Although garlic is neither an herb or a spice it has been used to enhance food as far back as when the pyramids at Giza were built.
...In a strange room in Morocco, Mary Russell is trying to solve a pressing mystery: Who am I? She has awakened with shadows in her mind, blood on her hands, & soldiers pounding at the door. She is clothed like a man, & armed only with her wits & a scrap of paper showing a mysterious symbol. Overhead, warplanes pass ominously north. Meanwhile, Holmes is pulled into the growing war between France, Spain, & the Rif Revolt. He badly wants the wisdom & courage of his wife, whom he discovers, to his horror, has gone missing. As Holmes searches for her, & Russell searches for herself, each tries to crack deadly parallel puzzles before its too late for them, for Africa, & for the peace of Europe.