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Istanbul Passage
by Joseph Kanon (Goodreads Author)
3.59 of 5 stars 3.59 · rating details · 2,749 ratings · 509 reviews
A neutral capital straddling Europe and Asia, Istanbul survived the Second World War as a magnet for refugees and spies, trafficking in secrets and lies rather than soldiers. Expatriate American businessman Leon Bauer was drawn into this shadow world, doing undercover odd jobs and courier runs in support of the Allied war effort.

Now, as the espionage community begins to pack up and an apprehensive city prepares for the grim realities of postwar life, Leon is given one last routine assignment. But when the job goes fatally wrong — an exchange of gunfire, a body left in the street, a potential war criminal on his hands — Leon is plunged into a tangle of intrigue, shifting loyalties, and moral uncertainty.

Played out against the bazaars and mosques and faded mansions of this knowing, ancient Ottoman city, Leon’s conflicted attempt to save one life leads to a desperate manhunt that ultimately threatens his own survival. How do you do the right thing when there are only bad choices to be made?

Rich with atmosphere and period detail, Istanbul Passage is the haunting story of a man swept up in the dawn of the Cold War, of an unexpected love affair, and of a city as deceptive as the calm surface waters of the Bosphorus that divides it. (less)
Paperback, 432 pages
Published April 16th 2013 by Washington Square Press (first published May 1st 2012)



Joseph Kanon
Author
Joseph Kanon is an American author, best known for thriller and spy novels set in the period immediately after World War II. Wikipedia
Born: 1946, Pennsylvania
Movies: The Good German
Education: Harvard University, Trinity College, Cambridge
Awards: Hammett Prize, Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author
Nominations: Barry Award for Best First Novel