This smart, stylish novel is Thomas Hauser's most ambitious fiction to date and effectively cements his reputation as a prominent critic of institutionalized racism. The narrator is Jeffrey Harper, a street-savvy columnist for a New York City newspaper. Finding The Princess is the story of Jeff's life. It's a tale of racial confrontation between the police and the black community in New York. It's a commentary on eternal values. And it's a different kind of love story. Hauser's background as a writer of prize-winning non-fiction gives this novel its realism. But it's his gift for discerning what makes people tick that gives his characters life. Finding The Princess is a book rich in texture, strong character portraits, and exciting plot twists. It's filled with saucy strippers, morally bankrupt politicians, depraved siblings, and winsome writers. It offers the intrigue of a thriller with a generous helping of social commentary and romance. The result is a wry but discerning look at life in contemporary American society by a writer whose previous fiction has received such praise as first-class entertainment by The New Yorker and a thriller for thinkers by the New York Times. Once again, as the New York Times wrote of this author's most recent novel, Mr. Hauser has written a winner.