The Lady from Dubai by Belgian author Thierry Smolderen (
Wikipedia) with art by French artist Dominique Bertail (
Wikipedia FR) is the English-language translation of the 1st album in their Ghost Money
bande dessinée series of international adventure/intrigue thrillers set in the near-future of 2020, this installment featuring a mysterious young woman, a terrorist attack, some sort of deeply laid plot in the intelligence services, and of course the possibility of everything being not what it seems, free for a limited time courtesy of French publisher Dargaud.
The original title of this is
La Dame de Dubaï (the series name is the same as in English).
Currently free @
Amazon (available to the US, UK & EU; this doesn't seem to exist in any of the other usual stores whose sites I checked)
Description
It's the year 2020. Lindsey finds herself in the midst of a panicking crowd following a bomb attack on a protest against the newly elected 'neocon' party. Just as she's about to be crushed, an elegant hand stretches down and saves her from her fate. The hand belongs to Chamza, an elusive and beautiful young billionaire who soon whisks Lindsey into her world of jet-setting from country to country, frequenting the trendiest parties and the most talked-about exhibitions.
But there's a lot that remains unsaid about this mysterious young woman, starting with where her money comes from. Kendricks, a veteran of the war on terror of the 2000s, thinks he's found out. This is a secret that could take international politics into a whole new playing field. It also makes Chamza a key component in the American government's surveillance and intelligence schemes. But what they don't know yet is that 'the lady from Dubai' has the means to defend herself. Or if not, to fight back.