Songs My Mother Never Taught Me

February 2, 2009
This intelligent thriller from Altun, his first to be published in the U.S., nicely evokes modern Istanbul. After Arda Ergenekon's domineering mother dies of cancer, the well-to-do 27-year-old seeks to learn more about his illustrious mathematician father, Mürsel, who was murdered when he was 14. In a postmodernist touch, a character named Selçuk Altun assists Ergenekon in his inquiries into the past. Meanwhile, Bedirhan Öztürk, whose backstory is more compelling than Ergenekon's, is considering retiring from his career as an assassin. What Ergenekon discovers leads him to devote himself to tracking down Mürsel's killer, who, unsurprisingly, turns out to be Öztürk. While some readers may be disappointed by what happens when the two main characters finally meet, the lean prose and deft pacing make this more than a routine revenge tale.

March 1, 2009
This latest Turkish import, set in Istanbul, is written entirely in the first person, from the points of view of the two main characters, Arda, a child of privilege and a smothering mother, and Bedirhan, an orphan turned assassin. The reader is rapidly drawn into the innermost thoughts and feelings of both characters, as Arda decides how to live his life after the death of his mother, and Bedirhan vows to get out of the assassin business. The tension is gradually ratcheted up as Arda discovers his father was assassinated and sets out to hunt for the killer, even as the reader learns of the strangely intertwined lives of Arda and Bedirhan. The seamless translation captures the authors remarkable lyricism. Highly recommended for readers of literary mysteries and for followers of international crime fiction. Altuns love and knowledge of Istanbul shine through on every page.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)