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Persian Roulette
A hilarious, mile-a-minute thriller providing a sharp-eyed satire of our globalized world, in which those who shout loudest, shoot fastest, and spend most always try to come out on top
In the midst of the global financial downturn, listless financier and ex-special forces officer Harry Linley accepts the seemingly innocent task
of spending a week house-sitting for a friend. By the end of the first night, however, two men are dead on the kitchen floor. A handful of disparate international strangers find themselves subsequently entangled in a web of deceit, sex, and murder among the glittering towers of Dubai, with a seemingly unstoppable chain of miscommunication threatening to bring them and the world to ruin. At the heart of all this a beautiful, white Persian cat.
In the midst of the global financial downturn, listless financier and ex-special forces officer Harry Linley accepts the seemingly innocent task
of spending a week house-sitting for a friend. By the end of the first night, however, two men are dead on the kitchen floor. A handful of disparate international strangers find themselves subsequently entangled in a web of deceit, sex, and murder among the glittering towers of Dubai, with a seemingly unstoppable chain of miscommunication threatening to bring them and the world to ruin. At the heart of all this a beautiful, white Persian cat.
304 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 13, 2015
Harry, a former Special Forces guy, is a nice guy. He works for a hedge fund in the Dubai. When he agrees to cat-sit for an acquaintance for a week, his life and the lives of all around him are turned topsy-turvy. He thwarts an attempt of his life but that is just the beginning of the misunderstandings.
This is an entertaining romp that mixes Russian Mafia, global politics, spies, beautiful women and an even more beautiful cat. No one is quite whom they purport to be and the misconceptions just keep coming, building one on the other.
While it didn't have me rollicking in the aisles, I loved the irony and the cynical humour. Confusion reigns supreme throughout but by the end of the book, the fates of those involved were strangely satisfying. Clearly though, there are plans for a follow-up. As long as Harry and Bunny are involved, count me in.
This is an entertaining romp that mixes Russian Mafia, global politics, spies, beautiful women and an even more beautiful cat. No one is quite whom they purport to be and the misconceptions just keep coming, building one on the other.
While it didn't have me rollicking in the aisles, I loved the irony and the cynical humour. Confusion reigns supreme throughout but by the end of the book, the fates of those involved were strangely satisfying. Clearly though, there are plans for a follow-up. As long as Harry and Bunny are involved, count me in.
May 6, 2015
I didn't know what to expect since this was my first Oscar King book well suffice to say I'm glad I picked this up!
A hilarious read filled with unexpected twists and turns and with a cat involved to boot!!
Can't wait for the next book!
I'd like to thank NetGalley for providing me with a review copy.
A hilarious read filled with unexpected twists and turns and with a cat involved to boot!!
Can't wait for the next book!
I'd like to thank NetGalley for providing me with a review copy.
September 29, 2018
Living in Abu Dhabi and visiting Dubai regularly, I wanted to read a story based where I live. So many things we take for granted here are described in the story: the street sweeper making nearly nothing; religion rules many decisions; UAE prisons; UAE surveillance and collection of metadata; the Palm, numbered plates, coffee shops and extreme wealth. Well done.
It took awhile for me to get into the story because of how it started, and given how it started, I expected Omar to follow-up with the young officer who lied to him over the numbered plate, and I wanted closure with the woman from whom it was stolen. Once you put the pieces together, this is an enjoyable and entertaining read. The author did a nice job with plot twists, and took a very unusual turn in getting British and American intelligence involved. Well thought through. This was odd, fun and engaging all at once. Thank you.
Based on my read, I'm guessing this author is not a native English speaker. Not a problem except that the editor should have corrected the numerous grammatical flaws. The author did his job; the editor should as well.
It took awhile for me to get into the story because of how it started, and given how it started, I expected Omar to follow-up with the young officer who lied to him over the numbered plate, and I wanted closure with the woman from whom it was stolen. Once you put the pieces together, this is an enjoyable and entertaining read. The author did a nice job with plot twists, and took a very unusual turn in getting British and American intelligence involved. Well thought through. This was odd, fun and engaging all at once. Thank you.
Based on my read, I'm guessing this author is not a native English speaker. Not a problem except that the editor should have corrected the numerous grammatical flaws. The author did his job; the editor should as well.
February 1, 2023
The plot is fabulous (the dispute of a crooked Iranian with some Russian thugs in Dubai triggers all sorts of events), the characters are interesting (the crooked Iranian, the English ex SAS, the numerous Russian thugs, the silly MI6 posh…) and it is at times hilarious. Looking forward to the sequel.
November 23, 2015
This is a true comedy of errors and although it wasn't 'hilarious' as suggested on the cover, I did enjoy it and have quite a few laughs.
This is the story of Harry Linley and Bunny, a white Persian cat – hence the title. Harry is ex-special forces and a financier living a quiet life, who suddenly finds himself in the middle of an adventure where he kills three and almost four people within as many weeks. The cause of all this mayhem is that he agrees to cat sit Bunny while the family that owns her is out of town. The novel is set in Dubai and involves Russian spies and has an interesting quirk at the end nothing at all to do with Harry and his adventures.
Could this be the new James Bond? I felt it was very similar in tempo and speed and there could easily be a film made out of this book. I have read this genre before, including a couple of James Bond novels, but not Oscar King and this is his first novel. I would be interested in the next instalment of this series – Moscow Payback. This would be a great story to read alone but I am not convinced there is enough for a book group to discuss.
This is the story of Harry Linley and Bunny, a white Persian cat – hence the title. Harry is ex-special forces and a financier living a quiet life, who suddenly finds himself in the middle of an adventure where he kills three and almost four people within as many weeks. The cause of all this mayhem is that he agrees to cat sit Bunny while the family that owns her is out of town. The novel is set in Dubai and involves Russian spies and has an interesting quirk at the end nothing at all to do with Harry and his adventures.
Could this be the new James Bond? I felt it was very similar in tempo and speed and there could easily be a film made out of this book. I have read this genre before, including a couple of James Bond novels, but not Oscar King and this is his first novel. I would be interested in the next instalment of this series – Moscow Payback. This would be a great story to read alone but I am not convinced there is enough for a book group to discuss.
November 22, 2015
I picked up this book from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review. I was looking for a light read and as a Persian cat owner I was intrigued. lol The story had a lot more substance than I thought it would, and I really enjoyed it. A recommended read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews