Abacus £6.99 (360pp)(free p&p) from the Independent Bookshop: 0870 079 8897

The Night of the Mi'raj, By Zoe Ferraris

Reviewed by Emma Hagestadt

Friday 24 April 2009

Set in Saudi Arabia, this compelling debut poses an arresting conundrum: how is crime investigated in a culture where men and women abide by different rules? When 16-year old Nouf disappears days before her wedding, her family are desperate to find her.

Yet when her body is discovered in a ravine, they seem just as keen to keep the crime under wraps. Only Nouf's stepbrother, Othaman, suspects a cover-up. To his aid comes Nayir, a desert guide, and fiancée Katya. The prickly working relationship between two amateur detectives lies at the heart of this psychological drama.

Suggested Topics
Arts and Entertainment

Drugs Live: Twitter reacts to Jon Snow and Jennie Bond smoking cannabis

TV
News
Graham Norton said Irish broadcaster RTE’s decision to settle was ‘moronic’

BBC cuts talent costs but faces an exodus of star presenters, report warns

TV
Arts and Entertainment
The crowd enjoy Latitude Festival 2014

Latitude announces 10th anniversary line-up

music
Arts and Entertainment
'I do think a woman's place is eventually in the home, but I see no harm in her having some fun before she gets there.'

'I certainly can't keep going'

Is this the end of the Dowager Countess?tv
Arts and Entertainment
Chris Martin of Coldplay performs live for fans at Enmore Theatre on June 19, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Coldplay will not headline Glastonbury, Eavis confirms

music
Arts and Entertainment
The modern Thunderbirds: L-R, Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon and John in front of their home, the exotic Tracy Island

New photos of non-puppet Thunderbirds released

TV
Arts and Entertainment
Natural beauty: Aidan Turner stars in the new series of Poldark

Poldark set to showcase the beauty of Cornwall

TV
Have you tried new the Independent Digital Edition apps?
Arts and Entertainment

A History of The Great War in 100 Moments

ebooksNow available in paperback
Arts and Entertainment

The Great Composers: fourteen of the giants of Western classical music

ebooks
Arts and Entertainment
Taylor Swift won Best International Solo Female (Getty)

Brit Awards 2015: Winners list in full

Brits 2015
Arts and Entertainment
Shining star: Maika Monroe, with Jake Weary, in ‘It Follows’

Tense teen horror It Follows gets under the skin

film review
Arts and Entertainment

Pharrell Williams becomes only non-white winner

Brits 2015
Arts and Entertainment
Paloma Faith arrives at the Brit Awards (Getty)

Paloma Faith wins British solo female gong at third attempt

Brits 2015
Arts and Entertainment
Anne Boleyn's beheading in BBC Two's Wolf Hall

Wolf Hall finale - 'simply brilliant TV'

TV review
Arts and Entertainment
Follow every rainbow: Julie Andrews in 'The Sound of Music'

The Sound of Music 50th anniversary

film Elizabeth Von Trapp reveals why the musical is so timeless
Arts and Entertainment
Bytes, camera, action: Leehom Wang in ‘Blackhat’

Blackhat used hacker to teach cast to code

film
Arts and Entertainment
The Libertines will headline this year's festival

The Libertines to headline Reading and Leeds

music
Arts and Entertainment
Richard Dean Anderson in the original TV series, which ran for seven seasons from 1985-1992

TV's handyman hero MacGyver returns – but with a difference

tv
Arts and Entertainment
Muscling in: Noah Stewart and Julia Bullock in 'The Indian Queen'

Can Sellars save the ENO?

opera
Arts and Entertainment
Olivia Colman and David Tennant star in 'Broadchurch'

Broadchurch series 3 predictions

TVViewers predict what will happen to Miller and Hardy
Arts and Entertainment
Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright in season two of the series

'Why do we do this Francis?'

Watch the new House of Cards series three trailer

TV
Arts and Entertainment
An extract from the sequel to Fight Club

Chuck Palahniuk gives first glimpse of Fight Club 2

books
Arts and Entertainment
David Tennant, Eve Myles and Olivia Colman in Broadchurch series two

Broadchurch ends on damp squib not even David Tennant can save

TV Review
Arts and Entertainment
Old dogs are still learning in 'New Tricks'

New Tricks axed by BBC after 12 years

TV
Arts and Entertainment
'Tonight we honour Hollywood’s best and whitest – sorry, brightest' - and other Neil Patrick Harris Oscars jokes

Neil Patrick Harris’s best and worst jokes

Oscars 2015It was the first time Barney has compered the Academy Awards
Arts and Entertainment
Patricia Arquette making her acceptance speech for winning Best Actress Award

12 things you missed

Oscars 2015 From Meryl Streep whooping Patricia Arquette's equality speech to Chris Pine in tears

Arts and Entertainment

Alejandro Iñárritu wins for Birdman

Oscars 2015 Mexican filmmaker uses speech to urge 'respect' for immigrants
Arts and Entertainment
Lloyd-Hughes takes the leading role as Ralph Whelan in Channel 4's epic new 10-part drama, Indian Summers

Indian Summers

TV Review

The intrigue deepens as we delve further but don't expect any answers just yet
Arts and Entertainment
Jason Segal and Cameron Diaz star in Sex Tape

And the award nobody wants goes to...

Razzies 2015 Golden Raspberry Awards 'honours' Cameron Diaz and Kirk Cameron
Arts & Ents blogs

Crowds at Lahore Lit Fest ignore bomb risks and raise hopes for Pakistan’s future

Rolo Tomassi Interview: “It’s comforting to know that we’ve not been treated as a novelty”

Goblin’s Claudio Simonetti on Profondo Rosso reaching the big 4-0

Latest stories from i100

independent images

Have you tried new the Independent Digital Edition apps?
SPONSORED FEATURES

Legendary isle of nights

The festival that made rock’n’roll history boasts a star-studded line up.

Crowdfunding Prizes & offers Business videos

Crowdfunding: The end-end solution for business success.

Calling all entrepreneurs! See how crowdfunding can provide you with a full-circle, end to end solution for your business.

Isle of Wight Prizes & offers Business videos

Enter the latest Independent competitions

Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.

Isle of Wight Crowdfunding Business videos

Business videos from commercial thought leaders

Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.

Isle of Wight Crowdfunding Prizes & offers

ES Rentals

    Independent Dating
    and  

    By clicking 'Search' you
    are agreeing to our
    Terms of Use.

    War with Isis: Iraq's government fights to win back Tikrit from militants - but then what?

    Baghdad fights to win back Tikrit from Isis – but then what?

    Patrick Cockburn reports from Kirkuk on a conflict which sectarianism has made intractable
    Katarina Johnson-Thompson: Heptathlete ready to jump at first major title

    Katarina Johnson-Thompson: Ready to jump at first major title

    After her 2014 was ruined by injury, 21-year-old Briton is leading pentathlete going into this week’s European Indoors. Now she intends to turn form into gold
    11 best gel eyeliners

    Go bold this season: 11 best gel eyeliners

    Use an ink pot eyeliner to go bold on the eyes with this season's feline flicked winged liner
    Syrian conflict is the world's first 'climate change war', say scientists, but it won't be the last one

    Climate change key in Syrian conflict

    And it will trigger more war in future
    How I outwitted the Gestapo

    How I outwitted the Gestapo

    My life as a Jew in wartime Berlin
    The nation's favourite animal revealed

    The nation's favourite animal revealed

    Women like cuddly creatures whilst men like creepy-crawlies
    Is this the way to get young people to vote?

    Getting young people to vote

    From #VOTESELFISH to Bite the Ballot
    Poldark star Heida Reed: 'I don't think a single bodice gets ripped'

    Poldark star Heida Reed

    'I don't think a single bodice gets ripped'
    The difference between America and Israel? There isn’t one

    The difference between America and Israel? There isn’t one

    Netanyahu knows he can get away with anything in America, says Robert Fisk
    Families clubbing together to build their own affordable accommodation

    Do It Yourself approach to securing a new house

    Community land trusts marking a new trend for taking the initiative away from developers
    Head of WWF UK: We didn’t send Cameron to the Arctic to see green ideas freeze

    David Nussbaum: We didn’t send Cameron to the Arctic to see green ideas freeze

    The head of WWF UK remains sanguine despite the Government’s failure to live up to its pledges on the environment
    Author Kazuo Ishiguro on being inspired by shoot-outs and samurai

    Author Kazuo Ishiguro on being inspired by shoot-outs and samurai

    Set in a mythologised 5th-century Britain, ‘The Buried Giant’ is a strange beast
    With money, corruption and drugs, this monk fears Buddhism in Thailand is a ‘poisoned fruit’

    Money, corruption and drugs

    The monk who fears Buddhism in Thailand is a ‘poisoned fruit’
    America's first slavery museum established at Django Unchained plantation - 150 years after slavery outlawed

    150 years after it was outlawed...

    ... America's first slavery museum is established in Louisiana
    Kelly Clarkson: How I snubbed Simon Cowell and become a Grammy-winning superstar

    Kelly Clarkson: How I snubbed Simon Cowell and become a Grammy-winning superstar

    The first 'American Idol' winner on how she manages to remain her own woman – Jane Austen fascination and all