Zoe Ferraris - CITY OF VEILS

review by Corinna Christopher on show 2nd June

This excellent crime thriller has many of the same characters as were in “The Night of the Mi’raj” and I think it is a better and more gripping story.

The mutilated body of a young woman is found on a Saudi beach and immediately there is a search to find out who she is and what happened to her. The city is Jeddah, the City of Veils and narrow streets where there is mystery and secrecy in abundance. Enter Detective Inspector Osama Ibrahim who is given the task of solving the crime. He has the help of Katya, a forensic scientist who has to fight a constant battle against sexual and religious prejudice with her job. These two are aided by Nayir, a devout Muslim and desert guide who has an interest in the case since he has in the past formed a friendship with Katya.

Into this mix of personalities comes Miriam Walker an American wife who has come to join her husband who seems to have vanished without trace .

In due course the identity of the murdered woman is discovered and a trail of clues are followed up with many twists and turns, ending in the depths of the Empty Quarter with disastrous consequences .

The author’s knowledge of this city is admirable , where men are brought up to fear women in a paranoid and sex-obsessed society . As the pages are turned we feel we are there , even in the desert.QUOTE:-
A description of Miriam in a sandstorm “Struggling to sit up before the sand swallowed her, she flailed and turned over, getting more sand into her headscarf. It poured in like water, and she scrambled to her knees, spitting and blinking. She couldn’t see anything. She stood up, but the wind lashed her so roughly that she lost her sense of direction. Moving blindly forward, hands outstretched, she tried to open her eyes but immediately regretted it.”

There are also details of the religious police who have a plethora of infractions which they can arrest women for including associating with a man who is not a husband or family member. I did find the constant reference to the wearing of the burqa in all situations rather wearying, but can understand the reasons for it’s mention.
The behaviour of Nayir is also contradictory , because he is drawn to Katya but because of his religion cannot decide how to proceed .
Nevertheless this is a riveting read with an interesting background very relevant to to-days situation in the Middle East.

There is a satisfactory conclusion to the book although I was sorry that it had to end .
review by Corinna

show 2nd dec 2010

My guests today should have been Corinna Christopher and Malcolm Martland but Malcolm rang me a couple of hours ago, to say he had a fall yesterday and so wouldn’t be able to make the show. Our best wishes for a speedy recovery go to Malcolm.
So my guest to day is Corinna Christopher and myself. In fact I rang Corinna just to make sure she would be able to make it that she wasn’t snow bound….Lovely sight last night when we had that fall of snow, not so deep, crisp & even..!
Fortunately Corinna was originally going to review 3 books but thinking we wouldn’t have time for 3 I chose 2 but now we are back to the 3, which are:
Hypothermia by Arnaldur Indridason (Icelandic thriller), The 10th Gift by Jane Johnson (drama set in Penzance & Morrocco), The Night of the Mi’Raj by Zoe Ferraris (suspense tale set in Saudi Arabia)

Besides reviewing these books, each week we will be looking at whats out there in the literary world for Christmas pressies. This week we start with the Sports category. So, put on the kettle, grab a cuppa and pull up a chair, seemple tk!
Sports books I mentioned were The Grumpy Golfer's Handbook by Ivor Grump (could have been Ivor complaint)… is a compilation of all things miserable about playing golf.
Plus the 6 shortlisted for the William Hill Sports book of the year Award 2010. WINNER OF Worlds Richest Sports book prize is former England and British Lions rugby union hooker Brian Moore who received the greatest honour in sports writing, for his gritty and revelatory autobiography Beware of the Dog:

Zoe Ferraris - THE NIGHT OF THE MI’RAJ

review by Corinna Christopher on show 2nd Dec 2010
This is a quirky suspense tale set in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The title is taken from an event in the Quaran, a physical and spiritual journey which reflects what happens to Nayir, the subject of the story. There are plenty of references to the Quaran and if you wish to understand the behaviour and reasoning behind many of their customs you will enjoy this book.

Nayir is a Palestinian-born desert guide who is engaged to find 16 year old Nouf who has disappeared just before her arranged marriage. She is the daughter of the Shrawi family, a wealthy Saudi dynasty who live on an exclusive island near Jeddah. Subsequently Nouf’s battered body is found in a desert wadi and Nayir is given the task of solving the crime.
There are lots of mysterious facts that Nayir is confronted with and he has to search in many different locations. His great friend Othman, one of the Shrawi sons is an enigma and Nawir has also to socialise with the rest of the family who live in socially hide-bound parameters on their comfortable island. Only the young daughters sometimes escape their upbringing by whizzing off on their jet-skis and taking shopping trips to the city always accompanied by an escort.

Whilst investigating the death Nayir comes into contact with the beautiful female forensic scientist Katya Hijazi. A devout Muslim he finds it difficult to understand her freedom to live her life without so many constraints and their relationship throws up many problems.

Eventually we learn what really happened to Nouf and there are surprises that unfold. I found it difficult to reconcile the anomalies that occur for the women, the escorts provided for the girls appeared to turn a blind eye to much that went on, visits to an abandoned zoo, riding on scooters with a disguised men’s cloak, meals at mixed cafes and visiting a marina. Nayir lived on a yacht and somehow I found this rather strange as well.

There is a nice optimistic finale to the book in which Nayir’s feelings and emotions are changed by what has happened. At the end of it all the reader knows that Nayir is a good kind man and will find happiness.
review by Corinna