Felaheen: the third arabesk

In a world where secrets kill, an ex-cop discovers hes got the biggest secret of all.Set in a 21st-century Ottoman Empire, Jon Courtenay Grimwoods acclaimed Arabesk series is a noir action-thriller with an exotic twist.

Here an ex-cop with nothing to lose finds himself on the trail of a man he doesnt believe in: his father.Ashraf Bey has been a lot of thingsand most of them illegal.

Now, having resigned as El Iskandryias Chief of Detectives, hes taking stock of his life and theres not much: a mistress hes never made love to, a niece everyone thinks is mentally incompetent, and a credit card bill rising towards infinity.

With a revolt breaking out across North Africa, the world seems to be racing Raf straight to hell.

The last thing he needs is a father hes never known.

But when the old Emirs security chief requests that Raf come out of retirement to investigate an assassination attempt on His Excellency, thats exactly what Raf gets.

Now, disguised as an itinerant laborer, Raf goes underground to discover a manand a pasthe never knewand wont survive again.Fast, furious, fun and elegant, the Arabesk trilogy is one of the best things to hit the bookstores in a while.

SF Revu Felaheen is SF at its most inventive. GuardianFrom the Trade Paperback edition.