Finding Nouf: A Novel, Zoë Ferraris; Houghton Mifflin

“A captivating page-turner that vividly evokes Saudi Arabiansociety and introduces an original new hero.When sixteen-year-old Nouf goes missing and is found drowned in the desert outside Jeddah, Nayir-a desert guide hired by her prominent family to search for her-feels compelled to find out what really happened. Gentle, hulking, conscientious Nayir soon finds himself delving into the interior life of a wealthy, protected teenage girl in one of the most rigidly segregated of Middle Eastern societies.To gain access to the world of women, Nayir realizes he will have to join forces with Katya Hijazi, a lab technician at the coroner’s office and the fiancée of Nouf ‘s brother.”
Robin’s Note: This mystery (much like the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall-Smith) is excellent in how it evokes a culture very different from the US.  All of the details of society are presented through the characters, keeping it emotionally invested rather than feeling like a list of facts about Saudi Arabia.  The characters of investigator Nayir and lab tech Katya, an intelligent woman pushing against the confines of her society, are immediately likable and filled with humor, and the mystery is a carefully plotted puzzle.