Layover in Dubai

by Dan Fesperman

The newest thriller from the author of The Amateur Spy and The Prisoner of Guantánamo (“Worthy of sharing shelf space with the novels of John le Carré and Ken Follett”—USA Today) is as dazzling as its setting.

Sam Keller has been enlisted by his V.P. for Corporate Security and Investigation to spy on another employee while they’re traveling for the company. Ordinarily careful to a fault, Sam decides to live it up. What better spot for business-class hedonism than boomtown Dubai, where resort islands materialize from open ocean, fortunes are made overnight, and skiers crisscross the snowy slope of a shopping mall.

But when Sam’s charge is murdered during a night on the town, it is only the first in a series of bewildering events that plunge him waist-deep into a lethal mix of mobsters, prostitutes, crooked cops, consuls, and corporate players.

Offering a chancy way out is Anwar Sharaf, the unlikeliest of detectives. A former pearl diver and gold smuggler with an undignified demeanor, Sharaf is sometimes as baffled as Sam by the changes to his homeland, especially as they are embodied in the behavior of his rebelliously independent—and hauntingly beautiful—daughter. But he knows where the levers of power reside. As the unlikely duo work their way toward the heart of the case, each man must confront the darkest forces threatening Dubai from within.

Here is Dan Fesperman’s most suspenseful novel yet: a stunning portrait of a city whose mysterious rhythm (“like the precision throb of an artificial heart, clicking and insistent, yet cool to the touch”) is underscored by the insistent clashing of old and new.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Espionage, Mystery Thriller

288 pages, Hardcover

First published July 13, 2010

About the author

Dan Fesperman’s travels as a writer have taken him to thirty countries and three war zones. Lie in the Dark won the Crime Writers’ Association of Britain’s John Creasey Memorial Dagger Award for best first crime novel, The Small Boat of Great Sorrows won their Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for best thriller, and The Prisoner of Guantánamo won the Dashiell Hammett Award from the International Association of Crime Writers. He lives in Baltimore.

Reviews

[Conor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, enjoyable, culturally-layered thriller. This book was a good way to spend two days worth of bus rides.

It became quickly clear that Fesperman wanted to pack as much information about Dubai into 290 pages as he could, which was handled smoothly for the first half of the book. I learned (for plausible plot reasons) about the land speculation bubble, foreign work visas, the Russian mafia, pearl diving, the upscale malls, and more! This was a joy But by the second half of the book the story was sidelined and the author's educational agenda took precedence. Weaving the underworld of a middle-eastern boomtown into a murder mystery made for good story but it was often clumsy work. Why did Ali hide Sam in a workcamp instead of one of his endless empty apartments? Oh, because Fesperman just HAD to show us the inhumane conditions there.

And I love an author with a wide vocabulary, but I believe I read the word "abeyance" in every chapter. If a character ever lifted a hand, it would be held "in abeyance." Too much.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two pieces of important advice:
1. Don't take a job with a sketchy pharmaceutical company
2. Don't get involved with the police in Dubai.

Life lessons for our hero.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bummer of a layover.
You're in Dubai with a colleague having some potentially illicit fun when your colleague gets himself murdered. And since you are a character in a Dan Fesperman novel, you know that there is nothing random about this act of violence, that you are going to be caught in a messy situation up to your earlobes, and that you are never going to make that connection to Hong Kong.
If you liked other Dan Fesperman thrillers such as "The Arms Maker of Berlin" and "The Warlord's Son," you'll probably like "Layover in Dubai." The Visit Dubai Tourism Bureau probably didn't like it so much. It certainly didn't make me want to add visiting Dubai to my bucket list.
The fact that books like this are easy to read doesn't mean they're easy to write. Fesperman is a proficient writer in this genre. He keeps the plot rolling along without making it seem too dumb. I like that nasty language is used infrequently and that the sex is kept at no more than about a PG-13 level.

[Pattie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A friend picked this book for me to read while I was visiting the U.S. It was a better than fair murder mystery and very easy read. The characters were enjoyable enough to read about but certainly lacked depth. Sadly, Dan Fesperman only took the time to show the "underbelly" of Dubai casting quite a negative view on the city and the people within. After now living in the sister city of Abu Dhabi for over two years I found this quite disappointing. I know the Dubai he portrays exists but certainly not as prominently has he would have one think. Sorry Mr. Fesperman but I won't be recommending your book to any of my friends!

[Janis Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every once in a while I want to read a thriller. I go to the library and randomly select some books. 90% are disappointments. Stupid first-person writing dripping with ego. Lots of guns n' women...and by women I mean redheads with hazel or green eyes with little gold flecks in them when our hero gets close enough to see. Ugh. But this one was a pleasure. The exotic location, a nice enough protagonist--the flap copy doesn't mention our Hero is an auditor! Hooray for auditors caught in some steamy, seamy business. Nice to not just read about the Jetsons-style skyline, but also about the poor stooges who build them. I am glad I took the chance. I read to the very end!

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having lived in the UAE for seven years, it's a pretty vivid portrait. The author "gets" the family relationships, especially the tension between ambitious young women seeking modernity and their more traditional parents.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

So disappointed in the ending.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brother asked me to help plan activities for his 11-hour layover in Dubai, so naturally I started by reading this thriller. It turned out to be a much better book than you would expect from that selection process. And I actually learned some information potentially useful for his trip: a) traffic sucks in Dubai and b) stay the hell away from the Russian mob.

[Robert Kleidman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read

The plot is compelling and the characters are well-drawn, as in this author's other books. I greatly enjoyed this book

[Michael Martz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dan Fesperman wrote one of my favorite spy novels, Safe Houses, but the rest of his output seems to be all over the place. 'Layover in Dubai' was written about 9 years ago and is a good example of the author's worst tendencies: silly plotting, poor dialogue, and unrealistic action. The pacing is slow and frankly it was a slog to make it to the end.

Sam Keller, an auditor for an international pharma company, is given the task by his boss of 'babysitting' one of his peers who has a reputation for enjoying himself on the company dime, while they enjoy a short layover in Dubai. The whole thing sounds very fishy to him (as well as to most readers, probably for different reasons...) but he agrees and is soon heading to the Dubai nightlife with his fellow auditor. His friend disappears from his view while in a hot nightclub and ends up with a bullet in his head. Keller makes the acquaintance of a local law enforcer but also comes under suspicion by a police commander of a different unit. His boss, a beautiful businesswoman, flies in to sort things out but that kicks off a series of events which leads to Keller going on the lam. To avoid the risk of spoiling the story, I'll leave it there, but suffice to say that the interactions, activities, discussions, and so forth between the individuals involved seemed very unrealistic.

Fesperman can write, but Layover in Dubai just is too full of holes for me. The weakness of the dialogue is something I've noticed through a couple of his other novels but seemed to be addressed by the time Safe Houses was written. Decent writing, silly plot, poor dialogue, slow pace = 2 stars.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I write this, there were 882 ratings of this book on Goodreads, and it was straining to graze 3 1/2 stars. I guess that’s about where I would put it. Fun story is about the best I can say. The publisher’s hype quotes USA Today as saying that Fesperman‘s books belong on a shelf with John Le Carré and Ken Follet. Well, insofar as they are writers of compelling stories, sure, but the book has 3 1/2 stars for a reason. The structure of the plot lines were clearly visible while I was reading the book and the paragraphs and sentences were hung there like they were placed by a professional paper hanger. The characters are cute, but predictable. The attempt at a romantic through-line with the young characters is laughable. Definitely got the sense throughout that Fesperman constructed the book as a technician, and that is a far cry from being a literary master.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable thriller. There were elements that were predictable, but they didn't take away from the overall effect. The setting was not one I'd read before and I enjoyed the glimpse of life there, as much as one can trust a fictional setting in this genre. I would read more of Dan Fesperman's work, but I might skip this particular audiobook narrator. There was nothing wrong with the narration, per se, but the voice was just not pleasing and the accents for non-American characters made for painful listening.

[Michael Garin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Fesperman is a first class writer whose thrillers are truly thrilling

Layover in Dubai is my second Dan Fesperman thriller. Each had me up way past my bedtime because it was impossible to get to sleep without finishing them first.
As someone who has been working in the UAE for more than fifteen years, I can attest to the veracity of all the local nuances contained in this novel. That's why I live in Abu Dhabi 😀.

[Chip Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fourth Fesperman I’ve read and all of them are stellar. This , unfortunately, is a stand alone novel. Well written, well narrated. Incredible suspense, full of wit and a clash of cultures. Between my shallow understanding of Saudi culture and corporate auditing it kept me wondering what could possibly happen next.

Do yourself a favor and listen to the this incredible story. I promise you be listening repeatedly to this and three others I’ve read, Winter Work, Safe Houses and The Cover Wife.

[Linda]

Arthur Fetterman has done it again. This time it was a book about Dubai. Besides learning about Dubai and besides learning about how modern women are trying to or at least one modern woman was trying to get out from under foot of her adult parents and all of this was inserted into a great, great interesting scary story love this for men I love the way he writes about different places in different things.

[Diogenes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engrossing, original thriller with interesting, believable characters and a complex and vibrant plot. Takes the reader inside Dubai; the customs, culture, chaos and corruption and the plight of many of its foreign workers (80% of the population). Fascinating dynamics of a Moslem family; parents' vs children's values.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am reading these books in reverse order from their date of writing, but I liked this book a lot. Once again, the main character gets in way over his head, but keeps his wits about him and emerges triumphant. I like that Fesperman is not (at least at this point) writing a series as each book has a unique set of characters which are perfect for the situation. Good for him and a great summer read.

[ahn mur · Rating 5 out of 5]

A+ Destination Mystery / thriller

Honestly, I had a really good time reading this. I got completely caught up in it, enjoyed the characters, and loved reading about the idiosyncrasies of Dubai. I picked this up in preparation for an upcoming trip to the UAE, and it was the perfect primer for a mystery lover like me. Now excuse me while I go read everything else Dan Fesperman has to offer.

[Du · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a lot of ways a very formulaic book, but there is a relaxed atmosphere at times. The cultural assessments are interesting; aybe a little overdone in some ways. There is a lot of information thrown at the reader about Dubai, some of which may be out of date at this point, but overall a good thriller.

[Jesse · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was an entirely predictable thriller, without any real twists or turns. I liked the backdrop of Dubai, but I would have liked at least a tiny bit of suspense about who was good and who was bad.

[Ben Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very solid thriller that manages to shine a light on the underbelly of Dubai - at times it feels like it was written by a journalist but is an enjoyable and interesting read.

[Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good read for a long air trip, fast paced, a bit ridiculous and enough good writing to keep the interest levels up.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't know if I was going to like it at the start, but it just kept getting better and better. Narration excellent.

[Kallie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read thrillers/mysteries because the writing exasperates me. But this is well-written and entertaining and culturally savvy -- just what I need right now.

[HelenJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fact paced mystery with lots of great information about Dubai!

[Aleda Ellsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars because some f bombs. Otherwise, really interesting story, intrigue and thriller.

[Paschalis]

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[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not up to his standard

Fesperman falters here with overblown violence and thin corporate intrigue. More a disappointment than a failure considering his usual terrific work.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fesperman gets the nuances of Dubai and its inhabitants just right ... on top of that, it's a damn fine story.

[jim luce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I a not a "critical reader". Started slow to me but picked up speed and overall a good read. Will read more.