The Falcon and the Shaikhs

In 1965, Luigi Falconi, heir apparent to Fabio Falconi, the Capo Maggiore of the US Gulf Coast Mafia, is dispatched to Dubai, a desert trading center in the Middle East, to finalize a loan deal with the government. His journey unveils the potential to transform the shaikhdom into the next Havana or Las Vegas.

Torn between family loyalty and his dream to transform their business into a legitimate enterprise, Luigi reluctantly aligns himself with his Mafia family’s agenda.

While living in Dubai, he becomes enthralled by the tribal values and cultural intricacies of the Trucial States’ rulers and populace, trying to reconcile culture and tradition with the encroaching Western world.

Unknown to Luigi, his conniving godfather, Nic Nicandro, undermines him through illicit dealings in drugs and arms. Nic plots Luigi’s demise to seize control of the Mafia’s operations and control future oil profits in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah.

Luigi forms a confederacy of like-minded adventurers including an ex-British SAS officer, a former Green Beret, a school headmaster, a covert CIA agent, and other eccentric expatriates, who join forces with the real heroes, the Rulers of Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah. Together they devise a plan to rid their Shaikhdoms of the dark side of the Mafia.

Paris Book Festival Honorable Mention
New York Book Festival Honorable Mention
Hollywood Book Festival Honorable Mention
London Book Festival Honorable Mention Best Fiction
Los Angeles Book Festival Honorable Mention
San Francisco Book Festival Honorable Mention
Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention

What

They

Are

Saying

Ruffina Oserio

…The Falcon and The Shaikhs by John Dragonetti is a fascinating book with solid shades of the historical. This story puts two cultures side by side, examining an intriguing conflict. Luigi is torn between loyalties and two worlds. As the would-be heir to a mafia group, he feels bound by loyalty, but he also commits to his vision to help reshape the future. The intrigue is plentiful in how John Dragonetti juxtaposes the traditional and cultural world of the Shaikhs with Western culture. The eye-opening passages and moments of revelation will spellbind readers. Luigi Falconi’s journey from Muscat back to New Orleans is not merely a physical one but a transition from one world to another, from the high-stakes realm of international business to the familiar grounds of family and tradition. As he traverses Beirut and London, his mind is still buzzing with the recent events, unable to find peace even in moments of rest. This is how the author entices readers to experience the setting. He makes them feel the places, the customs, and the way of life of the people he writes about in The Falcon and The Shaikhs. – Ruffina Oserio for Readers Favorite

William E. Hall

Having lived in the United Arab Emirates for many years I can truly relate to the places, and people talked about in this book. There is no doubt that it will make a great TV miniseries or major screen movie. I can attest to the many things that happened in Dubai in the early years, and what a wonderful, exciting place it was to live. This book brings it all out for the reader to enjoy, and places him in the action. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series. — William E. Hall, KBR Oil Field Construction, Calgary

Romero Marcello

Luigi’s stories are all fiction. When my book is published the real truth of Dubai’s past will be told — Romero Marcello, Businessman, New Orleans

Joe Newcomb

Wow! What a gripping, searing, and riveting journey this book takes the reader on. When Kelly Mahoney first approached me about this book, I was skeptical that it could rival the great Mafia movies. Seeing the pre-print release of the novel, I’m convinced it will be an award-winning movie and/or streaming series. — Joe Newcomb, Founder and CEO Truth Entertainment, Houston, USA www.truthentertainment.info

Cherry Ward

A must read, incredibly believable story. A fantastic insight into the Arabic culture and customs of the UAE. A wonderful trip down memory lane for me as an ex- Dubai resident. I couldn’t put it down. — Cherry Ward. Hertfordshire. United Kingdom

Linda Mahoney

After living over 40 years in Dubai, and watching this remarkable country develop, I was transported on a journey to 1963 where the characters, though fictional, felt familiar. This is a rebirth of an exhilarating historical adventure about a slice of life in a region that once offered the spicy vibrancy and colour of an era now relegated to modernity, memory and imagination.” — Linda Mahoney, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Linda Genco-Pereira

I thoroughly enjoyed the Mafia side of this novel and their involvement. No matter what the obstacle, they always came up with a solution. — Linda Genco-Pereira and Giuseppe Pereira, Florida, USA