The Galician Woman. The Andalusian Trilogy, #1

Translator Solomon Levy's deepest desire is to write poetry fulltime. He's forced to put his dreams on hold when the unexpected murder of the Caliph's nephew, Umar abd-Rahman, threatens the future of Andalusia and the Umayyad Caliphate. Solomon's cousin Hasdai  Shaprut, Foreign Minister and personal physician to the Caliph, presses him into action as an investigator because his success on a prior assignment, and his knowledge of Latin, make him the perfect choice for a mission to far-away, Catholic Galicia in search of a missing suspect. The reluctant investigator faces dangers, both real and imagined, in his quest to discover the identity of the murderer while tracking down Lia, a mysterious entertainer thought to be the last person to see the victim alive.
The translator-turned investigator must also find a way to over-come personal doubts and conflicts if he is to succeed in his mission. Will Europe's most advanced culture survive? The Galician Woman is an evocative tale that brings to life the exotic world of 10th century Islamic Spain during a little known time in history when Muslims, Jews, and Christians created a harmonious society based upon religious tolerance and enlightened self-interest.