Final Bet

I was held riveted by Hamdouchi's superb storytelling and finished this tale as a bedtime read in just over two hours. Here is a writer who knows how to cut to the chase and hone his talent for pace and plot-structure. If I had to describe the plot in a paragraph, I would say this: A handsome young man, Othman returns home one night to find the woman he loathes, his wealthy dowager wife, Sofia, 40 years his senior - just think about it, she's 73 - stabbed to death while he himself sought an affair with a pretty aerobics instructor, Naeema. Through sinister alleyways, a grumpy Moroccan sleuth in Inspector Alwaar must discover the murderer. Alwaar is of the old school, harking back to the 70s and 80s, where the police were considered to be cruel and and as a result, much-feared. They were blamed for thousands of missing suspects and the abuse of human rights through the use of torture. There was said to be always a torture room in the basement of a police station. Naturally, Othman's much-maligned love affair lead him straight to the police as an obvious suspect. The plot details the rough touch and intial rudeness of the detectives. The cantankerous sleuth in Alwaar and his colleagues badger their way around witnesses and use occasional force - why, nothing like a violent push or a bullying shout at an old woman in a tenement flat - and it's all in a day's work. Alwaar whose life seems to be very much in keeping with France's own favourite sleuth in Inspector Maigret also like his French counterpart, owns up to the kitchen bustle of a fussy inquisitive wife. This, for a touch of necessary comedy. I wish that Hamdouchi had developed this specific scene as Alwaar's fictional wife would have added sharper depth, colour and interest to the plot. However, she fades off quickly as the story impatiently meanders on its way. I found the sketching of these fictional police characters to be somewhat one-dimensional. However, Hamdouchi was brilliant at developing the psychological makeup of both Othman and Naema with a tireless dogged focus. Were the unlawful couple innocent? Did they really have no hand in the killing? Hamdouchi sketches out the lingering torment that blankets frightened minds and hearts with meticulous ease. Only the arrival of a stranger and his insistence on new lines of thought, sheds light on the killer. The Final Bet was translated by Jonathan Smolin.

A short (148p) and simply written little detective novel, yet one that kept me hooked thoughout. Set in Casablanca, Morocco, this is the story of Othman, a 32 year old with a wealthy 73 year old wife. Othman's lifestyle has been transformed by this glittering match, but he is deeply unhappy, yearning to be with his secret girlfriend Naeema and wishing Sofia were dead. So when the elderly woman is found murdered, the police are convinced he must be the culprit.... but is he? Not just a whodunnit, this novel also looks at the shortcomings of the Moroccan legal system, where the victim has no right to a lawyer in initial questioning.

First Sentence: Among the dozens of restaurants spread out on the Ain Diab coast, Sofia’s was the only one with an air of simple elegance, as if it reflected the personality of its namesake. Othman, a handsome Moroccan man in his 20s, returns from walking the dog and meeting with the woman he loves, to find his 73-year-old-wife brutally stabbed, but not quite dead. Without thinking, he removes the knife from her stomach, leaving his fingerprints and making him the prime suspect. Times have changed since the brutal 70’s and 80’s in Morocco, resulting in Detective Alwaar having to question witnesses without torturing them, but bullying and pushing are occasionally used. Only when Othman contacts a former classmate, now attorney, Hulumi, does he have a chance. Morocco is a country about which most of us know very little, and most of what we do know is probably wrong. It is wonderful, therefore, to have Hamdouchi—one of the first writers of Arabic-language detective fiction—introduce us to his home. Still, one wishes for a much stronger, more evocative sense of place. Stronger character development would also have been appreciated. One finds oneself wanting to know much more about the detective, Alwaar, and his referenced but never met wife. Othman and Naema grew as characters through the story leaving us with a nice questioning of their innocence. However, it is with the introduction of Hulumi the attorney, where the story really takes off and becomes a real investigative mystery. His character is also the one who teaches us about Moroccan law and how it needed to change, which was fascinating-- "I want to investigate this case like a cop," continued Hulumi. "If I can prove Othman's innocent, I'll have enough evidence to show the law has to be changed so a lawyer can be present when the judicial police question a suspect. I can do that by writing a series of articles about this in the press. Democracy in Morocco has to begin from the police stations.” In contrast, Alwaar is a cop of the past who is finding it hard to deal with the changes in investigation—“His work became confusing; it was hard for him to get confessions without slapping or kicking a suspect, or sending him down to the torture room in the basement of the police station before interrogation. Alwaar didn't know how to do his job without brutality. He just couldn't get used to sitting in front of a suspect without being aggressive or insulting.” The translation is a bit clunky at times, and the final confession too staged, but those were relative small issues. “The Final Bet” is quite a good procedural and an engrossing read, partly due to its Moroccan setting. It is also one of those books were the afterword, written by the translator Jonathan Smolin, should not be overlooked. THE FINAL BET (Myst-Othman-Morocco-Contemp) – G+ Hamdouchi, Abdelilah – 1st book The American University in Cairo Press – May 2008

I bought this book at the airport as I wanted to read a detective story and the first page seemed well written. The story is a classic crime conundrum, rich old women marries young pretty toy-boy more than 40 years younger than her, one night she is found stabbed in their house and the question is did he or didn't he. Of course I won't give it away, suffice to say the story is told from the point of view of the detective and Othman the young husband. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style, the story which kept my attention and the insight into Moroccan society and their way of life. When I turned the last page I read the postscript from the translator which changed my perspective of this short relatively un-complex detective story. As what I hadn't realised when I picked this up looking for a simple detective novel is that its also a political statement, written to highlight flaws in the Moroccan police system at the time and that made me think about those things we often take for granted things such as an independant judicial system. So, a good read from both a detective and cultural perspective

this is pretty thin gruel ( no depth to the characters/ no interesting material/ a plot full of holes--but i won't spoil the plot by going into that)....striking cover and quality paper.....why was this book chosen for translation?.....i suspect a political agenda because the writing has nothing to recommend it.

Read the afterword and you will know everything you need to know. The story is a straight forward tale about the police in an Arabic country.

First Sentence: Among the dozens of restaurants spread out on the Ain Diab coast, Sofia’s was the only one with an air of simple elegance, as if it reflected the personality of its namesake. Othman, a handsome Moroccan man in his 20s, returns from walking the dog and meeting with the woman he loves, to find his 73-year-old-wife brutally stabbed, but not quite dead. Without thinking, he removes the knife from her stomach, leaving his fingerprints and making him the prime suspect. Times have changed since the brutal 70’s and 80’s in Morocco, resulting in Detective Alwaar having to question witnesses without torturing them, but bullying and pushing are occasionally used. Only when Othman contacts a former classmate, now attorney, Hulumi, does he have a chance. Morocco is a country about which most of us know very little, and most of what we do know is probably wrong. It is wonderful, therefore, to have Hamdouchi—one of the first writers of Arabic-language detective fiction—introduce us to his home. Still, one wishes for a much stronger, more evocative sense of place. Stronger character development would also have been appreciated. One finds oneself wanting to know much more about the detective, Alwaar, and his referenced but never met wife. Othman and Naema grew as characters through the story leaving us with a nice questioning of their innocence. However, it is with the introduction of Hulumi the attorney, where the story really takes off and becomes a real investigative mystery. His character is also the one who teaches us about Moroccan law and how it needed to change, which was fascinating-- "I want to investigate this case like a cop," continued Hulumi. "If I can prove Othman's innocent, I'll have enough evidence to show the law has to be changed so a lawyer can be present when the judicial police question a suspect. I can do that by writing a series of articles about this in the press. Democracy in Morocco has to begin from the police stations.” In contrast, Alwaar is a cop of the past who is finding it hard to deal with the changes in investigation—“His work became confusing; it was hard for him to get confessions without slapping or kicking a suspect, or sending him down to the torture room in the basement of the police station before interrogation. Alwaar didn't know how to do his job without brutality. He just couldn't get used to sitting in front of a suspect without being aggressive or insulting.” The translation is a bit clunky at times, and the final confession too staged, but those were relative small issues. “The Final Bet” is quite a good procedural and an engrossing read, partly due to its Moroccan setting. It is also one of those books were the afterword, written by the translator Jonathan Smolin, should not be overlooked. THE FINAL BET (Myst-Othman-Morocco-Contemp) – G+ Hamdouchi, Abdelilah – 1st book The American University in Cairo Press – May 2008

The setting is more interesting than the plot ...or the characters....but I wonder how much is lost in translation .