Eat your heart out, Miss Marple...
Mehmet Murat Somer's heroine of the Turkish Delight Mysteries is not your average sleuth. Her official job title is computer programmer, but she is also an amateur detective - a Turkish drag queen detective, that is. After experiencing a very bad breakup, she meets Haluk, a suave, sophisticated, sexy (and married) lawyer. Of course our heroine is smitten, and when Haluk's brother-in-law is arrested for the murder of a famous Istanbul gigolo, she decides to (ahem) lend a hand by putting her crime solving skills to the test. Along the way, we meet a myriad of colorful characters that make up Istanbul's finest and most glamorous drag queen showgirls.
For me, this book was somewhat confusing at times, as there are many characters with Turkish names (and my Turkish just isn't what it used to be), but once you get the hang of who's who, it's really a fun story. The Gigolo Murder did start off more slowly than expected, but by the end, there was " a finale straight out of an Agatha Christie novel" as our lovely host proclaims (page 237). While Agatha Christie might not have written about a sassy crime-solving tranny, she certainly would have been impressed by such a charming and unconventional amateur detective.
Mehmet Murat Somer has also written The Kiss Murder
, and The Prophet Murder
, which are part of the Turkish Delight Mysteries and also go by the name of Hop-Ciki-Yaya Mysteries. The Gigolo Murder is the third in the series, but you don't have to read them in order.
, and The Prophet Murder, which are part of the Turkish Delight Mysteries and also go by the name of Hop-Ciki-Yaya Mysteries. The Gigolo Murder is the third in the series, but you don't have to read them in order.