'This is a wonderfully original and compelling novel that puts you in mind of John le Carre's The Night Manager... it's a thoughtful and sensitive literary thriller... intense, detailed and fast-paced, Ceremony of Innocence is an elegant and satisfying read' Observer --- When a Muslim woman goes missing, a family's entanglement with Britain's imperial legacy comes to light in this evocative page-turner. A Cambridge PHD student, Reem, has gone missing. Last seen in Egypt, her friend Fauzia is seeking answers. However, the trail soon leads back to the Wilcox Smith family, and questions about their shadowy wealth. Spanning decades, and traveling between the Shah's Iran, modern Bahrain, London and the English Countryside, Ceremony of Innocence is a vivid, engrossing story of one family''s ambition and the establishment's ruthless pursuit of power. --- 'A fascinating look at the entanglements of family and secrets against the backdrop of the long shadows of empire, combined with the international power politics of today' Catherine Hall, author of The Repercussions