The Musician and the Pickpocket

About this book

Wahba hopes to restore his family’s lost standing. His oud contains an ancient Egyptian string that, within the novel’s world, puts its listeners to sleep. With Lahlouba, a dancer and pickpocket, he turns that strange ability into an opportunity for theft. Their partnership takes them through Cairo, Alexandria and Beirut, where security services and political upheaval complicate their plans. The Musician and the Pickpocket combines crime, historical mystery and magical realism to explore ambition, deception and the consequences of chasing a way out.