A dead man hangs from the portal of St Paul's Chapel in Damascus He was a Muslim officer
- & he was murdered But when Detective Barudi sets out to interrogate the man's mysterious widow the Secret Service takes the case away from him Barudi continues to investigate clandestinely & discovers the murderer's motive it is a blood feud between the Mushtak & Shahin clans reaching back to the beginnings of the 20th century & linked to it a love story that can have no happy ending for reconciliation has no place within the old tribal structures Rafik Schami's dazzling novel spans a century of Syrian history in which politics & religions continue to torment an entire people Simultaneously his poetic stories from three generations tell of the courage of lovers who risk death sooner than deny their passions He has also written a heartfelt tribute to his hometown Damascus & a great & moving hymn to the power of love