There are the bones of a good story lurking in this novel. It has the exotic settings of Oman and Zanzibar; three widely differing women are its main characters; and there’s even a touch of Middle Eastern magic.

But what is missing is real tension in the plot.

Rachel is a top US photojournalist who has lost her zest for the conflict zones in which she used to work, so has accepted a magazine assignment in Oman to find traditional handicrafts.

Then there is Ariana, British-born of Pakistani parents, ostensibly Rachel’s ‘fixer’ for her assignment, but in reality a Dubai wedding planner who once used to work in banking there.

Add into the mix heavily pregnant Miza, living in Oman until her baby is born then planning to return to her homeland of Zanzibar. She is the second wife of Tariq, an Omani she had known in Zanzibar as a child, but his other wife is unaware of her existence.

Ariana, Miza and Tariq are Muslim, as is Tariq’s friend Hani who drives all three women to the town of Bahla.

The author wrote the best-seller, The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul. She has lived and worked in Afghanistan where she directed the first modern beauty school and training salon in that country and now runs a salon and spa in Mexico.

This novel includes fascinating discussions about religion between Rachel, a Jewish-born atheist, and her new Muslim acquaintances. The traditional links between Oman and Zanzibar are described well, as are the souks and sandstorms of Oman, but the account of jinns’ mystical powers in the town of Bahla is told at a pedestrian pace, needing a huge suspension of disbelief.

It’s a light read, with some irritating characters (yes, Ariana, you head the list), but there seems to be resolution for all at the end.

Reviewed by Jennifer Somerville