Kingdom of Strangers: A Novel (A Katya Hijazi and Nayir Sharqi Novel)
Kingdom of Strangers: A Novel (A Katya Hijazi and Nayir Sharqi Novel) book cover

Kingdom of Strangers: A Novel (A Katya Hijazi and Nayir Sharqi Novel)

Kindle Edition

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Price
$9.99
Publisher
Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date

Description

PRAISE FOR CITY OF VEILS: "A formidably talented writer....An adroitly plotted, fast-paced mystery....Ferraris's characters are compelling and utterly human."― Diane White , Boston Globe "Smart and thoroughly entertaining....Tension is everywhere as Ferraris builds suspense."― Sarah Weinman , Salon.com "Armchair travelers eager to learn about a remote culture without leaving the comfort (and safety!) of home are sure to find what they're looking for."― Malena Watrous , San Francisco Chronicle "Every detail of this novel is exact and exciting....A riveting literary mystery that will hook readers with every sordid, fascinating, even heartwarming detail until the final page....A whopping good tale....Timely, exciting, urgent...not to be missed."― Barbara Dickinson , Roanoke Times "A sensitive look at the life in the city of Jeddah. The novel has a strong sense of place-the author knows the territory....Ferraris has good feel for her two main characters and a beautiful sense of poetic timing....A reworking of a typical police procedural scene is brilliant."― Owen Hill , Los Angeles Times --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Zoë Ferraris moved to Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the first Gulf War to live with her then husband and his extended family of Saudi-Palestinian Bedouins. She has an MFA from Columbia University and is the author of two previous novels, Finding Nouf and City of Veils. She lives in San Francisco. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. PRAISE FOR CITY OF VEILS: "A formidably talented writer....An adroitly plotted, fast-paced mystery....Ferraris's characters are compelling and utterly human." ( Boston Globe Diane White )"Smart and thoroughly entertaining....Tension is everywhere as Ferraris builds suspense." ( Salon.com Sarah Weinman )"Armchair travelers eager to learn about a remote culture without leaving the comfort (and safety!) of home are sure to find what they're looking for." ( San Francisco Chronicle Malena Watrous )"Every detail of this novel is exact and exciting....A riveting literary mystery that will hook readers with every sordid, fascinating, even heartwarming detail until the final page....A whopping good tale....Timely, exciting, urgent...not to be missed." ( Roanoke Times Barbara Dickinson )"A sensitive look at the life in the city of Jeddah. The novel has a strong sense of place-the author knows the territory....Ferraris has good feel for her two main characters and a beautiful sense of poetic timing....A reworking of a typical police procedural scene is brilliant." ( Los Angeles Times Owen Hill ) --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • A secret grave is unearthed in the desert revealing the bodies of 19 women and the shocking truth that a serial killer has been operating undetected in Jeddah for more than a decade. However, lead inspector Ibrahim Zahrani is distracted by a mystery closer to home. His mistress has suddenly disappeared, but he cannot report her missing since adultery is punishable by death. With nowhere to turn, Ibrahim brings the case to Katya, one of the few women in the police department. Drawn into both investigations, she must be increasingly careful to hide a secret of her own. Portraying the lives of women in one of the most closed cultures in the world, award-winning author Zov´ Ferraris weaves a tale of psychological suspense around an elusive serial killer and the sinister forces trafficking in human lives in Saudi Arabia.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(199)
★★★★
25%
(166)
★★★
15%
(99)
★★
7%
(46)
★
23%
(152)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Ferraris comes through again

Zoe Ferraris has become one of my favourite authors - not only are her mysteries unpredictable and fresh enough to keep the pages turning, but she introduces us to a world that is, for many Westerners, completely foreign and shrouded in myth. Ferraris has tremendous respect for Saudi Arabia and Islam, and just as in her first two books, she shatters the myths and gives us an intimate view of everyday life.

In that respect, I have to disagree a bit with the first reviewer of this book - it is not about damning a whole society for its treatment of women. Rather, the book is about the people who live in that society and how much we share in common.

After the bodies are found, many of the police immediately assume that their serial killer must be a foreigner - a Saudi wouldn't do such a thing. This brings to mind the first reactions to the Oklahoma City bombing - until we learnt otherwise, we were sure that the terrorist was a madman from the Middle-East - an American wouldn't do such a thing. The same can be said of the treatment of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia - it is permitted because they are seen as different - as something less than people. (And Saudi Arabia hardly has a monopoly on cruelty toward foreign workers - whole vans of immigrants coming into the US have been abandoned in the southwestern desert, the workers locked up to die a horrible death.)

The message here is that the more we concentrate on our differences, the less we see one another as fellow human beings. Ultimately, it is this separation between us and them that allows us to do terrible things to one another. Zoe Ferraris tears down the wall and allows us to see the Saudis as people who are more like us than not.
26 people found this helpful
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Fascinating window into another culture

I have thoroughly enjoyed Zoe Ferraris's novels, particularly for the strong characterizations, and a glimpse into what is, to me, a really alien culture. I am very interested in how the continuing stories of Katya and Nayir and others are playing out, but I was less satisfied with Kingdom of Strangers as a policier than I was with the other two. Maybe it is because I am thoroughly sick of the serial killer trope. This one did not dwell on the sadism and psychosis of the killer as others in the genre do, but I found it a bit jumbled and not very compelling, in spite of the quite ornate series of crimes. That said, I still give it four stars, and highly recommend it. Also, a visit to the Zoe Ferraris website and blog is recommended, as she provides background information on how she came to write the books and links to blogs by Saudi women.
15 people found this helpful
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Must read!

A well executed mystery/suspense novel. The novel gives an intimate look into Saudi Arabian culture. The characters are enjoyable and the plot weaves into a wonderful story. I found this book to be a page turner with zero predictability whatsoever. Ms. Ferraris has a wonderful writing style, descriptive but not over the top, her writing pulls you into the story/characters. The story had a perfect balance, I enjoyed trying to solve the "mystery" right along with the characters. Ms Ferraris is an extremely talented writer and I look forward to reading her next work.

Definitely take the time to read this fantastic book, you will become a fan as well and anticipate the authors next writing.
5 people found this helpful
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Restrictions and Love

The second novel for Zoe Ferraris is equally interesting and well written. It's a world away, but the author gives you a look into that world, different and intense as it is. The characters Nayir and Katya struggle to make sense of the restrictions around them and the murder mystery troubling everyone. They forge a partnership filled with promise and love.
2 people found this helpful
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Well written account of a totally different culture!

A good mystery story written in English by a writer who understands two cultures. The writer is able to translate a foreign culture into American English. She has written other books but I was impressed by this effort. I get the feeling that Saudi women are striving successfully to change the conditions under which they live. One of the only books I have read about this part of the world that plays such an important part in world affairs. I recommend it to all readers not just people who like mysteries.
2 people found this helpful
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Engaging Crime Read

A great crime read set in a Muslim culture of the present time. In addition to a clever murder plot, Ferraris (who lived in Saudi Arabia with her Saudi husband for two years) describes the roles of Muslim women and men as they become more westernized. Because Muslim law forbids a man to examine a female murder victim, women have of necessity entered the police force. However, their social roles remain the same. When love enters the precinct. . . . well, you'll have to read this one to discover how it works!
2 people found this helpful
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Absolutely True to LIfe

During my late high school and early college years I spent summers and holidays in Saudi Arabia, where this novel is set. My parents lived there because of my father's job. This novel brought to life the country as I experienced it, and evoked memories that had lain fallow in my brain for 40 years. It was disconcerting that so little has changed between the current time of this novel and the time that I lived there. For those who think that this novel exaggerates the repressive environment, I assure you that it's no exaggeration.

Zoe Ferraris is an outstanding writer, whose novels draw you into the lives of the characters. This was the third of her novels that I read, and I read the three right in a row because I couldn't wait to see where the characters were going in their lives. I highly recommend all three. It's a taste of an exotic world, well written, intricately plotted, with compelling characters living within the constraints of complex moral codes.
2 people found this helpful
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Five Stars

Great story, well developed characters, and a great beach read! :)
1 people found this helpful
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Get all three - and also get the audiobooks - just wonderful!

Absolutely wonderful - I have now read all three in this series and I also bought the audibles. The story is compelling but the descriptions of what it is to live in "The Kingdom" is even more fascinating. She wonderfully describes the very complex cultural situation as it exists there and draws the reader into a very interesting and closed world, structured into a twisty detective story.
1 people found this helpful
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definitely entertaining

If you like suspense, and are curious about other cultures, this will prove to be entertaining for you. There are two earlier stories by this author that I've signed up to read. Can't wait!
1 people found this helpful

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