Afrah Jamal

Thanks to Liberty Books for the review copy The House of Fear – An Imran Series Novel....Author: Ibn-e Safi ....Translated by: Bilal Tanveer Once upon a time, a very long time ago, a little girl read what she thought was the best Urdu mystery novel ever. It starred three boys and was set in Thailand. Years later, she came across the same novel. This time it was in English and starred three girls. The novel was Nancy Drew. Needless to say, Carolyn Keene’s version had come first. But while some were getting duped into buying forgeries, others were lining up for one Ibne Safi – writer extraordinaire, King of Urdu Crime Fiction who reigned over both sides of the divide from 1950’s - 1980. Asrar Narvi has penned hundreds of novels under the nome de plume of Ibn-e Safi. He is probably best known for creating two highly popular Whodunits - ‘Imran Series’ & ‘Jasoosi Duniya’ (The World of Espionage). ‘Imran Series’ was developed in the early 1950’s after Safi moved to Pakistan. It ...