This is the first in a series of novels featuring Kati, a German living in Istanbul. She owns the city's only mystery bookshop and when her acquaintance/friend/movie star comes to town to film a movie and the movie's director is murdered, Kati can't resist the chance to try to find out who did it. Now she can finally put into practice all the theoretical knowledge she's gained from reading mystery novels. Kati is also a woman who can’t resist a good man, and the ups and downs of her romantic escapades are woven throughout the mystery.
This is a translation into British English and it seemed a little awkward and stilted at times, although I enjoyed the tidbits about Turkish life and Istanbul that were woven into the story. The mystery itself was a bit predictable and the epilogue seemed a little heavy-handed. I think those details could have been worked into the final chapters of the book to make it a smoother read. That aside, this was an interesting peek into the culture of Istanbul. As a German Jew who has lived in Istanbul for 10 or 11 years, she brings a unique lens to that city’s culture, which she describes as being different than the Turkish culture in general.
Hotel Bosphorus by Eshmahan Aykol, Ruth Whitehouse (translator) (Bitter Lemon Press, 2011)
My rating: 3 stars
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