A compelling page-turner with a wonderful central character, which also gives a fascinating insight into the closed world of Saudi Arabia.
When Nouf ash-Shrawi, the sixteen-year-old daughter of a wealthy Saudi dynasty, disappears from her home in Jeddah just days before her arranged marriage, desert guide Nayir is asked to bring her home.
But when her battered body is found, Nayir feels compelled to uncover the disturbing truth, travelling away from the endless desert to the vast city of Jeddah, where, most troubling of all, Nayir finds himself having to work closely with Katya Hijazi, a forensic scientist. The further into the investigation he goes, the more Nayir finds himself questioning his loyalties: to his friends, faith and culture.
Ferraris has a wonderful eye for the movement of sands in the wind and the behaviour of young ditsy camels. There's a lot to learn here. - Australian Country Style
The atmosphere of Saudi Arabia is richly evoked. - Sun Herald
Her observations of this society, its religious practices, its hypocrisy and excess are astute and balanced. The novel...is a well-plotted and well-observed page-turner. - The Age
A suspenseful detective drama. - Sunday Tasmanian
A thrilling detective story...captures the mood of the country and the subtle and incremental changes afoot with her vivid, sympathetic characters...she soars when describing her characters and relationships. This is an original novel. - Good Reading
Zoe Ferraris, an American previously married to a Saudi, gives an entrancing first-hand view of a cloistered society. - Adelaide Advertiser