Michael Pearce

Career

Pearce was raised in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. As an adult, he trained as a Russian interpreter during the Cold War, and subsequently became involved with Amnesty International. His first novel, The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet, was published in 1988.

That was the start of a "Mamur Zapt" series of mysteries.

These mysteries are notable for their attention to period detail and setting.

Achievements

• His 1992 The Mamur Zapt and the Spoils of Egypt won the Crime Writers" Association"s Last Laugh Award for funniest crime novel, and his 1999 Death of an Effendi was shortlisted for the Ellis Peters Award for best historical crime novel.

Membership

He has also published a number of "A Dead Manitoba in.." mysteries, set in the period preceding World War I and featuring Sandor Seymour, an officer of Scotland Yard"s Special Branch who is sent by the British Foreign Office to deal with various crimes involving members of the British diplomatic service.