Nine Nights Djerba (ePub)

In memory of 9/11, Al-Quaeda terrorists have blasted a Jewish Temple to pieces on 4/11 and undercover agent Monica is sent to the scene of the crime, to Djerba, a Tunisian holiday island. But when the corpse of a beautiful English woman is discovered dead on the beach Monica feels personally called on to find the culprit amongst a set of suspects with very different possible motives and cultural backgrounds. What begins as an almost classical whodunit soon develops into both a tender and exciting piece of writing about a world torn between terrorism, woman abuse and age-old, Arab superstitions.

Alexis Debary's full-length debut is based on a true event and binds in-depth information with first-hand glimpses of the Muslim world, weaving action and sex appeal to a magical cape that captivates the reader's imagination till the unexpected outcome.

Extract:

The shadow of a palm swept over their intertwined bodies. Moonlight streaked their backsides and bare chests while their moans ended in a succession of mutual cries that succeeded in frightening the bats from the surrounding tree crowns. The animals flapped off into the night. The couple, oblivious to what happened around them, collapsed exhausted. The firmament of the stars above them and the sweat on their half-naked bodies sparkled with equal intensity in the jellied moonlight. Stephanie's tongue licked lightly over her lover's ear lobes. Then she cuddled up to her man, hitching her shoulder under his armpit. Her hair fanned out around her. He felt drained as he put his arm around her was. "Habibi, you are the most beautiful woman in the world. I love you," he said. For a moment they blinked into the starry sky together. Then, in a mumbled voice that was tenderly ironical, he added:"...but so much you know already, no?" Gently he covered her exposed body with his shirt as he searched for a cigarette. "I love you too," fluted Stephanie and took his hand in hers eagerly, kissing it. "I want to be with you forever." Their mouths touched. Gently she sucked on his lip, played with his tongue. It was time to utter out loud what was soaring through her soul, wanting to burst out like sparkling water from a shaken bottle.

"Do you still want to marry me?" she asked in a teasing tone, trying to control her trembling excitement.