Worth reading the next one. ( )

3.5 stars

For the first 3/4s of the book this was an elegant mystery, rich in cultural and historical detail. At the end, however, the author chose to pile on the action and everything seemed to be happening at once, not always in a coherent fashion. If it wasn't for that I would have liked to rate this book higher. Jenny White has written numerous non-fiction works on Turkish politics and society, so I expected a lot of cultural and historical detail, and I certainly wasn't disappointed on that score. I did enjoy the description of the customs and mores of 19th century Turkey, the characters were interesting and believable, with the main character, Kalim Pasha, cutting a particularily dashing figure. The book is told from 3 different perspectives, which worked extremely well for me. I was disappointed to find that there was no glossary, which would have been helpful, given the amount of Turkish words used, although of course one could guess most of them. I'll be reading the next book in the series. ( )

Istanbul at the end of the nineteenth century was apparently a hotbed of discontent, as certain elements worked to overthrow the sultan and reintroduce Parliament. Kamil, the magistrate, is assigned to solve the murder of an English governess, the second in several years. At the same time, Sybil, the daughter of the British ambassador, determines to help Kamil while quite falling for him. And the third story is of Jaanan, a young Turkish society woman with mixed romantic notions. ( )

This mystery is set in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire.

When the nude body of an English governess is washed up a bank of the Bosporus River it is up to the local magistrate, Kamil Pasha, to investigate.

He determines that she was murdered, and discovers a possible link to the death of another English governess eight years prior. Both women were wearing a distinctive necklace inscribed with Chinese pictographs and an authentic seal of the Sultan's, which very few people would have access to.

Kamil Pasha is aided in his investigations by police surgeon Michel Sevy, and by the British Ambassador's daughter, Sybil.

I found this book to be one of the best mysteries I've read in a while. I especially found the political intrigue absorbing, while the mildly romantic vein made it entertaining. It seemed a bit different from the usual mystery I read, but refreshingly so.

Intriguing mystery set in late Ottoman Empire [Istanbul]. ( )