The cover of the novel entices readers with its dark mysterious figure and the words, “A combination of imagination and reality. The reader has complete freedom to discover the reality between the lines of imagination.”

“The Shadow Government” is an intriguing mystery novel by first-time Saudi writer Dr. Monther Kabbani. It successfully blends historical facts with fictional characters. Murder, conspiracy and a powerful shadowy group are the ingredients of this thriller.

The book falls into the genre of political and historical mystery thriller — not a very common one in Arabic literature as Dr. Kabbani pointed out to Arab News. While he based his plot on some well-known historical events and figures, he certainly created some unexpected twists and turns that will hold the reader until the last page.

The strength of the novel lies in the questions the author raises and then leaves unanswered. The characters probably need more depth and the language, with clichéd sentences and expressions, could have been stronger, but for a first time writer and for this type of novel, these shortcomings are forgiven.

The novel follows two main characters: one in the last days of the Ottoman Empire in 1908 and the other his grandson in the present. The grandson, Naeem Al-Wazzan, is a young Saudi businessman who on a business trip to Morocco witnesses mysterious happenings which he does not comprehend. As events rapidly unfold, Naeem comes to realize that the strange events he has seen are linked to similar mysterious events that happened to his grandfather in 1908.

At that time, his grandfather was representing the city of Madinah in the Ottoman Parliament in Istanbul. In the expected tradition of political and historical novels, the setting moves from city to city around the world.

Any history enthusiast, especially one interested in the last years of the Ottoman Empire, would find this novel interesting. Although it is fiction, it still manages to raise questions in the reader’s mind and fuel the imaginations of those who believe in conspiracy theories.

“I enjoy reading history, and that is why you find historical themes in my novel,” said Dr. Kabbani. He continues, “There is more than one theme in the novel, and I want the reader to discover them on his own as part of the enjoyable process of reading fiction. Nevertheless, I will tell you one obvious theme and that is what reality is and how we perceive it may not always be the same thing.”

This kind of historical novel requires considerable research and Dr. Kabbani obviously did his research. “I believe that sound research is very important in making the novel more believable and enjoyable to the reader.”

It took 18 months to write the novel. A relatively short time considering that Dr. Kabbani is a surgeon and also being a husband and the father of three children. But clearly he finds himself in writing. Before writing fiction, he used to write articles for various Saudi newspapers, but he did not find satisfaction there and he slowly realized that the most suitable medium for expressing himself was fiction.

He has been influenced by many writers such as Egyptian Nobel Prize winner Naguib Mahfouz and Tawfeek Al-Hakeem as well as by the Saudi writer and minister Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi. His writing style has also been influenced by Umberto Eco and Dan Brown, especially the fast-paced multiple twist style of the latter.

As with any first time writer, Dr. Kabbani had some difficulty in finding a publishers but he was lucky to find a good one, Al-Raya Center, which believed in the novel and offered him great support. “According to the publisher my novel is on their best seller list, so I guess it’s done well. As for promotion, it is mainly through my website on the Internet www.montherkabbani.com and through word of mouth.” He would not mind having it translated into English if he finds a good translator and publishing house.

He is currently working on a sequel that will answer many questions left unanswered in “The Shadow Government” as well as develop further some themes which he feels need to be dealt with in greater detail.

“Many of the readers who approached me wanted to know more about the mysterious group of people mentioned in the part of the novel that dealt with the present time. My next novel will shed a lot of light and will contain a number of unexpected surprises.”

As with any good mystery, it ends with “Stay tuned.”