City of Veils

A Novel

By: Zoe Ferraris

Narrated by: Kate Reading

When the body of a brutally beaten woman is found on the beach in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Detective Osama Ibrahim dreads investigating another unsolvable murder - chillingly common in a city where the veils of conservative Islam keep women as anonymous in life as the victim is in death.

But Katya, one of the few females in the coroner's office, is determined to identify the woman and find her killer. Aided by her friend Nayir, she soon discovers that the victim was a young, controversial filmmaker named Leila. Was it Leila's connection to an incendiary Koranic scholar or a missing American man that got her killed?

City of Veils combines a suspenseful and tightly woven mystery with an intimate and nuanced portrait of women’s lives in the Middle East.

©2010 Zoe Ferraris (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Stellar.... A searing portrait of the religious and cultural veils that separate Muslim women from the modern world." ( Publishers Weekly)

Fascinating glimpse into another culture

I really enjoyed Ferraris' earlier book, Finding Nouf, and was intrigued by her characters and her depiction of the Arab world, specifically, the Saudi city of Jedda, a seen through the lens of police investigations into murders. This second outing is just as good. While the policier elements are not novel, the culture clash between the modern secular world and the traditional Muslim world is really interesting, particularly as regards to position of women. We see the main characters (the police, forensic techs, adjuncts) at home as well as at work, and I found myself understanding bits of Islamic culture that were previously quite opaque.

Kate Reading's narration is excellent.

One of the best - Not to be Missed

This is simply a great book. Suspenseful all the way. And Kate Reading is one of my favorite readers. She does an excellent job. The suspense build up in this book is fantastic. You litterally cannot stop listening to it. Just when you think you know who the murderer is -- you find out you are wrong.

This is an excellent picture of life in Saudi Arabia and fully illustrates all the problems a woman faces living in that country -- both American and Saudi. It really illustrates the problem Saudi women find in trying to live in the modern world where they are held back due to religious strictures and customs.

In addition to being a great mystery story it also illustrates the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia struggling to come to grips with the modern world -- with some citizens learning to adapt and others not. It also depicts the plight and loneliness of American Woman living in Saudi while their husbands work there. Despite all the luxuries of the American life style replicated in miniature in foreign compounds, American women lead a truly lonely life in this country. This is well illustrated.

One of the things I like is that the author does not merely describe situations she shows them to you in scenes which seem all too real.

This is NOT a book to be missed.

worth listening to!

Even though this book is meant as a mystery, I found that I was riveted mostly to the lifestyle description of Saudi's women.

Sequel doesn't fail to deliver.

After readin finding Nouf, Ferraris' first book I immediately decided to purchase the City of Veils. Again the characters were well developed and intriging. This book did not fail to deliver. Great mystery and plt. Will wait for the third book with anticipation. For anyone who likes to read a mystery novel the combines a good plot,intriguing characters, a love story and a better understanding of life in Jordan I highly recommend this book.

Engaging, insightful and fun!

An engaging plot with fascinating characters each of whom give different insights into Saudi life and culture. Loved it!