murder Mystery Party Cairo

The long
Introducing Makana, a Sudanese ex-cop whose troubled past forced him to move to the outskirts of Cairo where he works as a private detective to make ends meet. British-Sudanese author, Jamal Mahjoub (nom de plume, Parker Bilal), debuts his crime writing career with the first in a six-book series and leaves no stone unturned regarding the prevalent corruption in Egypt’s systems or the wide variety of Cairo’s underbelly. We encounter a Muslim extremist group, the Russian mafia, and another woman whose daughter went missing almost two decades prior. It’s a tangled web of secrets and crime, set in the ever-evolving streets of Cairo.

To read or not to read?
Bilal’s ability to capture the complexities of Cairo is truly remarkable, so buckle up because this is a series for the brave soul who isn’t afraid of a damaged character operating in a bleak world.