THE SHEIK

Abdullah, only 23 but Andover/Yale-educated, becomes the heir to Rashraani, the fifth-ranking emirate in the Middle East, brand-new in the dirty game of oil. With a good many of his grandfather's petrodollars in his pocket, he's sent to buy up a bank in California--where he learns all about high living through his Egyptian screenstar friend Ali Hassan. He even inadvertently shacks up with Hassan's girl. But, by the time he reaches New York, Abdullah has more urgent things on his mind--like keeping his body alive after some wicked uncles pump him full of acid, and avenging his sister (who has been unwillingly ceded to a Saudi). Finally, Abdullah gets back on his feet in a hospital, makes the only possible deal for wetbehind-the-ears Rashmani with GAROC (Gulf Arabian Off Company), and returns home to the bloody raid which has butchered his grandfather and his own infant son. The scenic rides--from Harley-Davidson to camel--don't quite cohere, but, then, that goes with the international territory of not-too-badly-written, see-through commercial novels.