The Case of the Cackling Crocodile

A mysterious death. A troubling promise.

When an eccentric scholar is mauled by a crocodile in the Fayoum, Sir Augustus Wall, antiquities dealer and amateur sleuth, immediately suspects foul play. There haven't been crocodiles in the lake for a generation.

He sets off for the remote region with his fellow investigators, Sudanese scholar Moustafa Ghani and Faisal, a fiercely loyal former street urchin who has been at his side since his very first case. The investigation is complicated further by the presence of not one but both women in Sir Augustus's life, rivals whose simmering dislike for each other threatens to set the oasis on fire!

All this is eclipsed by a more personal decision: Sir Augustus has resolved to adopt Faisal. The only problem? No one-not even his friends-believes he's capable of raising a child. To solve the case and keep his chosen family intact, Sir Augustus must prove that loyalty goes both ways-and that even the most reluctant guardian can rise to the challenge.