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Esmahan Aykol | Kelepir Ev | English Title: Baksheesh<br>Novel, 336 Pages

Novel, Hardcover
336 Pages
Published in Aug. 2004

ISBN 978-3-257-06443-8

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Esmahan Aykol
Kelepir Ev

Published by Diogenes as Bakschisch
English Title: Baksheesh

Kati is fed up. Her rent has been put up again. And although her apartment is in a lively area of Istanbul, the neighbourhood is definitely run-down. And she is fed up with her boyfriend, Selim, as well – he actually expects her to behave like the future wife of a lawyer and politely engage in small talk. To move in with Selim is thus out of the question. She would prefer to find out how to bribe the authorities in order to come by a flat of her own. At first, it all goes like clockwork: an official offers her a six-room apartment overlooking the old town and the Bosporus at an unbelievably cheap rent. The fact that the flat is in need of some renovation is of no concern to Kati – she learned in Berlin how to spruce up an apartment. In the event, however, bribery and a spot of renovation are not the end of the story. Shortly after her visit, a man is murdered inside this dream apartment – a parking-lot manager with a dubious reputation. A nuisance for the future owner of the apartment – not least because she herself is one of the suspects – but a challenge for that shrewd owner of a crime novel bookshop, Kati Hirschel. Esmahan Aykol leads us through the alleys and boulevards of Istanbul with its millions of inhabitants – into villas and basement apartments, real estate agencies and lawyers’ offices, into the party offices of the Islamists and town halls – indeed, into every place in which a little baksheesh goes a long way.

QuotesShow all

»Kati Hirschel is back, ready to chatter, with priceless disrespect, about the differences between Germans and Turks. Esmahan Aykol is a warm-hearted and most of all well-informed writer: apart from the amusing protagonist-narrator Kati, the metropolis of Istanbul takes centre stage. With great pleasure, one reads the author’s affectionate yet ironic declaration of love to the city.«Der Spiegel

»Those who've had enough of the Scandinavian crime writers' melancholy should read Esmahan Aykol: not in fog and rain, ice and snow, but under the scorching sun of Istanbul she lets her heroine Kati Hirschl solve murder cases... the many little stories about everyday life in the narrow lanes of Istanbul make this novel a particular pleasure to read.«Sonntag aktuell

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