More Turkish Mystery and Romance Novels

The Black Bookby Orhan Pamuk (2006) is a detective novel and also a work of philosophy about Turkish identity, according to Sinan, the son of Inspector Cetin Ikmen, the main character in Barbara Nadel's mystery novel, Arabesk: Inspector Ikmen #3, the third in the mystery series that's set in Istanbul.

Another Turkish mystery novel: The Turkish Gambit: A Novel (Erast Fandorin Mysteries) (2005)was written by a Russian, Boris Akunin, and set in the 19th century during the conflict between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. It's described as more of a war novel and romance than crime fiction.

On romance, there is Turkish Wedding: Once There Was, Once There Wasn't (2008) by Judith Reynolds, a book about a woman and her Turkish fiance who visit Turkey but tell his family they are already married.
The family dynamics and the resulting conflicts remind me of the romantic film, A Walk in the Clouds with Keanu Reeves, who pretends to be the husband of a Mexican farmer's daughter.

I'm reading Arabesk and hope to get to The Black Book as well as Turkish Wedding. After two crime novels, a romance would be a nice break.

Wordless Wednesday: Sour Cherry Blossoms

I wasn't home to see the bees. Were there any? Will there be cherries this summer?

More Wordless Wednesdays

Teaser Tuesday: Flirting with Forever by Gwyn Cready

Teaser Tuesdays, hosted by MizB, asks you to choose two sentences at random from your current read. Include the author and title for readers.

Flirting with Forever (Mass Market Paperback - March 30, 2010) by Gwyn Cready

Cam's hands flew up instinctively to cover her eyes. "Mace!"
"Not mace," Jeanne said. " I used it before my date last night. He liked it."  p. 15

Publisher's description: Art historian Campbell Stratford ....thanks to a time portal she accidenally discovered, (she) has caused quite a stir in the Great Beyond....Sir Peter Lely has been recruited by the Guild protecting dead artists to save their reputations by sabotaging Cam's latest project (to reveal the sexy secrets of the artists).

The book is described as a "sexy time-travel adventure." Can't wait to read it all!

UPDATE: I posted my review on May 20, 2010. Here it is: My review of Flirting with Forever.

Book Review: The Stone Monkey by Jeffery Deaver

The Stone Monkey: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel by Jeffery Deaver
(paperback - April 14, 2003)

"Embrace your limitations...Fate make you this way, Laoban. And make you this way for purpose. Maybe you best detective you can be because of what happen. Your life balanced now, I'm saying."

Lincoln Rhyme, a forensics expert, is confined to a wheelchair, a quadriplegic barely able to move much more than his head. However, assisted by the latest equipment and technology in his office, he is able to direct an investigation of a ship that's carrying illegal immigrants from China into U.S. waters. The boat is blown up in the water with the passengers locked in the hold below; the culprit is the wanted and illusive man known as Ghost, a snakehead, or human smuggler wanted by Interpol. Rhyme has a team of men from the FBI, INS, and NYPD helping with the investigation, and also Amelia Sachs, his protege.

A Hong Kong undercover policeman assists them in the frantic search for Ghost, who is hunting down about a dozen of the immigrants who managed to escape the sinking of the boat.  The policeman also teaches Rhyme about looking at the tragedy of life from another point of view.

My comments: An excellent plot with more twists and turns than you expect in this suspenseful novel. The author Jeffery Deaver weaves his knowledge of Chinese culture, folklore, and history into his thriller, and also uses the more recent tragedy of human smuggling and illegal immigration into his plot. I gave The Stone Monkey five stars for story, fast paced action, and characterization.

Challenge: Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge


 

Book Review: Murder in the Palais Royal by Cara Black

 

"Who the hell shot Rene, and why does everyone think it's me?" She tried to slow down, control the rising panic in her voice. "I want to give my statement and move on to more important things. Like finding who did this." (p. 21)

Aimee Leduc is accused of shooting her business partner, Rene, who is undergoing surgery in a Paris hospital. She tracks down possible suspects who might want to frame her and harm her friend and partner in the business.

From Goodreads: Eyewitnesses have identified Aimée as the culprit. A mysterious deposit has been made to their firm's bank account, interesting the taxman in their affairs. Someone seems to be impersonating Aimée; someone wants revenge. Two murders ensue. How do they relate to the youth whom Aimée's testimony sent to jail in the very first Aimée Leduc investigation, Murder in the Marais ?

My comments:
I like the free-spirited heroine of the series, her flair for fashion, her doggedness in tracking down clues in a mystery, and her faithfulness to her friends. She is especially good at getting the right information from reluctant witnesses or even unreliable sources. And she is one of the best guides to Paris there is.

In previous books, she has taken us into the catacombs underneath the city of Paris, into the various arrondissements of Paris, the neighborhoods full of history which author Cara Black has imbued with mystery in her ten novels. In Murder in the Palais Royale, Aimee ventures into the underground tunnels in the arrondissement, adding to the intrigue and suspense of the plot, and giving us more of the flavor and past of Paris.

I recommend reading the first and best novel in the series, Murder in the Marais, along with this latest book, as the people and plots are linked, though they are both excellent as stand-alone reads. I'm looking forward to more in the series, too. Each of her books is set in a different neighborhood of Paris. There are 20 arrondissements in the city and she her books are set in 10 of them!

Cara Black is the author of nine previous books in the best-selling Aimée Leduc mystery series. She has been nominated twice for an Anthony Award. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and son and visits Paris frequently.(Goodreads)

Soho Press, Inc. provided a copy of this book for my objective review.

Challenges: Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge, 100 + Reading Challenge

 

Wordless Wednesday: Quince Blossom Surprise

Last year, this japonica or ornamental quince bush had three coral blooms. This year, multiple buds.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

Teaser Tuesdays, hosted by MizB, asks you to choose two sentences at random from your current read.

Bjorck looked at the noose, failing to understand. Then he heard movements behind him and felt his knees buckle.

from The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

This quote is from an uncorrected proof. It may be different from the final version of the book, which is to be released in hardcover May 27, 2010 by Alfred A. Knopf Publishers.

The Scandinavian thriller is the third in the Millennium Trilogy by Larsson, completed just before he died in 2004.  It features the "troubled but genius" main character, Lisbeth Salander. The first novel was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Vintage) and the second,
The Girl Who Played with Fire (Vintage)

What the critics say:

"Stieg Larsson's vivid characters, the depth of the detail across the three books, the powerfully imaginative plot, and the sheer verve of the writing make the trilogy a masterpiece of its genre." - The Economist.