The Mysteries of Algiers

Author: Robert Irwin

Entertaining and very nasty, this calculatedly intellectual comedy succeeds well as an unheroic quest starring Philippe, an interesting monster of disarming modesty.

The Listener

Robert Irwin's third novel confirms that, whatever his other main concerns may be, he has thoroughly mastered the art of telling a story. In a plot which snakes and twists, the reader cannot let his concentration drop for a moment... At times the death-defying narrow escapes are firmly in the tradition of James Bond... as well as being a rattling good yarn, this is a study of moral bankruptcy of those who pursue abstractions through violence..very successful.

The Times Literary Supplement

It is a gruesome black comedy, whose blackness is so intense as to be almost unreadable – if it weren’t so well written.

Time Out

What separates Irwin's story from the usual spy thrillers is not only his wit and satire but also his verbal pyrotechnics.

The Washington Post