The Black Book - Tapa blanda

"'A glorious flight of dark, fantastic invention... It offers many pleasures, Gothic, Borgesian and other, the best of which is a vision of Istanbul as a city of sinister complexity.' Patrick McGrath 'Dazzling... Turns the detective novel on its head.' Joan Smith, Independent on Sunday"

Galip is an Istanbul lawyer, and his wife (as well as first cousin), Ruya, has vanished. Could she be hiding out with her half brother (who also happens to be Galip's first cousin), Jelal, a newspaper columnist whose fame Galip envies? And if so, why isn't anyone in Jelal's flat? As Galip plays the part of private investigator, he assumes the identity of Jelal himself, wearing his clothes, answering his phone calls, even faking his wry columns, which he passes off as the work of the missing journalist. But the amateur sleuth bungles his undercover operation, and with dire consequences.