Hotel Bosphorus

Aykol makes her English-language debut with her first mystery featuring Kati Hirschel, an offbeat amateur sleuth with a distinctive narrative voice. Kati, a German who's lived for many years in Istanbul, runs the city's only bookstore specializing in mysteries. She gets her chance to play detective in real life after the arrival of an old friend, movie actress Petra Vogel, who's starring in a joint Turkish-German production. Petra becomes the main suspect in the murder of the film's director, Kurt Muller, after someone drops a plugged-in hair dryer into his bath and electrocutes him. Rumors that Muller was on the verge of replacing Petra provide the police with an obvious motive. Kati takes up the case personally, involving herself with a hunky inspector along the way to the logical and surprising conclusion. Fans of such female detectives as Amanda Cross's Kate Fansler and Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher will find a lot to like. (July)