Kingdom of Strangers was published in 2012 with Little, Brown in the US and UK.

​

It was an Oprah Editors pick, one of Publisher's Weekly Best Books of Summer, and one of the Independent's Best Summer Reads.

 

For me, however, it was a grueling year of writing about both serial murder and the abuse of immigrant workers.  

​

For more information about the interviews and reviews for all of my books, check out the "Explore" section in the nav bar.

When a secret grave is unearthed in the Saudi desert containing the bodies of nineteen women, all with their hands cut off at the wrist, a shocking truth is revealed: a serial killer has been operating in Jeddah for more than a decade.

Even as he lands the biggest case of his career, lead inspector Ibrahim Zahrani is distracted by a mystery closer to home. His mistress, Sabria, has suddenly disappeared, yet as a respected law officer, husband, and father of five, he cannot report her missing without fear of reprisals. In Saudi Arabia, adultery is punishable by death. With nowhere else to turn, Ibrahim brings the case to forensic tech Katya Hijazi, who secretly hopes to be promoted to police detective.

Then a gruesome memento is left in an alley, signaling that there is a new victim. Is the same predator still at work, or was one killer trained by another? As Katya pursues both investigations, she is drawn into a dark underworld that exploits the most vulnerable members of Saudi society and at the same time threatens to reveal her own carefully guarded secret.

"Suspense and social commentary combine brilliantly as Katya's dilemmas provide insights into daily life in the kingdom, and the state of denial that exists about violence against women."

   —Joan Smith, The Sunday Times (UK)

​

"Ferraris has an unerring sense of place....Replete with bad cops, false leads, twists and sudden turns, this is superlative crime fiction mixed with unforced cultural analysis that bursts right out of genre constrictions."

   —Robin Yassin-Kassab, The Guardian (UK)

For a Kingdom of Strangers reading group guide, go to 
"Saudi Novels" in the nav bar.

All of the covers on my site represent only a portion of the actual publications. Publishers don't always send me copies of my books, or email pictures of their covers. If you see one that isn't here, I'd love to see it.