One cop’s hunt for a mysterious crook gets twisted and turned by false leads and contradictions.

(from Harper’s, Aug. 2005)

This funny, fast-paced mystery kept my attention throughout. At times, our intrepid investigator does things against what I would call common sense, but there are cultural and plot considerations at work. You feel better once you decide to accept the weird parts, relax and be a thoughtful passenger.

Naguib Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988. Looking at the list (link), I found he wasn’t the only Nobel-winner I’ve come read for I Read A Short Story Today. There’s also Ernest Hemingway (1954) and… Oh well I guess it’s just the two. Hm.