Pashazade
ISBN 0-7434-6833-3 (shortlisted for the 2002 Arthur C. Clarke Award, BSFA award for Best Novel and John W. Campbell Memorial Award)
The first book centres around the arrival in Alexandria of Bey Ashraf al-Mansur, claimed to be the son of the Emir of Tunis. Shortly after his arrival, though, Raf's tendency to do exactly what he thinks is right leads to unexpected consequences. Between caring for his niece, Hani, and attempting to understand Zara—the girl he was to marry—Raf ends up suspected of his Aunt Nafisa's murder, running from the police as he tries desperately to work out who really killed her.
The main story is intercut with out-of-order flashbacks to Raf's past as a schoolboy in Swiss and Scottish boarding schools and as 'ZeeZee', a low-ranking agent of Hu San—an influential Triad in Seattle.
Read more about this topic: Arabesk Trilogy