In the Kingdom of Men

Description

Behind every man is a woman with a story to tell ... When Gin McPhee's husband Mason takes a job at the Arabian American Oil Company in Saudi Arabia, it unlocks a glamorous new lifestyle far from their humble beginnings in Oklahoma. It is a life of private clubs, dinner parties, and a houseboy at their disposal; all kept within the confines of the company compound. But as Gin tires of the cocktails and an absent husband, the illusion of freedom is shattered, leaving boredom and curiosity for life beyond the gates - a world she soon finds is one of danger and corruption. And when a young woman is discovered dead in the bay and suspicions point to Mason, the one person she can trust is nowhere to be found.

Kim Barnes is the author of A Country Called Home, winner of a PEN USA Award and shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize, and two critically acclaimed memoirs. She lives with her husband, the poet Robert Wrigley, on Moscow Mountain.

"Barnes animates a magnetizing cast of cosmopolitan characters ... A veritable Mad Men of the desert, with the depth of a Graham Greene novel." * Booklist * "A close inspection of how radically a life can be rescaled, and how quickly. With a protagonist like this, Barnes could have set her novel in a single room, and we'd keep reading." * Boston Globe * "Drawn with skill and filled with evocative period detail ... [Gin] plumbs the depths of her new world with heart and courage." * Seattle Times * "A real page-turner that's also beautifully written and researched." * Saga * "With courage and zest, Kim Barnes's novel takes an intimate look at ... the rarified and harshly beautiful world of eastern Saudi Arabia ... Within these lyrical pages is a story well worth investigating." * San Francisco Chronicle *