Why a Booktrail?
A small remote Pakistani community and the mystery of the secret arts
The Secret Arts
What you need to know before your trail
In the lush Murree hill-country of Pakistan, a wedding has been announced, between Colonel Anwar Ahmed Ali, and Saika, a younger schoolteacher.
But this is no ordinary wedding – for the groom’s first wife died from mysterious circumstances and Saika, the new bride has been warned that her new husband is a dangerous man.
When Saika’s disreputable cousin Pervez is stabbed to death in his own hotel, no one is very surprised. Saika is very much shocked however when she finds evidence which might implicate her husband.
All the while, sinister Begum, Anwar’s invalid mother in law, lies… waiting and plotting. This is a dark dark comedy of the arts, of family and the need to survive.
Travel Guide
The Muree Hills
The Muree Hills is a lush remote area just on the outskirts of Isalambad. AS the novel opens Colonel Ahmed Ali sits in his garden eating French Toast and tomato omelette and has to close his dressing gown tiger around him as there’s a cool chilly breeze sweeping over the Muree Hills
The house, the mansion has a tower room “ideally positioned for listening in on conversations taking place in the garden” Begum sits in this tower and barely refuses to move.
This is a story of a village, of a community which has a strong faith in all things traditional. The preparation of the wedding is more important than the wedding itself. An arrange marriage with some very meddling relatives. Sometimes there’s just something you recognised wherever you are in the world
Within this remote, rural region, there is warmth, close knit families and a fear of the future. There’s also a dark side though as murder spreads a shadow over each and every one of them. The dark side of this community reveals the gallows humour, the black magic and their believes and the extent to which all of this will colour their actions and their lives.
Booktrail Boarding Pass Information: The Secret Arts
Author/Guide: Azma Dar Destination: Pakistan, Islamabad, Mushee Hills Departure Time: 2000s
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