The novel “Pashazade” by Jon Courtenay Grimwood was published for the first time in 2001. It’s the first novel in the Arabesk trilogy.

The life of Ashraf al-Mansur called Raf or ZeeZee changes when a woman claiming to be his aunt tells him that his real father is the Emir of Tunis and helps him get out of the prison where he was locked up for murder. When he arrives in El Iskandryia (Alexandria of Egypt), in the Ottoman Empire, where he reaches Nafisa, his alleged aunt, he finds himself with the prospect of an arranged marriage with Zara, a girl never seen.

Overall, the outlook for Raf’s future is good but he calls off his wedding to Zara and a few days later Nafisa is murdered and he’s among the suspects. Forced to take care of Hani, a niece he somehow “inherited” from Nafisa, Raf must handle himself among the power play and the secrets he discovers in the city to understand what’s behind the murder.