Mostly Murders

“Egypt. The mysterious jewel of the Orient, land of pharaohs, fabled Mamlukes, and countless marvels.”

Fatma el-Sha’arawi is one of the only female agents of the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. She is tough, experienced, and she works alone. But when an entire secret brotherhood, led by the very prominent English basha, Lord Alistair Worthington, is found dead under mysterious and clearly magical circumstances, Fatma is forced to take on a new partner, Agent Hadia, the newest female recruit of the agency. At the same time, Fatma’s love interest Siti returns to Cairo, and the two women get together again in the middle of what will turn out to be an explosive case of magic, djinns, angels, ancient gods and goddesses, lady thieves, world politics and automatons.

Set in a dazzling and dizzying alternate version of Cairo in 1912, A Master of Djinn is a sapphic fantasy steampunk action-adventure mystery filled with fierce, fearless and fabulous female characters. Ancient myths and fantastical creatures walk the streets, magic is real and far more demanding than people understand, and conspiracies, mysteries and politics envelop the fast-rising, modern Cairo, highlighting the city’s disparities based on riches, race and gender.

Wearing flashy western-style suits, ties and bowler hats, Fatma is a delightfully quirky character. Her idealistic, feminist new partner Hadia has surprising depths and humour, and her lover Siti is fascinating, mysterious, exotic and sensual. Together, these three women face up against ancient powers and modern opponents in the course of justice, negotiating love and friendship along the way as they walk the streets of a splendid, terrifying, enchanting and utterly fascinating Cairo.

Steampunk – Fantasy – Historical mystery