Murder mystery that takes place in Saudi Arabia written by an American who lived there for a time. While the story was interesting, I thought the background was better than the story. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the life of a woman in Saudi Arabia and all the restrictions placed on her. Much of it is told from the point of view of a man, but that made the restrictions placed on women seem even more alive and real to me. I enjoyed this book, although I don't usually read mysteries, and remembering the many Middle Eastern names was a bit of a challenge. It was a selection for my book club and I ended up reading the second half in one afternoon. That means it definitely captured my attention by evoking a high level of curiosity! I admit the ending was a surprise, which is always a challenge for an author. Ferraris also did a fine job with her characters—especially that of her lead male character Nayir Sharqi, a Palestinian by birth, now a desert guide in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. You could almost rename the novel: "The Coming Out of Nayir". The man is deeply religious and, as such, believes it a sin to even look at a woman, whether it be her ankles or her eyes, and certainly nothing in-between. The story centers around the disappearance and death of one of the many daughters of a wealthy Saudi family. When Nouf Shrawi's body is found in the desert, having apparently drowned in a sudden flood, Nayir is called in by a member of Nouf's family to help find out how and why this happened. I found the descriptions of the Shrawi family, their fantastic island home, and their lifestyle fascinating. The sharp contrast to that of the average Saudi was also well defined. As Nayir begins delving into the search for clues to Nouf's death he comes in contact with Katya Hijazi, a government employee and a lab worker in the the women's division of the coroner's office. Sent to examine the female body, Katya's disregard for custom is a dreadful shock to him, particularly when he learns she is engaged to Othman, his friend and one of Nouf's brothers. As the mystery unfolds, Nayir and Katya are thrown together in ways he finds not only embarrassing, but also deeply disturbing to his beliefs.Before reading this book I read several reviews that were critical of some of the author's descriptions of local customs and specific words used to describe articles of clothing, etc. In my opinion that is probably unfair. The author lived in Saudi Arabia while married to a man of Saudi-Palestinian-Bedouin descent, and one can only assume she used terms with which she became familiar while a part of that family. Aside from that I think this story can be recommended as a well written, engrossing mystery that takes the western reader to a little understood part of the world.
Do You like book Die Letzte Sure: Roman (2000)?
I learned a lot about Saudi Arabia, but the plot was flimsy and slow. Very unsatisfying ending.
—jack
Outstanding in a subtle,creepy (Saudi/misogynist), discovery.
—Nikolina
Loved it. I look forward to reading more.
—foreveryoung30
