"In Morocco, nobody dies without a reason." -- Susan Gilson Miller, Harvard University In the years leading up to World War I, the Great Powers of Europe jostled one another for control over Morocco, the last sovereign nation in North Africa. France beat out its rivals and added Morocco to its vast colonial holdings through the use of diplomatic intrigue and undisguised force. But greed and ambition alone do not explain the complex story of imperialism in its entirety. Amid fears that Morocco was descending into anarchy, Third Republic France justified its bloody conquest through an appeal to a higher ideal. France's self-proclaimed "civilizing mission" eased some consciences but led to inevitable conflict and tragedy. Murder in Marrakesh relates the story of the early days of the French conquest of Morocco from a new perspective, that of Émile Mauchamp, a young French doctor, his compatriots, and some justifiably angry Moroccans. In 1905, the French foreign ministry sent Mauchamp to Marrakesh to open a charitable clinic. He died there less than two years later at the hands of a mob. Reviled by the Moroccans as a spy, Mauchamp became a martyr for the French. His death, a tragedy for some, created opportunity for others, and set into motion a chain of events that changed Morocco forever. As it reconstructs Mauchamp's life, this book touches on many themes -- medicine, magic, vengeance, violence, mourning, and memory. It also considers the wedge French colonialism drove between Morocco's Muslims and Jews. This singular episode and compelling human story provides a timely reflection on French-Moroccan relations, colonial pride, and the clash of civilizations.

Camels, kasbahs and chaos but not necessarily in that order. Down on his luck, Harry is invited by his Aunt Jessica to accompany her on one of her history tours. When one of the group is murdered and the victim's wife is arrested, neither Harry or Aunt Jessica are convinced she is guilty. Harry's attempts to investigate land him in trouble and only with Aunt Jessica's help can he avoid arrest himself. Like your crime with a touch of humour in a travel setting? If you are a fan of M E Beaton's Agatha Raison novels or Elizabeth Peters' Vicky Bliss adventures, you love Aunt Jessica's adventures. What readers are saying about MURDER IN MOROCCO: -'A somewhat lost young man joins his globe-trotting aunt for a lecture tour in Morocco, and gets far more than he bargained for. An absorbing and entertaining whodunnit in the best tradition of British murder mysteries. Interesting characters, excellent plot and pacing, and lots of great local colour of Morocco. Kept me guessing till the very end.''Another travelling triumph for Miss Cranswick who seems to have all the right sensibilities to juggle crime and humour. This is an admirable undertaking that not everybody manages. I particularly enjoy the settings within her novels although it does give me the pang to travel. Even if there is going to be murder!' 'The thing about Judith Cranswick's books is that you get a wonderful tour of whatever place the story is set in. Judith's descriptions of various locations in Morocco makes the reader 'see' everything. No need to go on an actual tour; just read Judith's book! She shows her depth of knowledge about Morocco, from the city of Marrakech to the villages in the mountainous regions, including the traditions and the food.''Just finished reading 'Murder on Morocco' and what an enjoyable read it is. There are plenty of bodies and red herrings along the way and all set against the wonderful Moroccan backdrop, which has been added to my 'must visit' list. There is even tea and cake! There are a whole new set of characters to enjoy so let's hope there are plenty more in the series.''Poor Harry! He's been down on his luck lately, so when his aunt Jessica offers him the chance to get away from a British winter on a free holiday in return for a bit of fetching and carrying, he jumps at the chance. Sadly though, things don't exactly go according to plan, and soon he and his aunt are embroiled in Murder in Morocco.'

Traces the journalist author's investigation into the murder of a night watchman by a member of Morocco's new security task force, a mystery set against a backdrop of Western liberation efforts and Eastern jihad activities that are dividing Casablanca's Islamic metropolis.

A “necessary and brilliant” (NPR) exploration of our cultural fascination with true crime told through four “enthralling” (The New York Times Book Review) narratives of obsession. In Savage Appetites, Rachel Monroe links four criminal roles—Detective, Victim, Defender, and Killer—to four true stories about women driven by obsession. From a frustrated and brilliant heiress crafting crime-scene dollhouses to a young woman who became part of a Manson victim’s family, from a landscape architect in love with a convicted murderer to a Columbine fangirl who planned her own mass shooting, these women are alternately mesmerizing, horrifying, and sympathetic. A revealing study of women’s complicated relationship with true crime and the fear and desire it can inspire, together these stories provide a window into why many women are drawn to crime narratives—even as they also recoil from them. Monroe uses these four cases to trace the history of American crime through the growth of forensic science, the evolving role of victims, the Satanic Panic, the rise of online detectives, and the long shadow of the Columbine shooting. Combining personal narrative, reportage, and a sociological examination of violence and media in the 20th and 21st centuries, Savage Appetites is a “corrective to the genre it interrogates” (The New Statesman), scrupulously exploring empathy, justice, and the persistent appeal of crime.

Aldo Moro's kidnapping and violent death in 1978 had much the same effect in Italy as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy had in the U.S., with both cases giving rise to endless conspiracy theories. Drake provides a detailed portrait of the tragedy and its aftermath as complex symbols of a turbulent age in Italian history.

'Clever, captivating and colourful; an absorbing thriller rich in atmosphere' Philip Gwynne Jones, author of The Venetian Game and Vengeance in Venice Death stalks the medina of Marrakech . . . Marrakech, August. It is the start of Ramadan, the hottest in memory. Among the few foreigners left in the sweltering city are a riad owner, her French boyfriend and an English girl whose bag has been stolen after a hen weekend. At the local commissariat 24-year old detective Karim Belkacem is struggling to fast while holding down two jobs to pay for his sister's wedding. On the day that the English girl comes to him for help, a Moroccan girl is found dead, her body dumped in a handcart. Investigating, Karim uncovers a world of shadowy predators and ancient secrets hidden behind the high walls of the medina.

"This killer is murdering members of a dubious religious sect, the New Pantheon, and leaving a mysterious figure eight drawn on their corpses. Meanwhile, Sebastian Chrest-Jones, a noted professor of human migrations, clandestinely writing a novel about the Byzantine princess-historian Anna Comnena, disappears on a quest to learn more about an ancestor who roamed across Europe to Byzantium during the First Crusade. Kristeva's recurring characters, detective Northrop Rilsky and the French journalist Stephanie Delacour, step in and desperately try to piece together the two-part mystery in the midst of their unexpected love affair.".