London Book Festival Honorable Mention Best Fiction
Los Angeles Book Festival Honorable Mention
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.
What People Say
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
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
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
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
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
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
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In 1972, the author and his family moved from the USA to Cairo, Egypt, to take the position of Headmaster of the Cairo American College. In 1974 he relocated the family to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to become Headmaster of the American School. Three years later he left the education sector for a new career in business, staying in Dubai with his family until 2013, intermittently residing for brief periods in Doha, Qatar, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Maputo, Mozambique.
As an international businessman, he traveled to numerous Middle Eastern countries, developing a fascination with Arab history, culture, and language.
It was the stories and experiences, of friends and business associates, members of the tribal families, as well longtime resident expatriates, that really enthralled him, and led to the writing of The Falcon and the Shaikhs, a historical fictional account, of the intricate relationships cultivated between pioneering expatriates and the tribal families who laid the foundation of Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah, before the formation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971.
The Falcon and the Shaikhs can be considered as a prequel to his first novel, The Duke of Dubai, a fictional parody of some of the real-life, eccentric oil field characters who really existed in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.
Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers’ Favorite –
In The Falcon and The Shaikhs by John Dragonetti, Luigi Falconi, heir to the US Gulf Coast mafia, heads to Dubai to finalize a loan deal. He sees the potential in transforming the sheikhdom into a bustling hub. Struggling between loyalty to his family and a desire for legitimacy, Luigi reluctantly follows the mafia’s agenda. Luigi Falconi is the likely heir to Fabio Falconi, the US Gulf Coast mafia capo. His journey unveils the potential to transform the sheikhdom into the next Havana or Las Vegas. While in Dubai, he is captivated by local culture but faces betrayal from his godfather, Nic Nicandro. Unaware of Nic’s schemes, Luigi allies with diverse expatriates and local rulers to combat the mafia’s grip.
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.