It's a difficult world to visit, the present-day Saudi Arabia of Nayir and Katya, where women are hidden and hurt, the police are an uneven mix of mostly corrupt and some intrepid officers, and the rich are very rich indeed. A string of murders challenges the society's view of itself –– that their religion and their strict laws prevent a Saudi serial killer from ever developing. But a slew of bodies of visiting workers –– female, most from the Far East –– belies that belief.

The unlikely duo of medical examiner Katya and private investigator/desert guide Nayir continue to engage me –– their cultural differences from that of the West at once alien and but not inexplicable, their growing affection and understanding both awkward and risky –– and I look forward to their next foray.