Mid-21st Century Los Angeles: after a succession of natural disasters, in a landscape wracked by global warming, the city is now the western-most outpost of an Arab empire. Ali is a Los Angeles-born police officer. His local birth leaves him under suspicion when he discovers the body of the daughter of one of the Caliph's ruling elite. Arab-born fellow officer Shah seeks to link Ali and this murder to American insurgents. To save himself and his family, Ali must discover whether this girl was a victim of an honor killing by her family, a political murder by a rival faction, or a sex crime. To solve the murder, he must enlist the help of the victim's sister. Caliphornia is a fast-paced novel of suspense that should appeal to mystery and suspense fans, as well as readers of literary fiction.