Zoe Ferraris' debut novel is hailed as a startling, richly textured work. With
Finding Nouf, Ferraris delivers an electrifying page-turner that is at once a murder mystery and an intriguing glimpse into the culture of Saudi Arabia.
Nayir al-Sharqi, known by his friends for religious piety and his Bedouin-like knowledge of the desert, lends his assistance to a wealthy family when their soon to-be-married daughter Nouf goes missing. After a short search, the girl is found dead, apparently drowned in the desert during a freak deluge. Something about her death doesn't sit well with Nayir, however, and he makes an uncomfortable alliance with a female coroner's technician to determine what really happened.
The riveting mystery in Finding Nouf is complemented by the novel's engaging protagonist, whose romantic awakening will linger long in readers' thoughts.
