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Istanbul Passage (2013)

by Joseph Kanon(Favorite Author)

3.59 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Washington Square Press

review 1: I very much enjoyed this book, a thriller set in immediately post-war Istanbul where an American employee of a tobacco firm, who dabbled in espionage during the war, is asked to do the traditional 'one last job'. The result is a complicated web of spying and counterspying, unexpected loyalties and uncertain friendships, set against a particularly rich background layered with the history of Istanbul. Unlike many American books it is not spattered with brand names, which makes for a smoother read. My principal qualm was that at some points the narrative is so pared down as to be incomprehensible, but for the most part the hero's worries, fears and gradual absorption into the world of espionage is fascinating enough to tide me over.
review 2: Ad advertised, a grea... moret, quick read, full of the time (1945) and place (Istanbul) and captures that transition between WWII and the Cold War and all of the ambiguities that were just forming--Who's side are you on? What is justified for the cause? What is right? Things were so clear during the war, but now are less so. Leon, the main character, is caught up in that world. We follow him through a critical month in his life on a couple jobs, through a couple deaths (some by his hand), a new love, a labyrinth of the old city and new world colliding. A very good read; has made me put his other books on my list to read. less

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