Andrew Killeen s debut novel is a historical thriller with a difference. Inspired by the spirit of The Thousand and One Nights, from which the book takes it structure, it propels the reader on a whirlwind tour of the poetry and politics of Harun Al-Rashid's Baghdad. At the heart of the story lies the relationship between the narrator Ismail, a storyteller and petty thief, and Abu Nuwas, the most celebrated poet of his age. This unlikely pairing is assigned the task of investigating rumours that the devil is stalking the streets of medieval Baghdad, and the plot has everything from murder and secret agents to forbidden cults. If you like your historical fiction full of action, intelligent and well-researched, then you ll be captivated by Killeen s interweaving plot lines. With a sequel in the pipeline( which revisits the characters over a decade later) Andrew Killeen is certainly one to watch out for. David Viner in the Bookseller