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Layover in Dubai  By  cover art

Layover in Dubai

By: Dan Fesperman
Narrated by: Christopher Lane
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Publisher's summary

Corporate auditor Sam Keller, careful to a fault, has decided to live it up for a change. And what better spot for business-class hedonism than the boomtown of Dubai, where resort islands materialize from open ocean, fortunes are made overnight, and skiers crisscross the snowy slopes of a shopping mall.

But when a colleague is murdered during a night on the town, Sam soon finds himself waist-deep in a bewildering, lethal mix of mobsters, prostitutes, and crooked cops.

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. But he knows where the levers of power reside. And as the unlikely duo work their way toward the heart of the case, each man must confront the darkest forces threatening Dubai from within.

A stunning portrait of a world where the old and new continually collide, and Dan Fesperman’s most suspenseful novel yet.

©2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.; 2010 Dan Fesperman

What listeners say about Layover in Dubai

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

I read it because I was going to Dubai and I liked the sound of the overview. I found I was listening to it every spare moment. I not only enjoyed the story but learnt alot about the culure and landscape of Dubai. It really enhanced my visit. I'm looking forward to listening to some of his other books.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Dubai Dubai Doo

I like books that take me to odd places and make me feel as though I understand them, all while entertaining me with a good yarn. This book works well that way. The multiple points of view allow insight into many aspects of Dubai culture and history and current events (million-dollar car wrecks alone are worth the price of admission), I care about what's going to happen to the characters, and they get in enough tight spots the author has to be inventive to extricate them over and over again. The narrator can handle the accents well enough to convince me he knows what he's talking about.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Well crafted thriller

This is a nicely crafted thriller and the Dubai setting makes it particularly fascinating. The hero is a little slow figuring out what seems obvious to us, but he is appealing in spite of this. Though there is not a great deal of action, the plot develops steadily and carries us along without ever bogging down. I was, however, somewhat disappointed with the lack of a satisfying confrontation between the adversaries at the end.

The book is also well served by the reader. He establishes strong vocal characters, manages dialects well and is a pleasure to listen to.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Marvelous: funny, well read and suspenseful

This is a terrific audiobook. Christopher Lane is the perfect narrator for it. He has mastered numerous mid-Eastern accents, and does women just as well as men. The story has wonderful twists and turns, some of them straining credulity a bit, but when you're having fun, who cares? The ending actually is a little abrupt, as you simply want the book to keep going. I haven't read anything else by this author, but I will. I recommend it highly to anyone who enjoys funny, irreverent, well-narrated thrillers.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining and insightful!l

What did you love best about Layover in Dubai?

I thought this story was entertaining and it also gave me a much better idea of what Dubai is really like. My husband travels there on business, but this book makes me understand much more what this city is all about. East meets West is not always a success.

What did you like best about this story?

The overall pacing of the story was well done and the characters, the good guys anyway, were well drawn out. I think the author could have developed the villains motivations more.

Have you listened to any of Christopher Lane’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Narrator was very good and kept me listening.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Well-written & performed mystery in faraway land

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes...this book transcends the novelty of the setting and winds up being a generally well done and fun novel with flawed but lovable characters.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Anwar Sharaf becomes your favorite. He has a great backstory and perfectly conveys the conflict between traditional values and modern living, while being a loving father and loyal ally to Sam.

Have you listened to any of Christopher Lane’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I thought the performance was excellent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I picked this up after a trip to Dubai. I had meant to read it on the plane but wound up listening afterwards and I'm glad I did--the places meant a lot more to me after my visit. I was pleasantly surprised that this was such a good story, regardless of the location.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

It could have taken place anywhere...

Don't expect a lot of Middle Eastern cinematic descriptions, nor exotic locales. This is a good thriller, but could have just as easily been set in Cleveland. Well-drawn characters, but pretty stock types. Several dove-tailed plot lines seemed a bit contrived to bring them to a single conclusion, but there is enough high stakes intrigue to keep it interesting.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect. Great Story. Great Narration.

This is what I look for when I want to hear a good action/suspense story: a good story with a great background read by an interesting/easy-to-listen-to narrator.
This audiobook delivers it all.
As others have mentioned, the narrator is very talented and brings you into the story -- effortlessly -- with great character voices that seem natural and spot-on.
Besides a good story, you also get a thoroughly good background of the phenomenon of Dubai, UAE - that wonder metropolis of futuristic skyscrapers and luxury that miraculously emerged out of the desert in the last 30 years -- VS. the traditions of its native citizens coping with these massive cultural changes AND vs. the huge population of ex-pats and guest workers who keep the place moving and growing,
I love being entertained while secretly learning a lot about the world, and this audiobook nailed it for me.
Great job and congrats to both the author and the narrator!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The story was great for its details

The story was fun for its description of Dubai and its people and traditions. The plot was so so and the ending was weak. And once again, Fesperman leaves me wanting a follow up on the main characters. There’s a sequel in this somewhere

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

My first book from Dan Fesperman and well narrate

My first book from Dan Fesperman and well narrated by Christopher Lane. The Dubai characters and atmosphere in this book, along with the plot were entertaining. I liked the way the main characters developed a mutual respect for each other, as the story developed, despite the difference in their cultures. I thought this was a well crafted book and enjoyed it enough to learn more about the author and add another of his books to my wish list. I put this one in the top tier of my library.

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1 person found this helpful