Set in contemporary Tangier, Morocco, Detective Laafrit investigates the case of four corpses washed up on the beach. The victims are presumed illegal immigrants, drowned trying to reach Spain packed in small fishing boats, however Laafrit soon discovers that one of them has been brutally shot. Guns are illegal in Morocco and the mysterious shooting shakes the police force as the hunt for the murder weapon begins in earnest. With the help of his informants, Laafrit's investigation reveals a spiraling conspiracy of international sabotage.

"A refreshing and refined crime thriller . . . . Events unfold cleanly, with a sniper's precision. Whitefly is an entertaining crime novel, a slice of insight into police culture. However, it is also a subtle hint at some of the most pressing issues tormenting contemporary Morocco, bubbling beneath the surface, and of all that cannot be filed away and put on the backburner quite as easily as a police case."--Banipal

"Abdelilah Hamdouchi seems to have found the formula for the emergence of the Moroccan detective novel."--Liberation Kaleidoscope

"The plotting is tight and watching the story's resolution unfold is a delight. . . . As a guilty-pleasure read, it is a winner."--M. Lynx Qualey, The National

"Much is packed into this relatively short, fast-paced novel. "--Sally Bland, The Jordan Times

"A fast-paced crime thriller from the Arab west."--Darf Publishers blog

"An enjoyable quick read, a police procedural offering a decent crime-story as well as a nice slice of local color and customs."--The Complete Review


"Hamdouchi is known for his detective fiction and screenplays and has written the scripts for seven police thrillers in Morocco. No surprise, then, that his fast-paced novel, full of twists and turns, is an entertaining read, but the text also captures the tragic fate of undocumented Moroccan immigrants who are exploited by those more corrupt and powerful in Spain."--Gretchen McCullough, Exchanges Literary Journal

"In the saturated field of crime fiction, Whitefly is as canny as the waxy, winged creature to which it owes its name. Set in contemporary Morocco, Hamdouchi lifts the blanket on tangier's twisted network of traffickers, dealers and dubious crime investigators. Hamdouchi is an artful storyteller unafraid of loose ends, and will lift the ground from beneath you just when it feels most solid."--Tank Magazine

One of the first writers of police fiction in Arabic, Abdelilah Hamdouchi is renowned as a prolific and award-winning screenwriter of police thrillers. Born in Meknes, Morocco in 1958 many of his police novels, including the critically acclaimed The Final Bet (2000) address issues of democratic and human rights in Morocco. He lives in Rabat, Morocco.