La Ciudad de los Velos

Nayir Sharqi & Katya Hijazi #2

by Zoë Ferraris

Yeda, Arabia Saudí. Un laberinto de callejuelas estrechas y ventanas cerradas donde nada es lo que parece. Cuando el cuerpo desfigurado y medio desnudo de una mujer es encontrado en una playa de la segunda urbe más grande del país, el detective Osama Ibrahim teme estar ante el asesinato de una criada, algo tristemente común en una ciudad donde los velos del Islam más conservador mantienen a las mujeres tan anónimas en vida como la víctima lo está en la muerte. Sin embargo, Katya, del laboratorio forense, descubre que el cadáver no corresponde a una sierva indócil, sino a Leila, una cineasta que quizá se habría granjeado algunos enemigos con sus documentales sobre la hipocresía imperante en materia sexual y religiosa. Con la ayuda de su amigo -y secreto enamorado- Nayir, guía del desierto y anclado en la tradición, Katya está decidida a encontrar al asesino de Leila y aclarar su misteriosa muerte.
En esta fascinante novela Zoë Ferraris teje una intrincada trama de suspense e intriga que explora las contradicciones de la vida en Yeda, un lugar atrapado entre su papel como puerta de entrada a La Meca y su carácter cosmopolita en un mundo cada día más global. La Ciudad de los Velos, que se inscribe en la exitosa serie de Katya Hijazi y Nayir Sharqui, narra su peripecia para desentrañar las conexiones entre el asesinato de Leila Nawar y la desaparición de Eric Walker, un ciudadano norteamericano, mientras revisan sus propias creencias sobre las restricciones y flaquezas del Islam actual.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Middle East, Crime, Book Club, Mystery Thriller, Religion

436 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Zoë Ferraris moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the first Gulf War. She lived in a conservative Muslim community with her then-husband and his family, a group of Saudi-Palestinians.

Her debut novel, Finding Nouf (published as Night of the Mi'raj in the UK) was a national and international bestseller, winner of the LA Times Book Award for First Fiction, a B&N Discover pick, an ALE Alex Award winner, and was translated and published in 45 countries. Two follow-up novels, City of Veils and Kingdom of Strangers have been published in over 35 countries. The three books have been optioned for a television series.

She has an MFA from Columbia University and currently lives in San Francisco.

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

There have been many literary mysteries written and many books about the plight of women in repressive Saudi Arabia, but I have never read an author who is able to so seamlessly weave these threads together to create a potboiler thriller that sizzles with knowledge.

Set in Jeddah – seemingly one of the more liberal cities of Saudi Arabia – the core of the story focuses on a burqa-clad and tortured body of a young woman on a beach. Three stories are interwoven: a whodunit story of how she got there and who perpetrated such violence on her…the story of forensic scientist Katya and her would-be suitor Nayir, a Bedouin guide, who is crippled emotionally by the yokes of his religion…and a vanished American expat Eric Walker, whose wife Miriam finds herself bereft in an alien culture where women truly have no face.

What makes City of Veils stand out is its nuanced and highly intimate portrayal of a woman’s life in a repressive and paranoid country…where women’s faces are shielded, voices are silenced, and lifestyles are infantilized.

Ms. Ferraris – who herself moved to Saudi Arabia with her now ex-husband and his extended family of Saudi-Palestinian Bedouins – has a voice that rings with authority. Some of it is unwittingly humorous: the husband Eric, for example, has a name that translates to a part of the male anatomy, and therefore is renamed Abullah while at work. But most of it is frustrating and heartbreaking. We read, for example, about women’s mini-rebellions, as they hide Bluetooth devices inside their burquas, which send the message, “Do you want to see my face?” Or the quagmire of lingerie stories: women cannot interact with the male proprietors of the stores; therefore, the government allowed women to work in these lingerie shops. Only one problem: the religious police are convinced women should be tending to their homes and babies, not shopping.

Ferraris shows that this repression is not just a woman’s problem; it’s a man’s as well. Osama Ibrahim – the fair and liberal police investigator – believes his marriage is a strong one until he discovers his wife has been surreptitiously taking birth control pills. And Nayir, who was featured in Finding Nouf, is numbed down by the love he feels for Katya, all the while knowing she may not be such a “good Muslim woman”, and how can he possibly marry an infidel? Being in a car with a woman who is not his wife is excruciating for him: “This was the worst kind of weakness because there was nothing he could do about it…short of kicking her out of the car.”

On one level, City of Veils has all the dimensions of a first-rate crime story; its eventual denouement in the scorching and unforgiving desert would make a stunning and crowd-pleasing movie. Yet on a deeper level, the book shines its laser-eye on woman who must be resourceful to even feel human while simmering inside, and the men who are raised to fear them and place a lid on their own human desires and compassion. City of Veils does what sometimes seems to be impossible – lifts the cultural veils off and looks gender segregation right in the eye.

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no idea why I waited six years to read this sequel, which I think was better than the first book which won a couple of book awards. Set in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this book once again pairs Nayir Sharqi (a religious Muslim desert tour guide) with Katya Hijazi (a woman working in a man's world, Sausi Arabia, specifically, the coroner's office), who are attracted to each other, but precluded by contact by strict social codes. A woman washes up on the beach, badly beaten, stabbed, disfigured and is thought to be one a housekeeper until Katya discovers she had a Bluetooth recorder in her hijab and is able to connect her to a missing persons report. The victim is a divorcee, who lives with her tyrannical brother, and works part-time as a videographer for a local news station. Meanwhile, an American is traveling back to Saudi Arabia, and her husband goes missing after meeting her at the airport. The lead investigator loses his female detective and Katya is given an opportunity to partner with him, making the most of her chance, including bringing in Nayir when alternate versions of the Quran become important in the investigation. Very good detective story, with complex social issues, and interesting view into Saudi culture.

[Harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review:

The saga of Katya and Nayir continues in this, the second in this Ferraris series.

Elsewhere here on GR I have been embroiled in commentary regarding the nature of protests: political, economical, etc. And as I was responding in that particular thread my mind kept returning to perhaps the only form of protest not mentioned: the fictional author mounting a protest. In particular it kept returning to my latest read in a mystery series quite unlike any other.

City of Veils is assuredly a protest as was Finding Nouf. But it is a form of protest that slithers into your conscious mind almost unawares: it is audacious and whispers to you from behind a veiled burqa.



City of Veils

Again, we find ourselves in the city of Jeddah, gateway to Mecca and a city torn apart by a slow movement towards liberalism. Along with multiple homicides inextricably tied together the motive for the crimes for a Western reader will be difficult to ascertain. But, Ferraris handles the complexities with which we're unfamiliar with beauty and elegance. Again we are struck by a certain affection for Islam contrasted against a devastating pronouncement against the treatment of women.

But, as with any system that abuses and constricts the freedom of those in it, we find that among the women loopholes exist within their secret society.

Get this! Veiled in her Burqa, you say? To hide her countenance fromn men who might be sorely tempted? For that, I give you a Bluetooth Burqa! Now, a woman can walk the streets in perfect anonymity and flash her unexposed face to passerbys.

The more I read in this series, the more I read the news with horror story after horror story where the Arab world seeks to thwart western liberalism, the more I think this is not about faith, but about a fiercely dominated men's world that will not relinquish it's hold over the female gender, their availability for sex, childeren, and the choice of multiple wives.

For example: would it surprise you to know that Victoria Secret has nothing when compared to similar stores in Jeddah? And that it isn't the women who shop there, but the men who accompany them so as to select their favorite turn ons?

And yes, we return to the desert with Nayir. Recently my daughter and I were caught in a sandstorm just North of Colorado's great sand dunes and we had to stop the car, turn of the AC and just sit there while being pummeled by the storm, hoping the dust and sand would not invade the internal workings of my automobile.

Ferraris version of this is a devastating look at what happens when you are caught unawares in the Saudi Empty Quarter.

And yes, Ferraris continues the romantic sage between Nayir and Katya, a most humble and endearing look at courtship Saudi style.

I am impressed with this series and look forward to the third and final installment.

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Series Review:

Zoë Ferraris moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the first Gulf War. She lived in a conservative Muslim community with her then-husband and his family, a group of Saudi-Palestinians.

In 2006, she completed her MFA in Fiction at Columbia University. Her debut novel, Finding Nouf, (published as Night of the Mi'raj in the UK) and a follow-up novel, City of Veils, have been published in over thirty countries. Her third novel, Kingdom of Strangers, came out in June 2012.

She currently lives in San Francisco and is hard at work writing about subjects other than Saudi Arabia, the setting for her first 3 novels.

Just as we find with the Inspector O series, Zoë Ferraris sets before her the task of writing mysteries in which the very system in which the crime takes place is an obstacle to solving the mystery. Church, in his Inspector O series, places his hero within the North Korean political system, a system that is as much an obstacle to solving crimes as is the the crime itself. Ferraris, on the other hand, chooses the closed society of Saudi Arabia (or more the point, the city of Jeddah) for her novels' settings.

American readers of these novels will be reluctant to put these novels down. The riveting and intricate plots taking place in this part of the world are eye openers to what would surely mystify most readers in the West: an inside look at a closed system where women and men to this day remain segregated; where both genders come to terms and wrestle with their own views as laid down by the strictures and tenets of Islam; where heroism is defined by defying the often horrible restrictions imposed by such beliefs. The stories you will read are heroic; we certainly get the sense that Ferraris who has lived in this closed society condemns much of what she has experienced while simultaneously granting respect to the faith of Islam.

The books will shock you at the plight of Saudi women and simultaneously keep you glued to the pages as the various intrigues expand and ripple across the crescent shaped dunes in the Saudi desert. Part ethonography, part mystery detective, part literary the novels are all encompassing and are the mark of a new voice and an astounding talent on the mystery and literary fronts.

The heroes of this series are Nayir Sharqi, a male Palestinian desert guide, and Katya Hijazi, a Saudi female forensic lab worker. The mere pairing of these two of opposite genders by Ferraris is an act of defiance in itself, especially in a heavily segregated society. You will say, as a westerner: "what's the big deal in having a job?" The big deal is that women don't have jobs in this society. The fact that Katya even has a job is an act of defiance. Cloaked in public, the showing of her ankles, or even stopping to speak to a man in public may be reason enough for the religious police to throw Katya in jail.

And what about Nayir?

A devout muslim, this displaced Palestinian man was created by Ferraris to investigate all that is good about Islam. Frustrated with his desire for a female companion, often forced to confront the seeming contradictions between religious edicts and what he knows to be right, this desert man brings to us an endearment of Saudi Arabia, of Jeddah, a place caught between its role as the holy gateway to Mecca and the cosmoplitan city in an increasingly liberal world.

These books have my attention! They represent a new wave within the genre of mystery/detectives...and I do recommend this series to any who find that the above tickles their curiosity.

[Blumental · Rating 1 out of 5]

A lot of reviews of this book make us believe that the interesting angle for this crime novel is the fact that it is set in Saudi Arabia, written by a quasi-local and, hence, that the novel offers us an insight into a world we know very little about. Unfortunately, this book fails to do so in quite a disappointing fashion.

In my view City of Veils does very little to shed more light on an intriguing culture and instead re-hashes preconceived, rather superficial notions of the culture of Saudi Arabia. After I finished this book, I was intrigued as to how superficial and incoherent the cultural aspect of the story was and I must say I felt less surprised to find that the author had actually lived in Jeddah for only 9 months. She divorced her Saudi husband 'shortly after'. In itself not a token for cultural understanding and harmony. Nor does the author seem to speak Arabic - undoubtedly, a prerequisite to genuine cultural understanding as well as an indication for deep-rooted interest in a specific culture.

It may appear cynical to think so, but I cannot rid myself from the feeling that the 'Saudi' angle was a good way for the author to get a very average imagination and literary craftsmanship into book stores. The book certainly does not suggest any genuine interest in this society. The sales pitch, though, is easy enough to see. There was indeed a place for crime novels set in the Middle East. Too bad though, it was not written by a local.

In Zoe Ferraris' portrayal of Saudi culture we learn that women are oppressed, that they have to wear burqas, that women have to walk behind men, that there are separate sitting rooms for women and men, that men cannot be alone with women, especially unmarried women, that people eat Shawarma and seemingly nothing else in Saudi Arabia, that there is a strict religious police and capital punishment, ...but in terms of objective insights into the social make-up of the country this is pretty much it. The sort of 'cultural insight' I suspect some commentators ravish about must be, for instance, the fact that walking with a burqa can be difficult because you can't actually see through these things properly. An insider's perspectives I was indeed not aware of. The pun is intentional and the quality of the humour at par with the usefulness of what we learn. There just isn't much.

Other areas the author touches upon and that would indeed be of immense interest if portrayed with true insight are women at work and their professional relationships to men, and to a lesser extent women in their private lives, be it as sisters, mothers, wives or daughters as opposed to the public image of women.

The former figures quite prominently and yet the descriptions are so vastly inconsistent and contradictory at times that one is left perplexed with utter disbelief and distrust of the author's true insights, cultural understanding of the place and hence the relevance and value of her views. On the one hand Ms Ferraris portrays professional life so restrictive for women, so utterly male dominated and pious that there are constant issues about who is in a room with whom, people 'blushing' all the time, looking awkwardly into empty places to avoid eye contact, restrictions due to dress codes etc..and on the other hand we hear the same central, female and professionally ultra junior character make career-defining, self-promoting pitches to her superiors worthy of any up-and-coming, ambitious NY criminal investigator, we see the character take a pro-active role in her very first interview of a suspect, and another week on during an interrogation in presence of her boss say things like "your problem is that you can't get a woman....You think women should be your sex slaves. That's what (so and so) was to you, A pretty face. A cute, tight .... Someone you thought you could ... if you felt like it". The language is utterly rude and I leave it out purposefully. Words you would expect from a police woman in the The Wire and deepest Baltimore, but in Jeddah? It's possible, the reader does not know but it clashes harshly with all the ultra-sensitive, pious descriptions of society and individual characters. Or do we have to imagine Jeddah and the (female) work place ultimately as a meritocratic place where a woman defines her destiny after all, where her courage and aptitude triumphs over religious conventions and pre-defined gender roles? The story gives incoherent and hence misleading clues. When in doubt, the integrity with which she portrays the local culture and, indeed, characters always seems to take a backseat to the need to develop the story line.

The repetitiveness with which the author employs the ever recurring few cultural observations of Saudi culture is a final clue as to how razor thin her insights into Saudi culture truly are.

As far as women and their roles in families go, most of what we hear are atrocities that seem to confirm deep-seated fears and ressentiments of the average and above all clueless reader regarding Saudi Arabia. We hear about women who are killed for taking contraceptive pills, maids seem to be killed so frequently that indeed it lends itself as a ploy to disguise a 'regular' murder as such or we hear about a short woman who is confined to her room and abused by her brother as a "freak" and a sight he wants to avoid at all costs. The ignorant reader sees all of his or her prejudices around Saudi gender issues fully confirmed.

There really is no point in reading this book if your motive is to find out a bit more about Saudi culture.

Pressed upon this extremely poor depiction of, let's call it, 'day-to-day Wahhabism' is a story line for a crime novel that follows the same architecture as most modern crime novels. The short chapters, a restricted number of characters, interlaced story-lines, short sentences, etc...all this makes for an easy read and the author achieves a degree of suspense by following this successful recipe closely. But her lack of imagination is reflected in a closer analysis of the 'crime'. It is difficult to go into detail without giving away too much and spoiling it for others. One thing worth keeping an eye out for, though, is the element of coincidence. The more 'coincidence' you find in both a criminal ploy and the chain of events leading to solving of the crime, the less convinced I am generally about the author's imagination.

The Guardian's Laura Wilson referred to this book as a '...knowledgeable and sensitive depiction of a place where religion, used as a blunt instrument, has given rise to a stultifying, paranoid and sex-obsessed society.' Dwell on these words and what they say about Saudi Arabia's culture. As I said, the author lived in Jeddah for 9 months !

[Alex Cantone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone knew that if a suspect could not be found, the police would happily take a relative as insurance, until the suspect chose to turn themselves in…so most relatives attempted to portray an unhappy family – in the hope that an officer would actually believe it.

Part police procedural / part love story, “City of Veils” is set in the Red Sea port of Jeddah, where a woman’s body is washed ashore, her face and hands mutilated to obscure her identity and other wounds. The investigation is led by DI Osama Ibrahim, married with a young son, assisted by Officer Katya Hijazi, who has lied to the police to allow her to work in the forensics lab on female victims, and her male friend, Nayir al-Sharqi.

After a month in the States, American Miriam Walker returns to Jeddah to join her husband Eric, who works in Saudi Arabia as a security consultant. When he is not at the airport to meet her she is confined in a room for unescorted women, desperately trying his mobile. When he finally arrives and takes her back to the untidy flat he immediately goes out for food while she rests. When she awakes the food is on the table but Eric has disappeared, leaving her to wonder if he has been arrested by the religious police.

The separate themes of murder investigation and missing person progress, slowly at times, until about 40% through the book when the two overlap, with the discovery of a memory card planted in Miriam’s bag, and a temporary marriage certificate, known as a misyar.

Author Zoë Ferraris spent many years in Jeddah with her husband’s family and writes candidly on the roles and restrictions imposed on Saudi women – the difficulties in securing work and independence, the tensions arising in extended families, but also on Saudi men walking a tightrope of emotions to find love, and for infidels like Eric who work there with somewhat glamorised illusions.

It was no comfort that even Americans were miserable in marriage, although (Nayir) had the notion that Eric had come here and failed to understand that when a woman stays cloistered, your duties to her multiply a dozen-fold.

This was the second book I have read this year with a Saudi theme (Jericho's War by Gerald Seymour), which I enjoyed, this one less so with its focus firmly on the stifling heat and humidity of Jeddah. For me it takes off when Miriam, struggling to see through her burqa as she desperately tries to find her husband, is seized and taken to the Empty Quarter (Rub al-Khali), which features in both books. That bit I really liked, though overall, I feel I learned a lot more about the Quran and Saudi culture through this one, and appreciated the glossary of terms at the end of the book.

[Lisa (NY) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've escaped into a good detective thriller with likable, complex characters. City of Veils was fast-paced and enjoyable and also provided a glimpse into the veiled world of Saudi Arabia.

It was eye-opening for me to read about the daily obstacles women must undergo just to be part of the workforce in a society that represses and degrades them. Now I'm inspired to read Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman's Awakening . And I'll definitely read the next book in this series.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wondered several times during The City of Veils if I could read another Nayir Sharqi mystery after this follow-up to the mesmerizing Finding Nouf. The oppressive Saudi culture and the unforgiving interpretation of Islam that requires subjugating women sets a haunting and desperate tone that is almost unbearable. I wince at the thought of spending more time in the wet, stifling heat of Jeddah and with its suffocated citizens.

Yet, this is a brilliant and irresistible work of literary crime fiction. The characters are full and complete individuals, despite the deadweight of Saudi cultural mores. Beneath their abaaya, some Saudi women are pushing back, at great risk to their lives. They pursue education and careers, reject traditional marriage, and raise their burquas to reveal their individuality. Their defiance is a very lonely pursuit, but together these women are exposing the weaknesses in the armor of conservative Islam.

Perhaps more remarkable is the author's nuanced portrayal of men in contemporary Saudi culture. Nayir Sharqi, a pious Bedouin guide, is bewildered by his attraction to lab technician Katya Hijazi, whose independence and ambition verge on blasphemy. Detective Osama Ibrahim is proud of his successful wife, Nuha, and their seemingly equitable marriage, but his confidence as a progressive husband is shaken when his wife acts on her own to preserve her independence. It is, in fact, the American men who behave most callously and carelessly with women, using Saudi culture as an excuse for neglect and betrayal.

As crime fiction, there are classic and familiar elements. Nayir Sharqi, desert guide turned investigator, is a solitary and reluctant hero. Like many of his Western potboiler counterparts, he suffers from addiction, but his is not to drugs or alcohol- it is to a conservative interpretation of Islam. Katya provides us with the perspective of a police insider. She is a patient observer, seeking mentors in her colleagues who unwittingly guide her clandestine investigations. Her sweet and cooperative attitude belie the spine of steel she needs to advance, nay, survive in this regimented society. Jeddah, on the Red Sea, and the desert just outside its borders, are vivid and multi-dimensional characters that Ferraris reveals to shattering effect.

The premise of the crime, its investigation and resolution are brilliantly and originally crafted. Ferraris's writing is less fluid and more direct than Finding Nouf, but the story is stronger. Ferraris flashes literary genius of great depth; the sandstorm in the desert was one of the most breathless, tense and engrossing scenes I have encountered.

The stage is set for a continuation of this series. I wonder how Ms. Ferraris will continue to develop her characters in a regime that deliberately stifles individual growth and reflection, one that forces men and women into an artificial division of thought and a literal division of social interaction. I hope that the author doesn't write herself into a corner, confined by the strictures of Saudi Islam. If anyone can write her way out of these constraints, surely it is she.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in a 3 book detective series set in Saudi Arabia.
I loved it. Learning about cultures and religions that differ from my own has always interested me, and of course I love a good mystery, so this series is tailor made for me. And I love the characters, especially Nayir, who is a devout man, a thinker, with a natural kindness, and who recognizes that he is falling in love with someone (Katya-another wonderful character) who is more independent than traditional Muslim women, and he struggles mightily with this.

I have read a lot of other reviews of this book, and of the first book, as well. The author is an American woman, who lived in Saudi for less than a year, and there are some negative reviews from some readers who feel she is presumptuous to write about a culture and a religion-and specifically about the roles of women-that is not her own. While I understand this intellectually, I also appreciate the reality that there are different levels of “devout” within Islam, just as there are within Judaism and Christianity. I did not feel there was criticism, on the author’s part, but she is looking at the culture and religion through her American eyes. I mean, how else can she look at it?

I am looking forward to the next-and final-book.

[Jeanette (Ms. Feisty) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life for women in Saudi Arabia =

Burqa required
Brain optional
BYOB(Bring Your Own Brother/Bodyguard/Bedouin) any time you set foot outside your home.

I thought City of Veils, although perhaps overlong, was a much better novel than Finding Nouf. It explores the varying levels of compliance with religious law in what is considered an "open" city, from both a male and female perspective. I found it especially interesting to read how modernization might pose dilemmas for devout men, as we usually tend to focus on the strictures placed on women.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Description: The body of a young woman is discovered on the grimy sands of Jeddah beach; soon afterwards, a strong-minded American woman finds herself alone and afraid in the most repressive city on earth when her husband suddenly disappears.

Investigating police officer Osama Ibrahim, forensic scientist Katya Hijazi and her friend, the strictly devout Bedouin guide Nayir Sharqi join forces to search out the truth in the scorching city streets and the vast, lethal emptiness of the desert beyond.

Breathtakingly fast-paced, sure-footed and thrilling, this novel paints in dazzling colours a city of veils in which more is hidden than is revealed, and nothing is what it seems.

Opening: The woman’s body was lying on the beach. “Eve’s tomb,” he would later come to think of it, not the actual tomb in Jeddah that was flattened in 1928, to squash out any cults attached to her name, nor the same one that was bulldozed again in 1975, to confirm the point. This more fanciful tomb was a plain, narrow strip of beach north of Jeddah.

'Slavery had been outlawed in the kingdom in 1962,
 but that hadn’t changed the fact that it still
 existed in some quarters
 under the less charged name of domestic help.'

4* Finding Nouf (Nayir Sharqi & Katya Hijazi #1)
3* City of Veils (Nayir Sharqi & Katya Hijazi #2)

[Eszter Faatima Sabiq · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hesitated between 2 and 3 stars because it is an entertaining read but also full of pretentious nonsene. The writer is trying hard to describe Saudis, Arabs and Muslims in a surprisingly unconventional way- the bad guy is an atheist, the good guy is a fundamentalist and Islam is nice just misunderstood etc. but she fails in understanding how Muslims feel or think in the framework of their beliefs and religion and towards an authority representing and enforcing one understanding of Islam. She also fails in making me believe she understand her male characters or the way men feel and think about the world in general (muslim and non-muslim alike) so the characters in the novel do not act, think, speak or feel the way they possibly would but the way an American woman living in the Saudi thinks they feel. There are also basic faults in her knowledge about the religion which is most apparent when she makes the assumption that the Quran as known today is a translation, when the rhythm and poetry of Quran depends solely on it being in Arabic. Another horribly silly thing is the way Nayir makes a hose from camel intestines- I am not sure what Ms Ferraris thought intestines contain when taken fresh out of a corpse, so in case she reads reviews on Goodreads, I share this piece of valuable information: they are full of shit. Anyhow, I read it until the end, so I guess that means it is enjoyable (or else I am a masochist which I am not) so I gave it a 3.

[Giovanni Gelati · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is an eye opener. I am the proud father of seven girls (we also have a son) and must say that the way in which women are treated in the Middle East have always stunned me. City of Veils gave me a new perspective on the whole thing. Zoe Ferraris has a unique viewpoint being both a woman and having lived in the Middle East, experiencing it first-hand. Her previous novel, Finding Nouf, was a Los Angeles Times Prize Winner.
Here is the summary of the novel; 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 filmmaker named Leila, whose controversial documentaries earned her many enemies. But was it Leila’s work with an incendiary Korainic scholar or a missing American man who got her killed?
The plotline is intense, riveting and eye opening to say the least. Ferraris paints a picture and mindset that I would think most Western thinking people, men and women alike, find hard to comprehend and embrace. How do you identify a woman that is murdered that has to have her face shielded seemingly at all times? Difficult job, yes I would think. Maybe our friend Mr. Monk the obsessive/ compulsive detective can find a difference in her burka versus another woman’s, but he isn’t in this novel. But I digress.
I enjoyed this novel on many levels because it really challenged me. The setting, the mindset, the language and customs are all foreign to me. The manner in which the detective had to go about his business, the treatment of the women all were a surprise to me and at times enlightening. Ferraris uses all these things to the reader’s advantage as she takes us on a journey that I don’t think many of us have a chance to go on in this genre. So for that my hat is off to her. City of Veils is a unique novel for the reasons listed and many more. Dare to be different, give this novel a go, add it to your Goodreads - to read- list and challenge yourself. I think that the suspense and mystery of the novel combined with grappling to understand the mindset of the culture prove to a winning combination.
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[Blaine DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began reading this book for International Womens Day. Whether you are a woman or a man (as I am) this book is another wake up call by one of my favorite authors, Zoe Ferraris. This is the 2nd book in her short 3 volume series and transports us back to Saudi Arabia where we are faced with not just a shocking murder, but the continued shocking treatment of women in this conservative Muslim country. I am not about to outline all the issues that are presented here, including one called "summer wives" but suffice it to say that the more we read about this country the more concerned I am about both their treatment of women and the way their faith controls their entire actions. So fellow readers, don't just sit and pat ourselves on the back for how far we have come in America, but rather sit down and have a read of Zoe's book and understand how women are treated in the Saudi Arabia and how far a road they have to travel for basic rights.
Why a 4****, because Zoe completely stopped writing this series after one more book. I love the characters of Nayir and Katya and am sad that there is only one more book to go!

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A female dead body has washed up on the beach. While it isn't perfectly clear how long she has been in the water, the police estimate probably not more than a week. The police recognize the woman died a violent death. We are told how they know it was violent, but we are saved from experiencing the actual violence.

I was very happy to be back with Nayir and Katya. Katya has been given a promotion and has her own lab cubicle. She is recognized for her good and thorough work and is assigned tasks that are important to the investigation. She is surprised when she is also taken with a male officer to interview possible suspects. Nayir is still the very conservative Muslim. In this he sees things that conflict with Muslim laws and yet compassion says perhaps those laws might be ignored. It would be hard to find a character who faces more conflicts within his own moral compass.

I thought Ferraris spent more time than necessary focusing on the restrictions Muslim women face. There are a couple of places where doing so felt as if she was padding her novel. Those places are relatively brief, however, and perhaps I'm being too harsh. These restrictions are part and parcel of the setting. It is a setting I appreciate being able to experience - though certainly from afar! Some of the novel bleeds into the thriller category. The solution to the murder of the woman on the beach was completely unexpected. (Although now that I know that solution, it occurs to me that perhaps others will be more discerning.)

It is highly recommended this series be read in order and I feel lucky to have accidentally started with the first, Finding Nouf. While this is was no more than a good 3-stars for me, I look forward to the next installment.

[Vivone Os · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nekako nisam bila za čitanje zadnjih dana i trebalo mi je jako dugo da se pokrenem s čitanjem, ali kad jesam, brzo sam stigla do kraja.
Zanimljiva, krimi priča koja je samo pokrov ispod kojega se priča o muško-ženskim odnosima, religijskim zakonima i pravilima, zatiranju prava žena u Saudijskoj Arabiji. Glavni likovi Katya i Nayir su mi dragi i naravno da sam cijelo vrijeme navijala za njih, ali u ovom nastavku upoznajemo i neke druge likove koji su malo preuzeli radnju. No to nije pokvarilo moj dojam knjige. Neke situacije su mi bile malo nevjerojatne i pretjerane (Nayir u pustinjskoj oluji), ali sveukupno sam uživala u knjizi.

Bookopoly 2024. – Other Culture
Globalni ciljevi: nastavak serijala

[Mirela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ova knjiga ima sve što treba imati punokrvni triler. Odličan zaplet , savršenu napetost koja ne prestaje ni na jednoj stranici , jako zanimljive glavne likove koji se bore sa nekim svojim "demonim " . Uz sve to spisateljica nas upoznaje sa jednom kulturom koja je nama "zapadnjacima" uglavnom nepoznata , a koja u čitaocu stvara dodatnu dozu napetosti i intrige . Poglavlja su kratka , čita se u jednom dahu , preporuka svima koji vole dobar krimić / triler.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some books that we do regret when it's finished. This is one of them.

4* City of Veils
TR Finding Nouf
TR Kingdom of Strangers

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Leila was bold,” she said. “She was brilliant and creative and nothing frightened her. However, she pissed a lot of people off. She only filmed B-roll to support her real passion, which was a documentary project she was working on. She called it
City of Veils.”

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!

Another winner from author Zoe Ferraris. City of Veils is a must read if you read her first novel in this series, Finding Nouf. I read Finding Nouf some time ago and enjoyed it so much. I always intended to read this next book in the series. I really don't have any logical excuse for the delay. Maybe I forgot how much I liked these characters. Catching up with Katya and Nayir was like a reunion with old friends.

This is a murder mystery series with a twist. What makes this so interesting is that they are set in Saudi Arabia. With all the religious laws and customs of that land it is intriguing to learn not only how the people live but how they handle crime.

What I loved about this book was not only the fact that it was another good unpredictable mystery from this author and this location but that the same characters that we connected with in the first novel seemed to grow and mature. This is what you want from an author of a series. You want the characters to progress. We got to learn more about our main characters Katya and Nayir and they metamorphasized right before our eyes. These characters were not one dimensional by a long shot. As they solved the mystery they came out of their preconceived boxes and blossomed. By the end of the book they were new characters. I liked this a lot. We as human beings do mature and grow from our experiences in life and it was great to see the characters do this in a book. We also met a few new characters. One in particular, Osama Ibrahim, who I hope makes another appearance in the third book or even in his own series. That would be great. I don't own the third book but I hope to get my hands on it soon.

This book really gets 6 stars from me. I do recommend it to anyone. There was action, suspense, murder, detectives and a little romance woven through. It's just good. Good ending too.

[Ayona Iona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book I thought was brilliant.
Crime, religion, culture and mystery all in one. FAB!!!!
I don't like to make a review and basically tell what the whole story was about because then those who haven't read it know too much but the way the characters within the book are portrayed and portrayed with such realism I thought made this story all the more soo real. Each of the main characters intrigued me in their own way and I could relate to them all in way or another. As a Muslim woman I think I related to Miriam best out of the women who was a Christian woman.

Not regarding her faith but regarding her worries and struggles as a non Saudi trying to adapt to living life in Saudi Arabia style. That is something I wouldn't even attempt or want to do ever! lol

I loved the way the main muslim characters in the book ( Nayir, Osama, Katya) all represented Muslims upon different perspectives of how they lived Islam without any one being mocked or portrayed as wrong or weird.

I am not sure how much of crime statistics of treatment of women and murders was real but it did remind me how unheard and of course unseen women in Saudi really are and may Allah make things easy for all oppressed and ill treated women irrespective of race or religion where ever they are.
Recommend this book no doubt to all who haven't read it.

[Beth (bibliobeth) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this novel when it first started! I was so intrigued by it being set in the middle east and was fascinated to learn more about what is expected of women in that culture. However, the story didn't really go anywhere and I didn't really warm to any of the characters. Just an ok book for me.

[Andrew H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ferraris isn't a great stylist, but tells a story very well. City of Veils is a crime novel with a distinct interest in social issues, the repression of women in Saudi Arabia. Sometimes, Ferraris loses balance and the social commentary takes over from thriller. I am puzzled how this controversial novel escaped censure. Overall, a worthwhile and entertaining read.

[Rick Slane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains a good description of a desert sand storm.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was read for my 2016 Reading Challenge Around the World in 80 Books

I first discovered Zoë Ferraris when I read around the world in 2013. So I was really excited for this challenge when I saw another book had been released in the Nayir Sharqi & Katya Hijazi saga. A murder mystery and criminal investigation set against the religious extremism and the harsh desert of Saudi Arabia is the perfect combination for a cannot-put-this-down read. City of Veils picks up roughly a year after Finding Nouf, the first in the series. Nayir Sharqi & Katya Hijazi have distanced, after what appeared to be the beginnings of a relationship. Nayir Sharqi is a devout Muslim man, and a scholar of the Qur’an. Katya Hijazi is a modern woman who continues to work in the medical examiner’s office, and is forced to lie about being married to keep her job. A new case, the tortured body of a young Saudi woman tortured washes up on the beach, intrigues Katya as she attempts to look past the burqa at who this woman really was and what caused her death. This story also has an element of an outsider looking in as well, with the storyline of an American woman searching for her missing American husband who may or may not have connections with the washed up woman. It’s riveting.

This is great mystery, no doubt, but I think it’s the cultural and religious backdrop of this tumultuous country make it a page-turner. A character in the story references Saudi Arabia as a city of veils, and it seems so true. As an American, it’s hard to imagine or fathom what happens in the country, and this book pulls back the veil a little, and it isn’t always beautiful. This story really highlights the treatment of woman in Saudi Arabia also, which I think is a conversation worth having. I also appreciate Nayir Sharqi’s perspective throughout the story. He’s a highly conservative Muslim man, who believes that woman should remain covered at all times and that their place is in the home. Yet, he sees himself falling for Katya who is independent and often leaves her face uncovered. His thoughts are eye-opening as to how a devout Muslim man could view the world. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and am excited to read the third installment too!

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complicated. A good mystery in an unusual environment. Ferraris appears to have learned a great deal while in Saudi for several years. I especially liked the description of the sand storm near the Empty Quarter. But Ferraris also threads needles in describing the fine distinctions between deeply religious Muslims and fundamentalist Muslims. Her main male characters are thoughtful, questioning, fair, conflicted, and not always religious, though some are. Ferraris' descriptions of their logic and thinking processes are intelligent and nuanced. It was an interesting and enlightening mystery for me, whose lack of experience in Middle Eastern culture sometimes leaves me frustrated, suspicious, and unclear about people's motives. Considering traditional Muslim culture is just about as far from modern American culture as it is possible to be, bridging some of the misunderstandings that can occur and showing the modesty and sincerity and goodness of intention that Muslim society treasures, Ferraris actually does a service at the same time as she spins the mystery.

The form of the mystery itself appears to be the familiar model of lead investigator (male) and a sidekick (female). Though there were times when it seemed positively ludicrous that a woman could be on a forensic team in Saudi considering the contraints, just the effort of imagining it made it interesting. And then we are forced to speculate how could it be otherwise? I had a look at the earlier book in the series, called Finding Nouf and I must admit I found it as frustrating and annoying as beginning City of Veils . Something about the contraints people operate under in the Middle East seem artificial and absurd. I find myself getting impatient. In the end, however, whatever I didn't like about City of Veils Was outweighed by what I learned and what I liked. As a Western woman, it is so easy to slam conservative Muslim men as neanderthal throwbacks. But understanding aids comprehension and Ferraris makes some attempt to show Muslim men as reasonable, both those that are religious and those that are not. It is no mean feat and she deserves kudos.

[Wanda]

17 DEC 2015 - a recommendation through Bettie. She really does read great books. Many Thanks, Dear Friend.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page-turner! Riveting mystery set in exotic Saudi Arabia. The 2nd story to feature some great characters: investigator Nayir Sharqi & forensic scientist Katya Hijazi. Part police procedural, part thriller, culturally immersive & thought provoking with a thread of romance. Enjoyed it!

[switterbug (Betsey) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeddah is an intriguing place to set this crime thriller/social examination of Islamic culture. It is the gateway to Mecca, but also the most cosmopolitan of cities in Saudi Arabia. It lends itself to exploring the conflicts between a more traditional way of thinking and a more progressive outlook. The novel contains men and women on various sides of belief, as well as the American perspective. In Jeddah, laws are more liberal, and lend itself to some ambiguity, such as the wearing of the burqa for women. It isn't mandated like in Riyadh, but you still may end up being picked up by the religious police.

The novel opens with a dead body of a woman, brutally mutilated, washed up on the beach. Unidentified, they labeled her "Eve," after Eve's tomb, the narrow strip of beach north of Jeddah where she is found.

We then cut to Miriam Walker, an American woman boarding the plane (after a month-long vacation in the States) back to Saudi Arabia to return to her husband, Eric, who is working for a year as a bodyguard and making good money. Miriam is concerned because he is warming to Saudi culture. She is cold on the culture and doesn't enjoy being cloistered, not being able to drive, and being treated as a second-class citizen. She meets a strange Western man on the plane, Apollo Mabus, who is a Qu'ran scholar.

The story moves forward and backward, introducing the main characters, such as Osama, the more progressive inspector of police, and Nayir, a conflicted man who holds tightly to tradition while it slips away. He loves Katya, a lab technician in the crime lab. She has a lot of ambition, and getting married at twenty is not high on the list of her priorities.

The novel delicately scrutinizes Jeddah's way of life as it probes the evidence in this case. I was more fascinated with the social interrogation than the tracking of Eve's killer. The thriller aspect lacked tension, and the outcome was a bit anticlimactic for me. But the story's inquiry into Islamic beliefs, and how it affected the individual characters, held my attention far more than the crime-solving. I even chuckled a few times, such as the revealing of the "burqini"--Islam's acceptable form on the Western bikini.

If you are looking for a super crime-thriller, this may not fulfill that desire. The pacing is casual and rarely taut. But, there was a superb adventure out in the desert in a fierce sandstorm. That was a nail-biter. However, if you are up for a peek behind the burqa, into the clash of Islamic culture within its own community, as well as the American (mal)adaptation to living there, you're in for a satisfying tale.

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not typical thriller. You don't race through it, figure out whodunit by page 30, roll your eyes when the heroine predictably bangs some FBI agent or her partner, and forget about it. Instead, this is a very thought evoking and eye opening story. As well as a murder mystery, this book includes an eye opening look at what life is like for women in Saudi Arabia. Some choose to hide behind the veil, some are tired of hiding behind the veil. Some dare to walk out of their homes without a male escort, some are too afraid. Very slowly, women there are beginning to timidly struggle towards equality. And there are the men that frown upon it and there are the men that are confused by what they feel and what the Quran says, like Nayir.

Nayir struggles with his faith and his feelings for Katya thoughout the novel. Meanwhile, Katya is trying to move up the ranks of the police department, lying about her marital status. There's also an American woman, Miriam, searching for her lost husband who is in some way connected to a dead Muslim girl. Osama is working with Katya and he is having issues with his wife and like Nayir, struggling with cultural beliefs and his beliefs.

I really enoyed Katya's and Miriam's parts, Nayir's not so much. I wanted to jump into the book and smack some sense into him. He's very contradictory in the things he does but even he realizes this. I think the man just may start to change and pull his head out of one of his orifices as the series continues.

Very good book, but for a thriller novel, it was a bit slow moving at times. Thus, four stars.

This was a firstreads win.

[Jamie Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this second book from Ferraris: another murder mystery set in modern day Saudi Arabia. Perhaps someone suggested that her first book was too sympathetic to Saudi culture, because this one is much harsher. We get the point of view of an American woman who feels trapped and humiliated by the restrictions on women - her husband is late picking her up at the airport so that we can witness the procedure for “unclaimed women”. We see a woman being chastised on the street by the religious police for not covering her head; we see a public beating and a public execution.

The murder mystery itself is weak, but then the author spends a minimal amount of time on it. I was much more interested in the personal struggles of the protagonists: Nayir, a devout, traditional Muslim who is a desert guide when he’s not solving murders; and Katya, a forensic pathologist who is trying to become a police detective even though she’s not allowed to travel unescorted or talk to strange men. A new character introduced in this book is Osama, a young police officer with a modern outlook.

I have no idea how accurately the author portrays the culture (she lived for a few months in Jeddah with her ex-husband’s family) but these are fascinating reads. I look forward to her third book, which was just released.