"What matters is that [Esmahan] Aykol uses the genre to tell us a little more about the world than we're used to hearing from more commercial writers."--Newsday

"A wonderful novel about Istanbul. The Turkish way of life, prejudices, men, politics, corruption--Esmahan Aykol writes about all these with a light and humorous touch."--Petros Markaris, author of Che Committed Suicide and Zone Defence

"Bubbling with hedonism, enthusiasm, love of life and books, this should be mandatory reading for those holidaying in Turkey, visitors to Istanbul, and lovers of crime novels."--Hamburger Abendblatt

This debut by a young Turkish woman novelist is set in her beloved Istanbul. The heroine, Kati Hirschel, is a foreigner and proud owner of the only mystery bookshop in town. When the director of a film starring an old school friend is found murdered in his hotel room, Kati cannot resist the temptation to start her own maverick investigation. After all, her friend Petra is the police's principal suspect, and reading all those detective novels must have taught Kati something.

This suspenseful tale of murder features a heroine who is funny, feisty and undresses men in her mind more often than she would like. It uses humor, social commentary, and even erotic fantasy to expose Western prejudices about Turkey, as well as Turkish stereotyping of other Europeans.

Esmahan Aykol was born in 1970 in Edirne, Turkey. She was a journalist for a number of Turkish publications and radio stations. After a stint as a bartender she turned to fiction writing. Hotel Bosphorus is her first novel and will be followed by two others featuring Kati Hirschel.