This books was beautifully written and evoked an incredible sense of being in the Middle East, but I did find it hard to connect to. It felt very reminiscent of John Le Carre. I loved the passages set in Bahrain, because it was so well drawn I could have been there. The book is so well researched too, my husband has worked in the Middle East and I have passed the book to him because he so enjoyed some of the passages I read to him. The depth of knowledge about the area and its politics make the story about arms sales horribly believable, Reem is the one researching such deals done between ex-British diplomats as they slowly withdrew from the East of the Suez Canal. The story is told through Kate’s eyes and she used to be married to someone in the Wilcox-Smith family who ran a security consultancy in the area - this agency seems to become more dodgy as time goes on. The book is a conspiracy, a comment on Western foreign policy in the Middle East, as well as the story of a family with many secrets. Enjoyable and very well plotted. Yet didn’t grab me emotionally.

Reem has been investigating the secretive business of the wealthy Wilcox Smiths in Bahrain. When she goes missing in Egypt, those close to her unravel a trail that leads back to 1970s Tehran, where Martin Wilcox Smith began his career as a diplomat.

Phoebe, Martin’s elegant wife, is divided between her love of Reem and protecting her husband; Fauzia, Martin’s daughter-in-law, and a reporter investigating British ties to the Middle East, must keep a terrible secret; and Kate, Martin’s niece, is in a relationship with a Bahraini refugee who opens her eyes to Martin’s corruption; together they are on a path of discovery into the Wilcox Smith’s secret past.
A stunning read
An evocative and engrossing story that travels between the Shah’s Iran, modern Bahrain and the quintessential English countryside, Ceremony of Innocence explores one family's entanglement with the aftermath of empire and the establishment’s ruthless pursuit of power in the new world order. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Historical fiction at its best.a book that drew me right in.The story that involves three different time periods each with a compelling story.The disappearance of a young Muslim woman is connected to an English family and their evil ties to the British Empire the Saha of Tehran& modern day Bahrain.I was so involved in the story the history I was sorry when I read the last page.will be highly recommending,#netgalley#granata

When a young Muslim woman goes missing, the trail leads to a quintessentially English family’s tangled and dark connections with Empire, the Shah’s Tehran and modern Bahrain, in this evocative and page-turning novel.

I was lucky enough to be asked by @grantabooks to join the blog tour for this book. I’m so grateful as it was a fantastic read.

The book is set across 3 time periods which were all done fantastically. I was worried that it would feel confusing but it never did. I was gripped after the first chapter and could not stop reading and thinking about this!

I learnt a lot about the effects of the end of the British Empire and about the history of Iran and Bahrain which I knew little about. The book wore this history lightly and it never felt like a history lesson. This made a great backdrop for such a thriller-esque storyline.

I massively enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it. There were a few problematic relationship issues about 50% into the book which didn’t feel in keeping with the characters or story however it did resolve well (no spoilers!).

Ceremony of Inocence is out on 1st July from @grantabooks and is a great read!