Set in and around Tripoli in 1805, this swashbuckling adventure is about Stephen Fletcher, a United States Marine captured by corsairs and sold into slavery. After a chance encounter with the pasha of the city in which Fletcher exhibits bravery and martial prowess, he finds himself working as a harem guard, surrounded by beautiful women it is death to touch. He finds himself tempted by the exotic and lustful Marlani, the pasha's favorite consort, but his situation is complicated even further by the sudden addition of an American girl to the harem.

I wasn't sure what to expect, given that Gardner Fox also wrote a lot of fairly explicit erotica under various pseudonyms, but (unfortunately?) this story was much less salacious than the premise suggests. In fact, with its swashbuckling sword fights, decadent royalty, and love-driven heroics, this book reminded me a great deal of Edgar Rice Burroughs. The story is fast-paced and action-packed. There's a bit of reliance on coincidences and dei ex machina, but that's not unusual for this variety of story. Recommended for historical adventure fans.