Bled Dry is the second book by Abdelilah Hamdouchi that I have read and this author isn’t interested in luring tourists to Morocco as he appears to relish showing the dark side of this country. This story is set in Casablanca and details a gruesome double murder. The senior investigator is Detective Hanash, who works the case along with his team but it becomes obvious right from the start that the police aren’t trying very hard to understand the crime and arrive at the truth, but instead to simply reach a result which will lead to their appearing to have solved the crime.

The author gives us a bird’s eye view of the casual corruption that exists in day to day life in Morocco. We read of police torture, the moral perversion that sees young girls led into prostitution and coming under the thumb of those who control them, and how unemployed young men are being lured into religious extremism. Bled Dry is less of a detective story and more a statement about the poverty and lack of opportunity in this country.

The author does not hesitate to depict graphic and gory scenes that can be quite disturbing, but I feel that this book gives an insight into the seedy side of the country, the areas not necessarily been seen by the tourists. The writing can be a little choppy in areas, but perhaps this is the result of being a translation. There are no admirable characters in this story, and I felt sorry for every woman that appeared on the pages, from housewives to prostitutes, they live a shadow life, totally under the rules and domination of men. ( )