An Oriental Murder by Jane Bastin
AN ORIENTAL MURDER
JANE BASTIN
Hold tight for a story full of espionage and murder, set against the stunning backdrop of Turkey! This is a great crime thriller which starts in The Pera Palas Hotel in Instanbul which is hosting the Agatha Christie Writers' Congress when suddenly, what the guests thought only existed in fiction, becomes very much real and immediately they find themselves in the middle of their very own murder mystery....
What could be more appealing? Agatha Christie, a writing convention and an exotic location - perfect ingredients and a great hook. The plot gets off to a flying start by introducing us to some really colourful characters who are vividly portrayed and the pace of the novel moves quickly along, the murder happening very early on in the book which generates lots of dramatic tension.
The author wastes no time opening the novel with the discovery of the body of the Prime Minister and his mistress who are found dead in one of the hotel's locked rooms. A room which was surrounded by bodyguards the whole time. No one could get in, no one could get out.....A classic locked room mystery but also one that is loaded with further intrigue due to the status and situation of the victim.
As with all great murder mysteries, the plot continues to thicken. Our main character, Inspector Sinan Kaya, leads his investigation, convinced that the murder is not a one off killing and in fact there are more sinister links between this death and the recent spate of killings of Turkish government officials.
Kaya is a very likeable character and very well formed. He has a strong sense of justice and a strong sense of moral duty. He is determined to get to the bottom of things and to uncover the truth, whatever the threat might be to his own career or status within the force. Again, a great protagonist for readers to identify with and root for. The location of the book is also almost as significant as the characters and the attention to detail firmly roots the reader in this setting. And although a thriller, and a page turner, the tone of the narration is gently amusing at times and very engaging.
I was intrigued by the blurb - espionage, the orient and a group of writers who align themselves with Agatha Christie is a great premise and the author delivers a well paced, well executed mystery which keeps the reader entertained until the final pages.
An Oriental Murder is a very readable crime novel and I enjoyed it.
Don't miss the rest of the Blog Tour stops!
JANE BASTIN
Jane is a
storyteller, writer, traveller and educator. Having lived and worked for over
thirty years in Turkey, Jane has amassed a breadth of experiences that have led
to the writing of the Sinan Kaya series of novels. Of course all characters and
events are fictitious!
Fluent in both English and Turkish, Jane writes in both
languages and has had a range of articles published in Turkish periodicals and
magazines alongside British newspapers.
Jane now divides her time between rainy Devon and sunny Turkey,
My thanks to Rachel Gilbey for inviting me to join the Blog Tour and for the advance copy of the novel.
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