---
product_id: 64039468
title: "Final Bet Hardcover – 30 Sept. 2008"
brand: "abdelilah hamdouchi"
price: "€ 4.78"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 4
url: https://www.desertcart.ie/products/64039468-final-bet-hardcover-30-sept-2008
store_origin: IE
region: Ireland
---

# Final Bet Hardcover – 30 Sept. 2008

**Brand:** abdelilah hamdouchi
**Price:** € 4.78
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Final Bet Hardcover – 30 Sept. 2008 by abdelilah hamdouchi
- **How much does it cost?** € 4.78 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ie](https://www.desertcart.ie/products/64039468-final-bet-hardcover-30-sept-2008)

## Best For

- abdelilah hamdouchi enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted abdelilah hamdouchi brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Full description not available

## Images

![Final Bet Hardcover – 30 Sept. 2008 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/516Yi5+LEEL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    "Whether you're innocent or guilty doesn't matter. The evidence is against you"
  

*by S***X on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 April 2017*

A short (148p) and simply written little detective novel, yet one that kept me hooked thoughout.Set in Casablanca, Morocco, this is the story of Othman, a 32 year old with a wealthy 73 year old wife. Othman's lifestyle has been transformed by this glittering match, but he is deeply unhappy, yearning to be with his secret girlfriend Naeema and wishing Sofia were dead. So when the elderly woman is found murdered, the police are convinced he must be the culprit.... but is he?Not just a whodunnit, this novel also looks at the shortcomings of the Moroccan legal system, where the victim has no right to a lawyer in initial questioning.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    It is wonderful, therefore
  

*by L***S on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 May 2016*

First Sentence:  Among the dozens of restaurants spread out on the Ain Diab coast, Sofia’s was the only one with an air of simple elegance, as if it reflected the personality of its namesake.Othman, a handsome Moroccan man in his 20s, returns from walking the dog and meeting with the woman he loves, to find his 73-year-old-wife brutally stabbed, but not quite dead.  Without thinking, he removes the knife from her stomach, leaving his fingerprints and making him the prime suspect.  Times have changed since the brutal 70’s and 80’s in Morocco, resulting in Detective Alwaar having to question witnesses without torturing them, but bullying and pushing are occasionally used.  Only when Othman contacts a former classmate, now attorney, Hulumi, does he have a chance.Morocco is a country about which most of us know very little, and most of what we do know is probably wrong.  It is wonderful, therefore, to have Hamdouchi—one of the first writers of Arabic-language detective fiction—introduce us to his home.  Still, one wishes for a much stronger, more evocative sense of place.Stronger character development would also have been appreciated.  One finds oneself wanting to know much more about the detective, Alwaar, and his referenced but never met wife.  Othman and Naema grew as characters through the story leaving us with a nice questioning of their innocence.  However, it is with the introduction of Hulumi the attorney, where the story really takes off and becomes a real investigative mystery.  His character is also the one who teaches us about Moroccan law and how it needed to change, which was fascinating-- "I want to investigate this case like a cop," continued Hulumi. "If I can prove Othman's innocent, I'll have enough evidence to show the law has to be changed so a lawyer can be present when the judicial police question a suspect. I can do that by writing a series of articles about this in the press. Democracy in Morocco has to begin from the police stations.”In contrast, Alwaar is a cop of the past who is finding it hard to deal with the changes in investigation—“His work became confusing; it was hard for him to get confessions without slapping or kicking a suspect, or sending him down to the torture room in the basement of the police station before interrogation. Alwaar didn't know how to do his job without brutality. He just couldn't get used to sitting in front of a suspect without being aggressive or insulting.”The translation is a bit clunky at times, and the final confession too staged, but those were relative small issues.“The Final Bet” is quite a good procedural and an engrossing read, partly due to its Moroccan setting.  It is also one of those books were the afterword, written by the translator Jonathan Smolin, should not be overlooked.THE FINAL BET (Myst-Othman-Morocco-Contemp) – G+ Hamdouchi, Abdelilah – 1st book The American University in Cairo Press – May 2008

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    More than it seems at first sight
  

*by E***R on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 January 2009*

I bought this book at the airport as I wanted to read a detective story and the first page seemed well written.  The story is a classic crime conundrum, rich old women marries young pretty toy-boy more than 40 years younger than her, one night she is found stabbed in their house and the question is did he or didn't he.  Of course I won't give it away, suffice to say the story is told from the point of view of the detective and Othman the young husband.  I thoroughly  enjoyed the writing style, the story which kept my attention and the insight into Moroccan society and their way of life.When I turned the last page I read the postscript from the translator which changed my perspective of this short relatively un-complex detective story. As what I hadn't realised when I picked this up looking for a simple detective novel is that its also a political statement, written to highlight flaws in the Moroccan police system at the time and that made me think about those things we often take for granted things such as an independant judicial system.  So, a good read from both a detective and cultural perspective

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ie/products/64039468-final-bet-hardcover-30-sept-2008](https://www.desertcart.ie/products/64039468-final-bet-hardcover-30-sept-2008)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Ireland*
*Store origin: IE*
*Last updated: 2026-02-16*