Kingdom of Strangers by Zoë Ferraris

First Line: The SUV hit the sand drift, skidded, and stopped in the middle of the road.

When the bodies of nineteen women are unearthed from a secret grave out in the desert, the Jeddah police are stunned. A serial killer has been operating undetected in the city for over a decade. As serious as this is, Inspector Ibrahim is distracted by a much more personal mystery: his mistress has disappeared, but he cannot report it because adultery is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.

With nowhere to turn, Ibrahim enlists the aid of Katya Hijazi, one of the few women in the police department. Now that she's been drawn into both investigations, she must be increasingly careful for she has a secret of her own.

After reading and loving Finding Nouf and City of Veils-- the previous two books in this trilogy-- and knowing that there have been no further books from Ferraris, I've been hoarding Kingdom of Strangers like it's the last bar of gold in Fort Knox. However, after visiting her website and learning that she's working on four novels that will take her a decade to complete, I decided it was time to turn myself loose.

I was immediately whisked away to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, one of the most closed cultures in the world. Even though it had been about three years since I last visited, I had no trouble whatsoever in picking up where I left off in the lives of Katya Hijazi and Nayir Sharqi. Nayir is a very traditional Muslim male who wants to marry Katya Hijazi. Katya works in the forensics department for the Jeddah police. Although she, too, has been raised traditionally, she does not want the life of a traditional Muslim female. Through hard work and subterfuge, she's managed to find Ibrahim, a police inspector who realizes how good Katya is in these investigations, and he's willing to work with her.

The mysteries concerning both the serial killer and the disappearance of Ibrahim's mistress are well plotted and certainly worth the price of admission for those readers who are simply looking for a whodunit to solve, but there is so much more depth to this book (and the other two in the trilogy) than merely solving crimes.

The deep seam of gold running through all three books is the total immersion of the Western reader into a very alien culture. While the two crimes involve issues that Westerners are familiar with-- serial killers and human trafficking-- it's the culture that is at times almost mind-blowing, especially for Western women. From simple things like the weekends being Thursday and Friday instead of Saturday and Sunday to a few of the laws of virtue, Westerners are going to know that they're not in Kansas anymore. The author is a Westerner who lived the life, so she knows whereof she speaks. In Kingdom of Strangers, an American is brought over to help the police profile the serial killer. The American is a woman, and readers have the opportunity to see this world through her eyes (and to sympathize).

Even though I turned down a job offer to work in Saudi Arabia years ago, I believe all cultures deserve some measure of my respect, but I do have to admit that I think the "virtue police" have run amok there. (For example: A man cannot sit in a chair recently vacated by a woman because he may find the warmth of the seat arousing.) To Westerners, that sounds insane, doesn't it? But to be fair, extremism isn't just happening in Saudi Arabia.

If you're the type of reader who not only loves a good mystery to solve but also loves being immersed in the culture of another country, I cannot recommend this trilogy of books more highly. They are marvelous... and although I wish Ferraris would write faster, I shall be patient. I know her books will be worth the wait.

Kingdom of Strangers by Zoë Ferraris

ISBN: 9780316074247

Little, Brown & Company © 2012

Hardcover, 368 pages

Police Procedural, #3 Hijazi & Sharqi mystery

Rating: A

Source: Paperback Swap


 

Finding Nouf by Zoë Ferraris

First Line: Before the sun set that evening, Nayir filled his canteen, tucked a prayer rug beneath his arm, and climbed the south-facing dune near the camp.

Desert guide Nayir al-Sharqi is called upon by a prominent local family to lead a search party. Their 16-year-old daughter, Nouf, is missing-- along with a truck and Nouf's favorite camel. Ten days later, the young girl's body is found by desert travelers.

When the coroner determines that Nouf died of drowning not dehydration, her family is curiously uninterested in finding out what happened. Nayir wants to know, but in order to gain access to the world of women in one of the most rigidly gender-restricted societies in the Middle East, Nayir is horrified to learn that he's going to have to work with Miss Katya Hijazi, a lab worker in the coroner's office who also wants to discover the truth.

I read the second of Zoë Ferraris's Saudi mysteries, City of Veils, first and was completely transported. So much so that I felt the need to get my hands on this-- the first-- book. I'm glad I did. In three novels (Kingdom of Strangers is the third), Ferraris has opened the door and shed light on a landscape, a people, and a culture that are almost totally alien to Westerners. She does it with firsthand knowledge, psychological insight, tightly woven plots, and a writing style that can be downright poetic.

Finding Nouf is a wonderful introduction to life in a Muslim country-- from dealing with the climate to many of its customs. One of the things I appreciated most from reading this book is being shown how the practice of Islam differs from country to country.

The two main characters-- Katya Hijazi and Nayir al-Sharqi-- are interesting in and of themselves, but also as examples of traditional and non-traditional views. Nayir is very traditional in his beliefs, so when he first begins working with the non-traditional unmarried Katya, he spends most of his time being shocked and not knowing where to look. It's refreshing to watch him slowly-- very slowly-- begin to relax a bit around her. 

It's unusual for women to work in Saudi Arabia, and there are all sorts of restrictions on what types of jobs women may have and where they're able to work. Watching Katya navigate all these rules and regulations shows us how strong she is. How determined she is to succeed. She's just the sort of person who should be the coroner, but in order for that to happen, Katya is going to have to leave the country of her birth. Any Western woman who reads this book will have an eye-opening experience. She's undoubtedly going to feel incredulous and frustrated as well, especially when Katya's life is put in contrast to the lives of the extremely wealthy women of Nouf's family. (A large parking lot paved in marble? And that's before you enter the house!)

I was blindsided by the identity of Nouf's killer, and that doesn't happen often. I loved this book, and recommend it highly. I also have good news: Ferraris is a writer who starts with a winner and just keeps improving. As much as I love Finding Nouf, City of Veils is even better. My advice? Read all three of Zoë Ferraris's excellent Saudi mysteries!

Finding Nouf by Zoë Ferraris

ISBN: 9780547237787

Mariner Books © 2009

Paperback, 320 pages

Amateur Sleuth, #1 Hijazi and Sharqi mystery

Rating: A

Source: Paperback Swap 

I Have Zoë Ferraris Covered!

I  have all sorts of interesting conversations with the folks who work at my favorite bookstore, The Poisoned Pen. The last time I was there, we were talking about authors we think should be making the obscene James Patterson amounts of money, and then we got to discussing the actual physical books themselves. We didn't get down to artwork and covers, but we did talk about book size.

I made a comment here a couple of weeks ago that it seems that UK books always seem to be bigger than their US counterparts. It's true again this week. One of the things we talked about at The Poisoned Pen was 9-inch tall books versus 10-inch tall books. It's believed that Americans are more liable to buy the taller edition than the smaller because they'll look to see that they're going to be paying $25.95 (or thereabouts) and they want to get the most for their money. Doesn't quite make sense to me-- it's the same amount of words in either edition, and the smaller is easier to handle-- but there you go. I wonder if UK publishers work with that same principle? As for me, I don't care what size the book is, or what it looks like on the outside, but I certainly am enjoying comparing these book covers!

Come join me in taking a look at this week's pair....

I read Zoë Ferraris' City of Veils and was blown away. My long overdue review of the first book in the series is coming up tomorrow, so I thought I would shine the spotlight on the third book, Kingdom of Strangers. Now let's talk covers.

The US Cover:

A person is walking toward us through a sheltered walkway. The walkway is a bit shadowy despite the glare of the blinding sun. I feel ill at ease. Why? Because I can't see the person's face, not even the eyes, and the person is dressed all in black. In a rust-colored disc at the bottom is the title and the author's name. Beneath the author's name is a mention of her previous two books. At the top, a good blurb from the San Francisco Chronicle: "A thrilling mystery.... A rare window into a culture that differs wildly from our own." The entire design is simple and uncluttered, yet tells us that this book is about another culture. I like it. I can feel the heat of the sun and appreciate the cool of the shadows while I'm wondering if I should avoid that dark figure walking toward me.

The UK Cover:

I really like the artwork for the UK cover. The dark minarets against a violent sunset, birds wheeling against all that color. The author's name and the title stand out well against the art, and we're told the title of her first book. (In the US, the title is Finding Nouf.) The bottom third of the cover is a winner for me. The top third is okay (Gotta have some info, don't we?), but the middle third is where the publisher ruined it all. At least for me. 

Why in the Sam Hill did they have to mention flavor-of-that-month Stieg Larsson??? These two authors have nothing in common other than the fact that they are both born storytellers. I guess I rebel quite strongly against such blatant marketing strategies. To paraphrase Brad Parks' editor when Parks was compared to Janet Evanovich, "She sells a lot of books, and if that comparison persuades her fans to buy your books, don't complain." If the Larsson comparison enticed people to buy Ferraris' books, then I'm happy. (But my lower lip may be stuck out a little. Just because.)

The Winner:

The US cover. Cleaner. Simpler. Mysterious. And no sign of irritating marketing ploys.



What about you? Which cover do you prefer? US? UK? Neither one? Inquiring minds would love to know!

Auto-Buy Authors, Chapter 2

This is one of my favorite types of posts to write because of the research involved. I rolled my desk chair out to the living room, sat down, and with pen and notepad in hand, I rolled back and forth in front of my bookshelves. I would stop, take a book off the shelf, leaf through its pages, smile, put the book back on the shelf, scribble a note, and move on.

Some of you may not be familiar with the term I'm using. What is an auto-buy author?  An auto-buy author is the best of the best; someone whose books you love so much that when you hear a new title has been released, you buy it without even reading a synopsis of the story.

I didn't accumulate over 6,000 books by having only a handful of auto-buy authors. No, I have several, and I posted my first list in July 2012. Once again I've been selective with my choices. There are several authors whose writing I love, but they may not be auto-buys-- especially if they write multiple series. Of all the examples of multiple-series-writing authors I can think of, I have to admit that there's always at least one that I don't particularly care for. Does that bother me? Not at all. I think it's great that these authors have so much to say and so many different ways of saying it. The larger the audience, the more chance these talented writers will be able to continue to entertain me with the series that I do enjoy.

Are you ready for Chapter 2? I hope so, because here it comes!

Martin Walker at The Poisoned Pen

I was shopping through the pages of one of my favorite "book procurement sites" (Book Outlet) when I came across a book titled Bruno, Chief of Police, and thus began my love affair with a policeman in a small French village and his creator, Martin Walker.

Martin Walker brings to life this small village in southern France as well as its inhabitants, its customs, its food, and its wine. The relationships between the villagers are pitch perfect. Everyone knows the foibles and virtues of everyone else, and for the most part they've learned how to get along with each other for the good of their community. I've learned the various seasonal traditions in the ways of food and gatherings of friends and families. This series is the complete package for mystery-loving armchair travelers, and I can't get enough. A few words of warning: You'll be hungry during and after reading a Bruno, Chief of Police mystery, and... Do not stand between me and the newest Martin Walker novel!

Julia Spencer-Fleming at The Poisoned Pen

I'd been shying away from Julia Spencer-Fleming's series set in New York state and featuring the Reverend Clare Fergusson and Chief of Police Russ Van Alstyne for an entire decade. Why? Because of all the awards and hype the first book, In the Bleak Midwinter, received. That's always been a part of my make-up: when everyone starts raving about something, I take a step back and keep doing my own thing.

However, due to writing posts in which I kept tripping over this author's name while doing research, I figured it was time to see what all the hype was about. I could kick myself for waiting so long. Clare and Russ are the heart and soul of this series, and reading about these two good people who always try to do the right thing is a joy. This series is a must for mystery readers who think characterization is the absolute best part of a book.

Kate Ellis

British author Kate Ellis has written two series, and I love them both. One series is set in South Devon, England, and features Detective Sergeant Wesley Peterson and Detective Inspector Gerry Heffernan. Wesley's best friend just happens to be an archaeologist, and Ellis does a superb job of combining an old mystery with a new one in each book in the series.

In her Detective Inspector Joe Plantagenet series set in Eborby in North Yorkshire, England, Ellis uses the history of the place to a wonderful, gothic effect.

Both series have strong casts, absorbing mysteries, a keen eye for history, and an excellent sense of place. I've been a fan for so long that I can't even remember when or how I first learned about the author!

Zoë Ferraris

When Finding Nouf was released, I started hearing all sorts of good things about it. I read a synopsis of the book and thought it sounded like something I'd enjoy, so I put it on my wish list... where it languished so long that I actually read the second book in the series first. I fell head over heels for City of Veils, immediately got my hands on a copy of Finding Nouf, and Zoë Ferraris instantly became an Auto-Buy Author.

This is another series that's perfect for mystery-loving armchair travelers. Ferraris opens the curtains on Saudi Arabia, a country that is very much a mystery to most of the non-Muslim world.  We learn of the country and its customs through a variety of characters: non-Muslim Westerners, both male and female, who are completely unfamiliar with the place; a young Muslim woman who wants more from her life than is prescribed by the teachings of the religious leaders of her country; and Muslim men, both traditional and non-traditional.

Zoë Ferraris's writing is beautiful and absorbing-- and I want to read everything she writes!

Todd Borg

I came late to the Todd Borg fan club, but at least I arrived.  His (so far) eleven book series featuring private investigator Owen McKenna and his harlequin Great Dane, Spot, became an instant favorite when I read book nine, Tahoe Hijack.

Borg writes high octane plots like nobody's business, and he makes you fall in love with the Lake Tahoe area. If that's all he did, he'd be a very good writer. What makes him an Auto-Buy author for me are Owen and Spot-- two of the best characters going. Borg's thrillers have plots that grab you by the throat, throw you in a Formula One racecar with no brakes, and send you down a steep mountain road... but they also have tons of heart and soul. You get to know the characters. You get to care about them. You just can't beat a combination like that.


Thus endeth chapter two of my Auto-Buy authors. What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Are any of the authors new to you? Inquiring minds need to know!

June 2012 New Mystery Releases!

Mercy, there's a boatload of new mysteries coming out in June that I can't wait to get my hands on! It's as if the publishers know that this is the time of year where I'm to be found sitting in the shady end of the pool, book in hand.

One of these days, I'm going to show you the sheet of notebook paper on which I compile the list of books I intend to feature in a new release post. It's a miracle that I can decipher all the cross-outs, color codes, scribble-throughs, arrows, asterix, and check marks! It turns out that June proved to be a particularly difficult month to narrow down to a dozen titles.

Here are the ones that made the final cut. The books are grouped by release dates, and I've included the information you'll need to find them at all your favorite book spots. Hopefully I've chosen a title or two that you just can't do without. (I don't want to be all alone with my endless wish list....) Happy summer  reading!

=== June 5 ===

Title: Threaded for Trouble

Author: Janet Bolin

Series: #2 in the Threadville mystery series set in Elderberry Bay, Pennsylvania

ISBN: 9780425251324

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages

Synopsis: "Darlene Coddlefield, the winner of a national sewing competition, has come to Willow Vanderling’s embroidery shop, In Stitches, to be presented with a top-of-the-line Chandler Champion sewing and embroidery machine as her prize. But Darlene’s triumph is short-lived after she’s found dead under her sewing table, apparently crushed by the heavy machine.

It soon becomes clear that this was no freak accident. Who had it in for Darlene Coddlefield? The long string of suspects includes Darlene’s fire chief husband. So Willow and her best friend, Haylee, become volunteer firefighters to uncover the truth. But when a second sewing machine sparks trouble, the friends realize they may have jumped from the frying pan into the fire…."

Title: Target: Tinos

Author: Jeffrey Siger

Series: #4 in the Chief Inspector Kaldis series set in Greece

ISBN: 9781590589786

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Paperback, 250 pages

Synopsis: "Set on the Aegean pilgrimage island of Tinos, Siger’s superb fourth procedural featuring Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis cleverly integrates the ancient with the modern. When Andreas looks into the mysterious immolation of two gypsies on Tinos, apparently a hate crime against immigrants, he faces formidable pressures from his fiery fiancée, Lila, whom he’s to marry in six days on nearby Mykonos—and from his wily boss, Spiros Renatis, who abruptly orders him to close the investigation. While the Greek government can’t afford bad publicity during the country’s current financial crisis, Andreas, aided by his feisty chief assistant, Yianni Kouros, and his friend Tassos Stamatos, chief homicide investigator for the Cyclades, pursues this eerie case, which soon involves ruthless Albanian mobsters, the history of Greek independence from Turkey, and a Tinos-based esoteric cult. A likable, compassionate lead; appealing Greek atmosphere; and a well-crafted plot help make this a winner." (Starred review from Publishers Weekly)

Title: An Unmarked Grave

Author: Charles Todd

Series: #4 in the Bess Crawford historical mystery series set in World War I England and France

ISBN: 9780062015723

Publisher: William Morrow

Hardcover, 272 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books*

Synopsis: "In the spring of 1918, the Spanish flu epidemic spreads, killing millions of soldiers and civilians across the globe. Overwhelmed by the constant flow of wounded soldiers coming from the French front, battlefield nurse Bess Crawford must now contend with hundreds of influenza patients as well. 

However, war and disease are not the only killers to strike. Bess discovers, concealed among the dead waiting for burial, the body of an officer who has been murdered. Though she is devoted to all her patients, this soldier's death touches her deeply. Not only did the man serve in her father's former regiment, he was also a family friend. 

Before she can report the terrible news, Bess falls ill, the latest victim of the flu. By the time she recovers, the murdered officer has been buried, and the only other person who saw the body has hanged himself. Or did he? 

Working her father's connections in the military, Bess begins to piece together what little evidence she can find to unmask the elusive killer and see justice served. But she must be as vigilant as she is tenacious. With a determined killer on her heels, each move Bess makes could be her last."

Title: Hearse and Buggy
Author: Laura Bradford
Series: #1 in the Amish mystery series set in Pennsylvania
ISBN: 9780425251317
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages

Synopsis: "Claire Weatherly has fled a high-stress lifestyle for a slower pace—in Amish country: Heavenly, Pennsylvania. She only planned a short visit but instead found herself opening an Amish specialty shop, Heavenly Treasures, and settling in. Claire loves her new home, and she’s slowly making friends among the locals, including Esther, a young Amish woman who works in the shop. So when the store’s former owner,the unlikable Walter Snow, is murdered, and the man Esther is sweet on becomes a suspect, Claire can’t help but get involved.

Newly returned Detective Jakob Fisher, who left Heavenly—and his Amish upbringing—as a teenager, is on the case. But his investigation is stalled by the fact that none of his former community will speak with him. Claire’s connections make her the perfect go-between.

As Claire investigates, she uncovers more than she wanted to know about her neighbors. And suddenly, everything she had hoped to find in this peaceful refuge is at risk...."

Title: Kingdom of Strangers

Author: Zoë Ferraris

Series: #4 in the Hijazi and Sharqi mystery series set in Saudi Arabia

ISBN: 9780316074247

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Hardcover, 368 pages


Synopsis: "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 Zoë Ferraris weaves a tale of psychological suspense around an elusive serial killer and the sinister forces trafficking in human lives in Saudi Arabia."

Title: Dead Scared

Author: S.J. Bolton

Series: #2 in the Detective Constable Lacey Flint series set in England

ISBN: 9780312600532

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 384 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books*

Synopsis: "When a rash of suicides tears through Cambridge University, DI Mark Joesbury recruits DC Lacey Flint to go undercover as a student to investigate. Although each student’s death appears to be a suicide, the psychological histories, social networks, and online activities of the students involved share remarkable similarities, and the London police are not convinced that the victims acted alone. They believe that someone might be preying on lonely and insecure students and either encouraging them to take their own lives or actually luring them to their deaths. As long as Lacey can play the role of a vulnerable young woman, she may be able to stop these deaths, but is it just a role for her? With her fragile past, is she drawing out the killers, or is she herself being drawn into a deadly game where she’s a perfect victim?

Dark and compelling, S. J. Bolton’s latest thriller—a follow-up to the acclaimed Now You See Me—is another work of brilliant psychological suspense that plumbs the most sinister depths."

=== June 12 ===

Title: Cop to Corpse
Author: Peter Lovesey
Series: #12 in the police detective Peter Diamond series set in Bath, England
ISBN: 9781616950781
Publisher: Soho Crime
Hardcover, 304 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books*

Synopsis: "PC Harry Trasker is the third policeman in the Bath area to be shot dead in less than twelve weeks. The assassinations are the work of a sniper who seems to be everywhere and nowhere at once, always a step ahead.The younger detectives do their best with what little evidence he leaves, but they're no match for this murderer and his merciless agenda.

When Chief Superintendent Peter Diamond is assigned to the case, he begins to find curious connections between the dead officers after talking to their widows. But then a chilling encounter wit the killer leaves Diamond in the lurch and the sniper in the wind. Things get even more complicated when the evidence starts to suggest that the killer might be one of Britain's finest--a theory unpopular among Diamond's colleagues. Can Diamond manage to capture an elusive and increasingly dangerous killer while keeping his team from losing faith in him?"

Title: Q: Awakening
Author: G.M. Lawrence
Standalone
ISBN: 9781935142539
Publisher: Variance Publishing
Hardcover, 352 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books*

Synopsis: "Q: Awakening is the provocative tale of the lost Christian gospel called Q--for the German word "quelle" (the source)--and the brilliant but damaged scholar Declan Stewart, whose destiny is inextricably intertwined with it. From the stormy coasts of New Zealand to the deserts of the Sinai, from the cobbled streets of Zurich to the desolate mountains of Syria, Declan Stewart must locate the scattered clues to solve a 2,000-year-old puzzle in a race against hostile forces that would turn Q to their own dark ends.

Combining the unrelenting tension of an international thriller with the intellectual breadth of a spiritual hero's journey, Q: Awakening delves deeply into the human heart and the yearning of people from every age to find meaning and purpose in the enduring challenges and great questions of life."

=== June 19 ===

Title: A Bad Day for Mercy

Author: Sophie Littlefield

Series: #4 in the Stella Hardesty series set in Missouri

ISBN: 9780312648381

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 272 pages

Synopsis: "A call from Stella’s little sister brings the news that Stella’s step-nephew, Chip, has been threatened with serious bodily harm if he doesn’t settle his unpaid gambling debts. Stella makes the drive to Chip’s home in Wisconsin, only to walk in on a wee-hours dismemberment. Chip and his Russian girlfriend, Natalya, insist the man was left, already dead, on their porch. Suspicious but compelled to help family, Stella tracks down other suspects, including the deceased’s business partner, a purveyor of black-market Botox, and a jilted violist. Matters are complicated by the unexpected arrival of BJ Broderson, who has picked the worst possible time to pursue his amorous intentions toward Stella. Meanwhile, thoughts of Sheriff “Goat” Jones make Stella blush and wonder where, and with whom, she will spend her fifty-first birthday."

Title: Gone Missing

Author: Linda Castillo

Series: #4 in the Kate Burkholder series set in Ohio

ISBN: 9780312658564

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 288 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books*

Synopsis: "Rumspringa is the time when Amish teens are allowed to experience life without the rules. It’s an exciting time of personal discovery and growth before committing to the church. But when a young teen disappears without a trace, the carefree fun comes to an abrupt and sinister end, and fear spreads through the community like a contagion. 

A missing child is a nightmare to all parents, and never more so than in the Amish community, where family ties run deep. When the search for the presumed runaway turns up a dead body, the case quickly becomes a murder investigation. And chief of Police Kate Burkholder knows that in order to solve this case she will have to call upon everything she has to give not only as a cop, but as a woman whose own Amish roots run deep.

Kate and state agent, John Tomasetti, delve into the lives of the missing teen and discover links to cold cases that may go back years. But will Kate piece together all the parts of this sinister puzzle in time to save the missing teen and the Amish community from a devastating fate? Or will she find herself locked in a fight to the death with a merciless killer?" 

Title: Grandad, There's a Head on the Beach

Author: Colin Cotterill

Series: #2 in the Jimm Juree series set in rural Thailand

ISBN: 9780312564544

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 336 pages

Synopsis: "When Jimm Juree’s mother sold the family house and invested in a rundown 'holiday camp' at the southern end of Thailand on the Gulf of Siam, the family had little choice but to follow. Jimm Juree, who was well on her way to achieving her goal of becoming the primary crime reporter for the major daily newspaper in Chiang Mai, is less than thrilled to have lost her job as a reporter and to be stuck in the middle of nowhere where little of interest happens. So it is with mixed feelings that she greets the news that a head has washed up on the beach. It’s tragic, of course, but this could be the sort of sensational murder that would get her a byline in a major daily and keep her toehold on her journalism career. Now all she has to do is find out who was murdered, and why."

Title: Blessed Are the Dead

Author: Malla Nunn

Series: #3 in the Emmanuel Cooper series set in 1950s South Africa

ISBN: 9781451616927

Publisher: Atria Books

Paperback, 336 pages

Synopsis: "The body of a beautiful seventeen-year-old Zulu girl, Amahle, is found covered in wildflowers on a hillside in the Drakensberg Mountains, halfway between her father’s compound and the enormous white-owned farm where she worked. Detective Sergeant Cooper and Detective Constable Samuel Shabalala are sent to the desolate landscape to investigate. They soon discover that Amahle’s life was woven into both the black and white communities in ways they could never have imagined. Cooper and Shabalala must enter the guarded worlds of a traditional Zulu clan and a divided white farming community to gather up the secrets she left behind and bring her murderer to justice. 

In a country deeply divided by apartheid, where the law is bent as often as it is broken, Emmanuel Cooper fights against all odds to deliver justice and bring together two seemingly disparate and irreconcilable worlds despite the danger that is arising."

Wow, what a choice list, eh?  Did you add any of these to your wish list? Which ones? Inquiring minds want to know!

Scene of the Crime with Author Zoë Ferraris

When I read City of Veils last year, I was blown away at how easily Zoë Ferraris put me in the very different land and culture of Saudi Arabia. The mystery is absorbing, but the setting is a stand-out for me because the author shows it from multiple perspectives.

Needless to say, I'm eagerly awaiting her next book, Kingdom of Strangers, and thrilled to pieces that she said yes to an interview here on Kittling: Books.

If you'd like more info about Zoë, here are some links:

Zoë's website

Zoë on Twitter

Zoë on Facebook

Without further ado, let's get right to the interview!

What was the very first book you remember reading and loving? What makes that book so special?

Gone With the Wind. It was the first book I read that wasn’t a hidden morality tale instructing children to be nice to their peers and treat parents with respect. Scarlett was sexy and ridiculous and selfish and manipulative, dammit, and she was going to stay that way forever. And Margaret Mitchell was totally in love with her world. She created it without apology and I fell into it and happily watched her do her crazy magic.


Outside of your writing and all associated commitments, what do you like to do in your free time?

Zoë Ferraris

This is probably obsessive, but I think of my free time as having been created for the sole purpose of optimizing my writing time. So just like Italians will tell you never to put cheese on fish -- because every time you do, an Italian dies – there are certain things I can’t do while I’m writing, because if I do, a novel may perish. I can’t read someone else’s writing. I can’t play team sports. I can’t party. I can’t go on a date for longer than an hour. (That’s a bummer. It really argues for becoming a dentist.) I can’t fight with anyone. (Also a bummer.) And I can’t read Twitter, Facebook, or email. So in the end, that leaves me to walk my dog, go swimming once a day, and call my daughter to make sure she’s still alive. It’s no surprise then that I’ve managed to write a whole novel in four months, and then taken the rest of the year off.


If I were to visit your hometown, where would you recommend that I go? (I like seeing and doing things that aren't in all the guide books.)

Well, San Francisco has been guide-booked out, so I would recommend going to the Presidio – a former army base, now a national park – and parking your car on the main post by the old HQ, and then setting off on foot in whichever direction feels right. You will walk through 250 years of military history and a few thousand years of native Ohlone history, through seven distinct ecological zones, past hundreds of plant and bird species and a whole variety of wacky San Franciscans. I always think it’s best to discover its real secrets yourself.


You have total control over casting a movie based on your life. Which actor would you cast as you?

Ann-Margret

I took a poll on this one time and the consensus was Ann Margret.


Who is your favorite recurring character in crime fiction?

Bob Lee Swagger. I know, I know, not exactly crime….but that’s the answer.


Before your very first published mystery, what else had you written (short stories, articles, unpublished manuscripts)?

I have the beginnings of six novels in different genres. And I have a bunch of short stories and two poems in formaldehyde on a basement shelf.


What did you do the first time you saw one of your books on a shelf in a bookstore? How did you celebrate when you first heard you were to be published?

My first reaction to seeing Finding Nouf in a bookstore was embarrassment. I hoped to God that no one saw me standing there looking at my own book on the shelf. Then I got paranoid and walked away. I still find it hard to react to. If someone else is there, they usually expect you to be delighted, and sometimes they’ll even start talking loudly about it, and other people will notice, and before you know it you’re signing copies and people are congratulating you. It’s taken me a long time to talk with enthusiasm about my writing, and I still think there’s something indelicate about it, so I usually wind up talking about Saudi Arabia instead.

However, I do get a kick when people send me photos of my book from stores around the world. I’m always amazed that my book doesn’t just exist in my head anymore, that it’s actually alive and well in the Manama Airport in Dubai. 

When I first heard I was going to get published, I celebrated by not crashing my car into a tree. Then I held my breath for a year until I saw the book in print, and then I cried.


I don't know if you've seen it, but I love Parnell Hall's video about book signings. What is the most unusual experience you've had at a book signing or author event?

 Well, it’s not exactly unusual because it happens to me a lot, but I’ll get up on stage and start talking, and immediately someone at the back of the audience will raise their hand. They have a pressing question. It’s usually along the lines of “How on earth did you wind up living in Saudi Arabia?” I don’t see other authors fielding urgent questions like that at readings. I figure there’s something about me that encourages people to feel close and gossipy, and I like it.


The way some people talk, the only way to read now or in the future is with some sort of electronic device, like my husband's Nook. What is your opinion of eBooks, and how will they affect you as a published author?

I love the idea, and the potential behind it, but I’m seriously sick of electronic devices at the moment and have been taking a hiatus.

I imagine the ebook affect will be bigger every year, and eventually the electronic medium will combine text with image so much that reading a book will become more like surfing the web. I hope this type of book will be done with taste and not commercials.

I see ebooks giving writers more power vis-à-vis publishers and agents. A lot of writers are going rogue and dropping traditional publishers altogether. This is being done with a lot of writerly self-importance, but with some legitimate grievances as well. I will admit that it has never sufficiently been explained to me why a publisher should take 90 percent profit on a book while many writers still pay for all their own publicity. 

I think ultimately one of the best things to come out of this will be simplicity and ease of use. You can carry an ereader anywhere, buy an ebook anywhere, and that might just be the greatest encouragement to reading since the invention of Harry Potter.





Thank you so much for spending this time with us, Zoë. It's easy to see why your books are so original. The fruit doesn't fall far from the tree!

City of Veils by Zoë Ferraris

Title: City of Veils
Author: Zoë Ferraris
ISBN: 9780316074278
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2010
Hardcover, 400 pages
Genre: Police Procedural, #2 Hijazi & Sharqi mystery
Rating: A+
Source: Amazon Vine

First Line: The woman's body was lying on the beach.

I am always looking to broaden my armchair traveling horizons, so when I read that City of Veils was set in Saudi Arabia, my interest was certainly piqued. If I'm honest, it was also piqued for another reason.

In the mid-1970s, I was being recruited for a teaching position in Saudi Arabia. I was very interested. I love travel, I love adventure, the vacation accrual made my jaw drop, and so did the salary. I took all the information home, and I began to read. When I'd read everything, I went back to read the one paragraph that had made my blood pressure spike. That paragraph persuaded me that I didn't have the proper attitude for the job. What in the world was in that paragraph? The instructions on precisely what kind of undergarments I was allowed to wear. Once my mother no longer bought them for me no one has the right to tell me what underwear to wear!

City of Veils is written by Zoë Ferraris, who moved to Saudi Arabia shortly after the first Gulf War. She lived in a conservative Muslim community with her then-husband and his family, a group of Saudi-Palestinians who had never before met an American. But enough of the extraneous. Let's get to the book!

When the body of a woman is found on the beach in Jeddah, the police are content to dismiss the case as an unsolvable murder. If the victim is yet another housemaid killed by her employer, finding the person responsible for her death will be all but impossible. At about the same time, an American woman reports her husband-- a security contractor-- as missing.

Only Katya Hijazi, a forensic scientist working in the police department, is convinced that the murdered woman can be identified. She asks her friend Nayir for help and discovers that the victim was a young filmmaker whose controversial documentaries made her many enemies. As Katya and Nayir search for clues, they form a very unlikely alliance with the American woman whose husband has disappeared.

I am such a stickler for reading series in order! If I'd realized that this is the second book in a series, I doubt that I would've read it. I'm glad that I was blissfully ignorant, otherwise I would've missed out on one of the best books I've read all year.

City of Veils is written in such a way that you do not have to read the first book in order to understand what's going on. I'm going to get my hands on a copy of Finding Nouf simply because I fell in love with Ferraris's setting and characters.

The mystery is intriguing and well-paced. It had a coincidence or two that stretched belief a bit but not enough to lessen my enjoyment. The characters are multi-faceted and fascinating. If the plot and the characters are the jewels, the setting is the Muslim culture-- and without doubt this setting shows the jewels to perfection.

What I found so incredibly strong in this book is that the Muslim culture is shown from so many angles: the devout Muslim man, a more progressive Muslim man, an American man totally captivated by the place and the culture, a young Muslim woman who's comfortable with her place but still feeling the restrictions, and an American woman who is so completely a stranger in a strange land that it's painful.

I had to know what would happen next, so it was almost impossible to put this book down. From my personal anecdote at the beginning of this review, you may have guessed correctly that City of Veils had me talking to myself on several occasions. It's that sort of book: you live it while you read it. It was also a learning experience on so many levels. Muslim women following several paces behind their men had always made me roll my eyes and mutter. Now I know that those several steps behind are also a safety measure. If you're a woman wearing all that garb, you can't see where you're going. (I felt a bit doltish after one of Ferraris's characters explained that to me!)

If you're looking for an intriguing mystery set in a land with a fascinating culture and populated with wonderful characters, do not hesitate. Get yourself a copy of City of Veils!

August 2010 New Mystery Releases!

Book lovers are quite a diverse group of people scattered all over the globe, but we do have a few things in common. One of them has to be that we're always on the lookout for new books in our favorite genres.

I am no exception to this. I love crime fiction. I have favorite series and favorite authors, and I just love to know what's coming out so I can get the titles on my Paperback Swap wish list or so I can plan my next trip to The Poisoned Pen.

The following books are my top ten picks for new crime fiction being released in August. The titles are grouped by release dates, and I've included the information you'll need to find it at your favorite book spot. If you'd like to know more about the plot, etc., click on the book cover.

Let's see which titles have me drooling this month!

===August 1 Release===

Title: Love Songs From a Shallow Grave
Author: Colin Cotterill
Series: #7 in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series set in 1970s Laos
ISBN: 9781569476277
Publisher: Soho Crime
Hardcover, 304 pages












Title: Broken
Author: Karin Fossum
Translator: Charlotte Barslund
Series: Standalone by the author of the Konrad Sejer series set in Norway.
ISBN: 9780151013661
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Hardcover, 272 pages

===August 3 Release===

Title: Burn
Author: Nevada Barr
Series: #16 in the Anna Pigeon series set in various National Parks throughout the United States.
ISBN: 9780312614560
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 384 pages











Title: Chapter and Hearse
Author: Lorna Barrett
Series: #4 in the Booktown Mystery series set in New Hampshire.
ISBN: 9780425236017
Publisher: Berkley
Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages













Title: Dream Queen
Author: Betsy Thorton
Series: #6 in the Chloe Newcomb series set in Cochise County, Arizona.
ISBN: 9780312602055
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 288 pages

[I love this cover! It definitely reminds me of Cochise County.]

===August 9 Release===

Title: City of Veils
Author: Zoë Ferraris
Series: #2 in the Hijazi & Sharqi series set in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
ISBN: 9780316074278
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Hardcover, 400 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

===August 17 Release===

Title: I'd Know You Anywhere
Author: Laura Lippman
Series: Standalone.
ISBN: 9780061706554
Publisher: William Morrow
Hardcover, 384 pages

===August 31 Release===

Title: The Devil
Author: Ken Bruen
Series: #6 in the Jack Taylor series set in Galway, Ireland.
ISBN: 9780312646967
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 208 pages












Title: Black Sun
Author: Graham Brown
Series: #2 in the Danielle Laidlaw series set in the Amazon.
ISBN: 9780553592429
Publisher: Bantam
Mass Market Paperback, 480 pages

*Upcoming review of Black Rain, the first book in this series, here on Kittling: Books.











Title: An Impartial Witness
Author: Charles Todd
Series: #2 in the Bess Crawford series set during World War I.
ISBN: 9780061791789
Publisher: William Morrow
Hardcover, 352 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books










These are the ten crime fiction books being published in August about which I'm most excited. How about you? Are any of these titles being added to your own wish lists? Do tell!