Am not clear on why I so love these three novels by Effinger, but I certainly do. They're a happy marriage of Chandleresque mystery with Gibson-era cyberpunk, but recast into a Muslim world with which we've all become quite familiar. They're written with such breezy charm and clear love for his characters that we don't even mind when the mysteries are wrapped up a bit too easily, and our only real cause for regret or sadness is that the story eventually comes to an end.