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Mehmet Murat Somer

THE GIGOLO MURDER - Mehmet Murat Somer

Submitted by Karen on May 31, 2010 - 4:23pm
Author Information
Author Name: 
Author's Home Country: 
Turkey
Categorisation
Category: 
Crime Fiction
Sub Genre: 
Accidental Detective
Book Information
Book Title: 
The Gigolo Murder
ISBN: 
9781846686948
Location: 
Istanbul
Series: 
Hop-Ciki-Yaya
Publisher: 
Serpents Tail
Year of Publication: 
2009

Devastated by a break-up, our unnamed Turkish transvestite heroine swaps her catsuit for pyjamas and becomes a recluse.  But her friends refuse to let her waste away in self-pity and drag her out to make up the numbers for a party.  There's serious grooming to do before our girl's up to the challenge - her state of misery has left her so thin that even her favourite Audrey Hepburn number doesn't cling the way it should.

Book Review: 

THE GIGOLO MURDER is the third translated Hop-Çiki Yaya Thriller (there are seven books in the series in total) from Turkish author Mehmet Murat Somer.  If you are looking for something a little unexpected, then these books are well worth having a look at.

The stories all revolve around an unnamed transvestite heroine as both central character and narrator.  In THE GIGOLO MURDER our girl (as he/she always refers to herself), is not well, miserable since the break up of a relationship which meant so much (since the last great love and until the next one comes along!).  Dragged along to a show by her dear friend Ponpon (another transvestite and dancer), our heroine meets, and falls for the devastatingly handsome, very married Haluk.  It makes perfect sense therefore when Haluk's brother in law is accused of murder, that our heroine would investigate.  Investigation comes easy to our heroine - a night-club owning, martial artist, expert computer hacker transvestite who has friends who come in handy on these occasions.   Which is just as well because THE GIGOLO MURDER sees her calling in favours and assistance from everybody possible.

Reading the three books in order has actually been a helpful thing.  Although each of the stories would stand-alone, THE GIGOLO MURDER is the book in which the crime story picks up and holds a lot more of centre stage.  The two earlier books are possibly slightly more memorable for their character development and the explanation of the world in which these characters live.  The unnamed heroine of these books is a undoubtedly little arch, frequently histrionic, more than a little temperamental, she is vividly but sensitively drawn.  The spotlight, suitably framed and tactfully cast on a part of Turkish / Istanbul society that is possibly unexpected, but undoubtedly close, supportive and self-sufficient.

THE GIGOLO MURDER is really a tremendous crime book, translated in a way that doesn't lose the pace of the story, or the uniqueness of the characters and the setting.  This is a series for anybody looking for something a little different, just slightly risqué, but with a tremendous sense of people and place.

Translated so far:

The Prophet Murders
The Kiss Murder
The Gigolo Murder

Currently Reading - The Gigolo Murder, Mehmet Murat Somer

Submitted by Karen on February 11, 2010 - 9:00am
Book Information
Book Title: 
Author Name: 

THE GIGOLO MURDER is the third Hop-Çiki-Yaya series of books from Turkish author Mehmet Murat Somer.  For anybody who has missed the earlier books this is a series about an unnamed (in the books) computer expert, night-club owning, transvestite.  Not just hilarous, these books give a delicious glimpse into another world.

From the Blurb:

THE PROPHET MURDERS - Mehmet Murat Somer

Submitted by Karen on July 16, 2008 - 2:48pm
Author Information
Author Name: 
Author's Home Country: 
Turkey
Categorisation
Category: 
Crime Fiction
Book Information
Book Title: 
The Prophet Murders
ISBN: 
9781846686337
Location: 
Istanbul
Series: 
Hop-Ciki-Yaya
Publisher: 
Serpents Tail
Year of Publication: 
2008

 

Book Review: 

 

THE PROPHET MURDERS is the first of six 'Hop-Ciki-Yaya' thrillers translated into English - written by engineer, banker and now management consultant Mehmet Murat Somer.  The book introduces the reader to a central protagonist who is nothing, if not slightly unexpected.  Our unnamed hero/heroine is referred to as <em>abla</em> throughout the book which means big sister (thanks to the handy little glossary included at the back of the book).  He/she is a well-known identity in the transvestite sub-culture in Turkey. The reason for the dual references to this character is that he/she is not adverse to dressing as a man or a woman, depending upon the circumstances.  So let's start referring to our protagonist as abla.  (Later books apparently reveal the real name).  
 
Abla is the first to wonder about the deaths of other transvestites - the girls, members of their community - tensions and troubles aside.  There has been one mysterious disappearance and when one of the girls is killed in a fire in very odd circumstances, her death is followed quickly by another dead body in a strange place.  Because the girls are part of the sub-culture it's unlikely that the police will be looking too hard, but abla and her friends are able to find the connection and identify a likely killer very quickly.  Finding proof is another matter.
 
The book is written in the first person - abla voices it totally, and whilst the investigation moves at a pace that would make a snail impatient, it wanders through the life and times of the Turkish transvestite community.  There are some humorous touches, although a large number of these are heavy handed, and there is a lot of detail about life in and around the transvestite scene.   Undoubtedly this is where THE PROPHET MURDERS shines - it provides real insight into a community that is going to be different for many of us - Turkish or not.  Through abla, the author reveals much about the differences within the transvestite community, the hierarchy of power, the older and younger girls.  There are also revelations about the sorts of attacks that the community can endure, whilst having a slightly sly dig at the perpetrator's of the abuse.
 
THE PROPHET MURDERS will probably not work for somebody who is looking for an investigation based book.  You are going to have to handle the slightly odd (maybe it just doesn't translate) humourous moments.  All of that being said, if you're looking for something very different then THE PROPHET MURDERS provides some insight into a world that is foreign in culture and foreign in lifestyle for many of us.
 

Currently Reading - The Prophet Murders, Mehmet Murat Somer

Submitted by Karen on July 15, 2008 - 10:25am
Book Information
Book Title: 
Author Name: 

This is the first translated novel in a Turkish series - featuring a Transvestite protagonist - unnamed in this book.

The blurb:

Something's gone seriously wrong in Istanbul - a killer is on the loose, and transvestites are being murdered, the circumstances becoming increasingly bizarre with each death.  Our protaganist - fellow transvestite, nightclub owner and glamour puss extraordinaire - downs her lipstick and ups the ante in the search for the religious nut.

The opening line:

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