The Gigolo Murder

August 17, 2009
Somer's second Turkish Delight mystery to be made available in the U.S. (after 2008's The Kiss Murder
) explores Istanbul's gay life and an alternative culture with sharp humor that avoids any hint of campiness. The series' normally feisty heroine, a nameless transvestite nightclub owner who dresses like Audrey Hepburn but also wears men's clothes for her day job, has become too depressed to even bathe as she nurses a broken heart. Dragged to a nightclub by Ponpon, a close friend and drag queen, she falls in lust with Haluk Perkedem, a handsome but married lawyer. When Haluk's brother-in-law is arrested for a well-known gigolo's murder, she and Ponpon plunge into their own investigation, becoming the Holmes and Watson of the transvestite set. A complex web of family honor, the nouveau riche and sexual politics is tailor-made for an amateur sleuth whose double life is anything but simple.

August 15, 2009
A Turkish drag queen turns sleuth to win the heart of a dreamy lawyer.

Somer's discreetly anonymous narrator/hero(ine) works as a nightclub doyenne by night and computer hacker by day. Inconsolable after the shattering of his latest love affair, he's dragged to a rehabilitative night out by Ponpon, his close friend and fellow drag queen. Over dinner, our fragile protagonist falls head over heels for"superhandsome" lawyer Haluk Pekerdem, whose beautiful wife Canan is only a speed bump in his seduction plan. Haluk is abruptly called away from the table by an urgent phone call. Canan's brother Faruk has been arrested for the murder of Volkan, a taxi driver. If Faruk's innocence can be proven, Haluk's undying gratitude and divine body will doubtless follow. This means keeping at bay the demands of money-counter boss Ali, who's hatching a new and possibly illegal hacking scheme. Word on the street is that Volkan was a gigolo. We soon learn that Volkan's brother Okan is a drug addict and that, as a boy, Volkan was the lover of his uncle Ziya. This last is confirmed during an uncomfortable visit to Volkan's wake. Faruk's release by the police deals a blow to the seduction plan for Haluk, and Faruk's murder raises the stakes. Can the would-be lover identify the killer so that love can find a way?

The second English translation of Somer's Turkish Delight series (The Prophet Murders, 2008) is fresh, cheeky and brimming with joie de vivre.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 1, 2009
Somer's second entry in his "Turkish Delight" series ("The Kiss Murder") is a dense tale of murder in modern Istanbul. Recovering from a breakup, Somer's unnamed narrator sleuth is roused out of his depression by a crush on a handsome (and married) lawyer and the subsequent murder of the lawyer's brother-in-law. Inspired to solve the crime with a combination of impressive police connections and a network of outrageous friends and employees of various talents, our hero is a transvestite bar owner with a special talent for computers and kickboxing, a skill that comes in handy in dealing with shady types. VERDICT Somer plays it for laughs and occasionally succeeds, but at times the translation feels awkward and the joke falls flat. Mercifully, the author includes a list of characters and a glossary to help readers familiarize themselves with the Turkish names and terms. Most of the characters are transvestites, and the humor is largely based on that subculture, which may give it special appeal to gay readers. But this mystery will also attract readers who like their crime novels accompanied by madcap characters and wry humor.Caroline Mann, Univ. of Portland Lib., OR

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2009
Our unnamed protagonist, a transvestite in modern-day Istanbul who owns a tranny club, last seen in The Prophet Murders (2008), is back but miserably unhappy after being dumped. After weeks of sulking, she snaps out of it with the help of dedicated friend and nightclub singer Ponpon, who also introduces her to a new crush. But when the brother-in-law of the new crush is accused of murder, she just cant resist getting involved, especially after she discovers the victim was a notorious gigolo. Our heroines second job as a computer-security consultant (read hacker) comes in handy as she uses her skills to assist in solving the murder. Cozy and intimate, with a dramatic Agatha Christiestyle finale, this novel (and the series as whole) also has a darker side, offering a starkly realistic portrait of the transvestite community and the difficulties faced by its members. The modern-day Turkish setting provides an intoxicating blend of exotic and familiar, which, combined with the fascinating characters, makes for an excellent international mystery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)