Lewis, Norman

New York. 1984. April 1984. Pantheon Books. 1st American Edition. Very Good in Dustjacket. 0394535642. 186 pages. hardcover. Jacket design by Fred Marcellino. keywords: Mystery England Egypt. FROM THE PUBLISHER - The scene is Cairo in the early 1980s. The Egyptians, the NATO bloc, and especially the Americans are worrying about the balance of power in Arab North Africa. The president of Egypt is threatened by increased militarism in Soviet-armed Libya and by the fanatical leadership of Libya's colonel/ dictator Something must be done to protect the Egyptian leader. In Tripoli, British journalist Kemp writes a benign article about a new beach planned to attract tourists. Within days, Kemp's life is turned upside down. He's offered £8,600 for the exact location of the beach. He has an acute attack of botulism-or is it poison? A lovely Lebanese nurse falls into his arms, then gets framed. And an innocent costume party turns into a stage for suicide and blackmail. Norman Lewis's Libya is a county of bewildering contrasts. Oil money buys the most dazzling technical innovations, but Moslem law still punishes drinking with imprisonment, and adultery with death. Kemp is caught between both worlds-a pawn in the sophisticated political conflict, a victim of archaic justice. He plays a crucial role in the assassination with repercussions far beyond North Africa, but not until long after the shots have been fired does he even know he's involved. In THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE, Norman Lewis has created a devastatingly plausible tale of political terror. inventory #27560 ISBN: 0394535642.