Beach Reads 5.0

Dan Fesperman, an ex-foreign correspondent for The Sun, sharpens his storytelling acumen to cut through various global issues in his latest thriller, Layover in Dubai. As usual, it's set in some exotic, chaotic locale, and Dubai proves to be an ideal spot for excess, intrigue, and nefarious corporate shenanigans. Sam Keller, a big pharma auditor, accompanies a co-worker on a business trip and stumbles unwittingly into a prostitution ring run by the Russian mob. The coworker turns up dead, and, in short order, Keller becomes a wanted man, his support network crumbles, and he's set adrift in a boomtown growing faster than a time-lapse photograph. He lands in the household of a traditional family that includes (of course!) a beautiful young woman chafing at the constraints of Islamic conservatism and her strict father, a local policeman. Fesperman builds tension and contrast with various subplots that buttress the overall story, and he deftly weaves a looming countdown into the tale for added suspense, as well as snippets of Dostoevsky for literary cachet. And Fesperman gets extra credit for not shying from the harsh conditions faced by Dubai's migrant labor force, an issue that usually gets lost, or conveniently forgotten, amidst the glitzy sprawl. (This review appears in the July issue of Baltimore.)