The Exile Kiss closes the Budayeen trilogy on an ambiguous note. The book starts like a rocket, when a formal dinner sees Marid and Friedlander Bey being kidnapped, hustled to the air field, summarily convicted of murder, and then dumped in the Rub al'Khali, the empty quarter of Arabia. Separated from all their resources, death will be a matter of days in the vast desert.

Of course, they run into a band of Bedouin nomads, living much as Bedouin have lived for centuries. Marid and Friedlander Bey wander with them for a while, witnessing tribal justice over a murdered girl. Then it's back to the good old corrupt Budayeen, to clear their names and get revenge on their political enemies.

As always, the Budayeen is beautifully drawn. But there's an odd slackness in the plotting. Marid never seems properly concerned about clearing his name until the very end, and there's no clear end to the covert war between Friedlander Bey or his nemesis. Marid finishes his transformation from independent hustler to criminal factotum, but he doesn't seem much of a worthy successor to the godfather. He lacks strategy, relying on the ability to punch his way out of a tough spot.