Star of Cursrah (Forgotten Realms:  Lost Empires, Book 3))
This book was written to order to explore the new role-playing book on Calimshan, the Forgotten Realms' equivalent of the Arabian Peninsula - with plenty of Arabian Nights intrigue and dash.I suggested a book that tied together the ancient history of the realm with a view of the modern parts.  It wasn't long before I had the formula, which the editor loved.  We follow the adventures of three friends in the ancient world: a princess with nothing to do, a young military cadet, and a boy attached to the servant class.  In the modern world we follow their cognates: a girl rebelling against conformity and her slavetrading family, a thief who takes his life in his hands every day, and a boy who's not excited about entering the rug-making trade.The three moderns skip out into the desert, and find what the shifting sands have uncovered - the ruins of a long-forgotten city.  And then we follow the three ancient friends and see how the city collapsed and was lost.  And how the personal lives of all six intersect.Alternating chapters meant every chapter ended with a cliff-hanger.  A delicious tease that keeps the reader turning pages as fast as can be.