Book Reviews

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 abla 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.

SOLDIER OF FORTUNE is the first book featuring Captain Daniel Rawson, although the author has written at least 40 other crime novels, in a range of different groups set in four distinct periods of history.

This book opens with Daniel - the child - greeting his father on temporary leave from battle. Nathan is fighting to depose the King and put the Duke of Monmouth on the throne. The forces of the Duke lose and Nathan is put to death. Daniel and his Dutch mother flee England - to the safety of his mother's native land. Years later, as a young and dashing soldier, Daniel returns to fighting - this time for the Duke of Marlborough and the Confederate forces in the battle of Blenheim.

Daniel is a career soldier and spy - dashing, loyal and unfailingly courageous, he is also extremely attractive to women. He uses that attraction to discover information from the wife of a famous General in his role as Confederate spy. Returning to the battlefield, he is pursued - by Miss Abigail Piper, a beautiful and very wilful young lady he met briefly before leaving for the fight; and somewhat more disconcertingly, by two hired assassins. The General has no intention of allowing himself to be cuckolded without taking his own revenge. Daniel must keep Miss Abigail safe, stay alive himself, fight the battle for the Duke, rid the world of the assassins and dodge the bullet of commitment to just one woman.

Needless to say as you've probably guessed from the description Daniel is a bit of a swashbuckling, all round hero type - leaping from tall buildings, riding horses and fighting pitched sword battles to defend himself, King, Country, the lady, the principle and whatever else needs to be swashed into submission.

To be brutally honest there is absolutely nothing in this plot that can't be seen coming from a very long way away, and these sort of books are not my normal reading fare - but it really did roll along at a good pace, and the swashing was buckled with a certain style. Daniel wasn't so over the top a hero that you didn't want to track him down and thump him with his own sword, Miss Abigail was brave and downright annoying all at the same time, and the lurking assassins nicely threatening - in a predictable sort of a way.

You really could see SOLDIER OF FORTUNE appealing to readers who like a bit of romance, high intrigue and maybe a touch of the Errol Flynn's about their escapist reading.

BYE BYE BABY is a very thick book. At just over 500 pages, perhaps too thick.

The basic plot is pretty good, but there seems to be just a little too much window dressing. Jack is attractive to women, his past problems demonstrate that. His deputy, DI Kate Carter has a crush on him and is extremely jealous of attention he pays to any other female, despite the fact she is engaged to be married. I didn't like this particular plot thread, I felt it detracted from the story and made a character central to the book unlikeable when she didn't need to be. And perhaps its a sign of the author's inexperience with the crime fiction genre that many plot developments are telegraphed to the reader long before the police discover the clues. At times I felt like shouting at them not to be so dopey.

That aside, BYE BYE BABY differs from many books dealing with serial killers. There are shades of grey in this book which are missing from most other books with a similar theme.

Lauren Crow is a nom de plume for Fantasy author Fiona Macintosh who is making her first foray into crime fiction.