The Man of Twists and Turns

Thomas M. Kostigen begins his eye-opening new book on the world’s environmental challenges in the Middle East, where pollution and neglect are steadily destroying the ancient sites that are the foundation of the Abrahamic faiths. I’ve seen this with my own eyes (there’s a shocking crack in the retaining wall of the Temple Mount in [...]

I’ve just read an advance copy of a terrific new mystery that’ll be out next year from Houghton Mifflin. Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris opens a detailed window into the daily life of rich Saudis. That’s a culture often caricatured or vilified. I’m delighted that Ferraris has lifted the veil on this repressed, yet fascinating [...]

The BBC has a terrific article on new trends in crime fiction on its website today. It includes details of a new series of Agatha Christie comic books — with a few sample illustrations of Poirot in cartoon form — and some analysis of recent changes in the genre. One of the elements it picks [...]

Here’s a review of Sari Nusseibeh’s excellent memoir that I published in today’s Jerusalem Post.Once Upon a Country: A Palestinian LifeBy Sari Nusseibeh (with Anthony David)Farrar Straus Giroux At least five times in his autobiography, Sari Nusseibeh likens his life to a mystery novel. As he negotiates the tortuous recesses of the PLO, Israeli jails, [...]