Assembly of the Dead

I wish I had more stars to give this brilliant and stunning piece of historical fiction set in Morocco in the early twentieth century. It is based on true events that occurred in 1906 in Marrakesh where a large number of young girls just disappeared off the alleyways of the city. Saeida Rouass has impressively researched this turbulent time in depth to make it come alive for the reader. It is set amidst the background of the 1906 Algeciras Conference in Madrid where European powers were laying out their claims for Morocco and Africa. As can be observed from the novel, Morocco is set on the path of becoming a French Protectorate in 1912. The Sultan has sent Farook Al-Alami from Tangiers to Marrakesh to investigate the mystery of 3 missing girls, not trusting to the myriad of complacent ambitious regional power holders to uphold their duties to deliver justice.

Farook is an unusual and unconventional man for the time with his integrity and commitment to justice, he speaks English, is not religious, can see through the shameless manipulation of Islam to control the poor for political gain and has spent time in London. He is committed to using the latest policing techniques, such as his speaking pictures of information drawn from practices used in the hunt for Jack, the Ripper. This is a time where the prospect of a national police force is being raised in the region, although Farook has no illusions, aware that its intention is to boost the penetration of European powers in Morocco. Farook arrives in the city of red, lodging at a local funduq, getting acquainted with Qadi Abdullah al-Hassani, who has done little to uncover what has happened to 4 missing girls.

He works with Yusuf al-Mahdi, a weak man subject to the whims of the powerful, but who has local knowledge and some information on the missing girls. Farook is hindered by the political intrigues and machinations of the makhzan, the Pasha, Qadi and the Caliph, who hijack the issue of the missing girls for personal gain and have no interest in addressing injustices. The conspiracies of court and government leads to the entry of the Blue Men of the Sahara (Tuareg) and others, bringing pressure to a volatile city. The poor suffer precarious lives, struggling to feed their families, exhorted by the powerful and imams to make sacrifices for the 'greater good'. In a city where the stench of stale sweat, rotting vegetables and meat hangs pervasively in the air, scribes, medicine men with their spells and potions proliferate, tensions are stoked to generate bedlam. Nevertheless, as it becomes clear that a far higher number of girls have disappeared than expected, Farook is unwavering in his search to find a serial killer and to understand what motivates him.

Rouass creates in Farook a man ahead of his times, who can see that when it comes to women, that the chains of their confinement is to be located in the eyes of others and not around their ankles. Farook is a man with agency, who observes that real intelligence and competence is frowned upon and perceived as dangerous qualities in powerful political circles. Rouass uses Farook, and the mystery of the missing girls to give us an atmospheric portal to the Marrakesh of 1906. She gives us vivid and vibrant descriptions of the city, its people, the culture, and a pertinent social and political commentary. The manipulation of Islam seen in these times can be seen to echo in our more contemporary world. Saeida Rouass is a gifted author who weaves a spellbinding mystery set in a changing Morocco. This is superb storytelling and comes highly recommended. Many thanks to Impress Books for an ARC.