This remarkable roman policier introduces us to the formidable and yet very human detective-writer, Superintendent Llob and his devoted lieutenant Lino. It follows Llob in his search for the missing daughter of Ghoul Malek, one of the top power brokers in Algiers. In his search, Llob must traverse the fear-filled streets of Algiers, from the dens of the drug pushers to those of the cruel and fanatical Islamic fundamentalists. The poverty and constant terror and suspicion endemic to Algiers, torn apart by civil war, is set against contrasting glimpses of the corrupt and luxurious high society. The memory of the serene and beautiful Algiers that was makes the current situation all the more heartbreaking. More than just an outstanding mystery novel, with Morituri Khadra paints an unforgettable picture of the tragedy of modern Algeria, in language of breathtaking power and poetry.
Translated by David Herman.
About the Author
 YASMINA KHADRA is the pseudonym of the Algerian author Mohammed Moulessehoul, who was born in 1956. A high ranking officer in the Algerian army, he went into exile in France in 2000, where he now lives in seclusion. In his several writings on the civil war in Algeria, Khadra exposes the current regime and the fundamentalist opposition as the joint guilty parties in the Algerian Tragedy. Before his admission of identity in 2001, a leading critic in France wrote: "A he or a she? It doesn't matter. What matters is that Yasmina Khadra is today one of Algeria's most important writers."
Read an article on Algeria by Janine di Giovanni.
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The Critics Praise:
"Yasmina Khadra's trilogy transcends crime, it examines 'crime' in the context of a deprived people, shorn of any civil rights. The utter lack of justice - or the impossibility of its application, shows how men are reduced: relying on the instinct of survival, there can be no 'common good'."
- Le Monde
"Vintage Khadra - fascinating, incisive analysis delivered in a melancholy tone, to represent social conflict."
- Hamburger Abendblatt
"There are beautifully engineered vignettes and stunning, sharp bits of dialogue. Khadra is often able to finesse the prosaic bits of information-gathering and interviews with suspects that hobble less intelligent mystery writers...this is a remarkable entrance to a world that remains unknown to too many of us."
- Washington Post
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