The Duke of Dubai
In 1974, Luigi Falconi, an idealistic 27-year-old, uproots his wife and family from the security of middle-class America to become headmaster of a small oil company school in Dubai, a desolate oil community in the volatile Middle East.
Carved from the sun-baked sands of Arabia, Dubai has evolved from an oil boom town into one of today’s most exciting and opulent metropolises. In this world of wealth and power, mystery and intrigue, Luigi Falconi soon meets Tim Johnson, an eccentric ex-oilman known as “The Duke,” who initiates him into a world of power and wealth. Luigi is transformed from a naïve youth to Lou Falconi—The Falcon.
Adopted into the brotherhood of eccentric expatriates, amusing Arabs and assorted adventurers led by The Duke, Lou is swept up in the excitement of Dubai’s burgeoning development, discovers its morally conflicting cultural codes, and uncovers many of its secrets.
He also discovers within himself greed—the desire to accumulate wealth like that of his compatriots, which leads him through the back streets of his conscience to various get rich quick scams and schemes.
A magic carpet ride deep into the political, cultural and sometimes perilous realm of modern Dubai—one of the wonders of the modern world, where money begets power, and power rules.
Award Winning Finalist Indie Book Awards Best Multi-Cultural Fiction