CSI Jeddah: Zoe Ferraris’s first novel,Finding Nouf, reads like an exotic CSI story, complete with a death in the first few minutes, illicit sex (yes, even in Jeddah), family members who may be telling the truth but rarely the whole truth, suspicious foreigners (a la the South Americans in CSI Miami), a determined and attractive investigator, herself (!) entangled with the victim, a twisted plot that unfolds both through standard detective work and the wonders of modern biology, and special local customs, from using potholders to open car doors when it’s 120 degrees Fahrenheit to, naturally, the condition of women in Saudi Arabia (a bit thickly laid on, that last one, but tolerable.)
Like CSI, Finding Noufis engrossing, occasionally unbelievable, and not always very subtle but fun. A great choice for a quick dose of exoticism.
