Assignment Zoraya

Sam Durell #11

by Edward S. Aarons

The man called the Q'adi was a religious zealot who wanted to start a jihad to drive the infidels out of his beloved country of Jidrat. Colonel Ta-arife was a leader who wanted to become the leader of more than just a small Emirate. Together they could tear the Middle East apart.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

176 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

AKA Paul Ayres, Edward Ronns.

Edward Sidney Aarons (September 11, 1916 - June 16, 1975) was an American writer, author of more than 80 novels from 1936 until 1962. One of these was under the pseudonym "Paul Ayres" (Dead Heat), and 30 were written using the name "Edward Ronns". He also wrote numerous articles for detective magazines such as Detective Story Magazine and Scarab.

Aarons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and earned a degree in Literature and History from Columbia University. He worked at various jobs to put himself through college, including jobs as a newspaper reporter and fisherman. In 1933, he won a short story contest as a student. In World War II he was in the United States Coast Guard, joining after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He finished his duty in 1945, having obtained the rank of Chief Petty Officer.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

The eleventh book in Aarons’ Sam Durell espionage series takes him to an oil-rich sheikdom on the Persian Gulf in the throes of a struggle between the current monarchy, revolutionary forces, and religious zealots. Thrown into the mix is also the face off between the two superpowers, both vying for influence no matter who ends up in charge. Durell’s mission should he choose to accept it is to find the heir to the throne, a crazy playboy living in Europe, throwing lavish bacchanalian parties, and getting fat and stupid on wine, women, and drugs. This heir wants no part in returning to the backward kingdom even though he’s royalty there. This prince is a bit cartoonish in his fat, Lazy cowardice and not even the reappearance of Zoraya, his child bride now grown up, can shake him out of his funk. What makes the story though is the turbulent welcome awaiting everyone back in Jidrat where mobs are manipulated for political purposes and even the oil money is not enough to guarantee against revolutionaries. Aarons does a great job of sorting through the different factions and how quickly the Westerners are left out in the cold.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 5 out of 5]

All that stands between a crazed religious fanatic on one side and a scheming would be military dictator backed by the Soviets on the other is a self-exiled Arab prince who makes King Farouk look like the picture of restraint, humility, and self-denial. At stake is a small Arabian Imamate. Sam Durell finds himself on a mission to bring the prince back to Jidrat and establish him as a neutral force in the region. The surprise in this first rate Sam Durell story is that Sam himself fades from the limelight for much of the book. He is almost a secondary character, as the focus shifts to Amr, the prince, his estranged wife, Zoraya, and two mysterious refugees from the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. One is Naomi, a Hungarian Jew transplanted to Tel Aviv, who know finds herself thrust into the middle of an Arab rebellion. The other is her husband, a colonel in Soviet intelligence who became separated from Naomi during the Revolution. Just about every person introduced goes through life changing events and you see the development in their nature, especially with Amr. Durell becomes little more than a conduit to connect all the dots.

Additionally, Aarons spends some time trying to get Islam right, here. Clearly, he has studied Medieval Arab philosophy and poetry and puts it to use in the story. He is also on top of the changes that were occurring throughout the Middle East at this time, and the book echoes with the spirit of its times, with Egypt and Nasser as well as Iraq and Qasim. Aarons also proves to be aware of the tenets of Wahhabism as well as the cultural history of Islam. This is a good book that is much more nuanced than even the usual well written Durell spy thriller.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 11th book in the Sam Durell series finds Durell assigned to find Zoraya, the reluctant bride of a middle-eastern prince, and somehow reconcile them in order to prevent further upheaval in the region. Sam is ideal for the task due to his having attended Yale several years earlier where he was good friends of the prince who was also a student there. Finding Zoraya is only part of the problem, however because now the previously stuck-up prince has turned into a slovenly miscreant who no longer seeks power and has no interest in solving his country’s problems.

This novel was published back in 1960 but is remarkably relevant to today’s political climate in the Middle East. In fact there is some relevant discussion about a coming jihad and what amounts to a terrorist agenda.

In this book I enjoyed the parts involving Durell, Zoraya and the prince but some of the other plot aspects told though the eyes of other characters seemed flat and a little confusing. The ending wrapped up many plot threads very quickly and too conveniently which reflects in my star rating for this entry. But overall, I continue to enjoy the espionage adventures of Sam Durell and plan to continue reading them periodically.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably deserves a little more than 2 Stars as a surprisingly relevant account of turmoil in an oil-rich middle eastern country caught up in religious fervor (stirred up by crafty, sneaky power-hungry individuals). Short, sweet example of pulp fiction from the last century. The cover is pure false advertising. That scantily clad girl, whoever she is, does not appear in this story. Zoraya (married as a young girl) is strong, moral and dedicated, while being ignored and mentally abused by her playboy Arab husband prince who refuses to take up his hereditary position as ruler of the country.

[John Peel · Rating 3 out of 5]

An old school friend of Sam Durell's is set to be the next ruler of the middle eastern country of Jidrat. But he's spent his life indulging in sex and drugs - and is getting worse. He wants nothing to do with his country - or Zoraya, the wife he married when she was eight. Sam's assignment is to change his mind. Another fast-paced adventure, though not up to Aarons' usual standards - which means it's still better than most.