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Readers > Graveyard Eyes > Comments And Reviews
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Comments And Reviews
"Graveyard Eyes will keep you breathless with anticipation." --- ForemostPress.com
With a serial murderer on the loose, ethnic and political factors clouding the investigation, and pressure to solve the murder of a high-society woman, Inspector Levant has to move quickly to catch a killer who is always one step ahead and egging him on.
Perhaps the most refreshing book of the summer, Graveyard Eyes takes an interesting twist on the traditional murder mystery. Like other books in the genre, it has a detective who is driven to solve the mystery despite political pressures, it has a series of victims with little apparent connection, and it has a long list of potential suspects. What is different about this book, however, is its setting—the book takes place in modern Turkey.
While there are Turkish translations of American detective stories, this is the first I’ve come across that is an English story of a Turkish detective working in Turkey. Rich imagery, social commentary, and characterization adds meat onto a plot that forms a worthy skeleton for this story.
Combining a good detective story with the suspense of a thriller, this book keeps you on the edge of your seat. This book is one you’ll not want to put down until the very last pages have been read. A well-written, exciting read.
Kevin Aguanno
TCM Reviews
A beautiful and successful young Turkish female entrepreneur, Ayla Acheson, is found murdered in her country house outside of Istanbul. Was she killed for money? Because of her feminist beliefs? Or, by a scorned lover? The Turkish police, led by Inspector Levent, are quickly on the scene in this
high-profile case. As Levent tries to make sense of the victim’s bedroom and study, the killer makes contact with the Inspector on Ayla’s computer. Levent determines that the killer, who identifies himself as Karanlik (Turkish for ‘a man from the darkness’) is "a murderer without conscience who
thinks he is justified in everything he does." And, Levent is bent on getting this madman. From Ayla’s tourism business to a nightclub and an art gallery, Levent leads us on a tour through the diverse neighborhoods of Istanbul.
This is author David Chacko’s twelfth novel and the first, I hope, of many in the "Inspector Levent" series. In the character of Levent, the reader meets a skilled and well-connected detective. In fact, at times, Levent wishes he were not so well-connected since his wife’s cousin is the Chief of Police—and this means he gets some difficult and politically sensitive cases to handle. Chacko occasionally opens a window to Levent’s personal life, mentioning his wife and his love of good food. There are also numerous references to Levent’s battles with Istanbul traffic. These very short interludes away from the focus on the gory murder are nice touches to the book, adding a little humor and lightness. And, for those of us who have read either The Peacock Angel or Less than a Shadow, the brief mention of American agent Jason Ender is a pleasant surprise. Hopefully, in the next book, we’ll get to know Levent better as well as his able detective, Erol Akbay, and the Chief of Police.
Chacko has a wonderful ability to bring the streets and modern-day culture of Istanbul to life. For instance, his references to various Turkish superstitious beliefs as well as his descriptions of the feminist and gay communities within the current Moslem environment are very realistic. Even the book’s cover is an added bonus—one of Chacko’s photos of tombstones in a Turkish cemetery. Chacko also creates detailed descriptions of the numerous characters involved in this mystery—beyond the in-depth descriptions he provides of both Levent and Akbay.
I read the book in one weekend, as it held my interest while I tried to figure out who committed the murder. I think any reader who likes murder mysteries or fast-paced international intrigue will read the book with the same interest that I had. Then, probably join me in waiting for the next thriller in the Levent series. . . .
Reviewed by Lynn O’Connell for Reader Views (7/06)
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Book reviews, for readers, by readers.
Graveyard Eyes, David Chacko's twelfth novel, draws aside the curtain for an intimate look at a society that is as old as any on earth, and as sophisticated, yet veiled even to its citizens. Istanbul, incredibly ancient and intensely modern, is the subject tantalizingly revealed. The murder of one of its most successful and liberated businesswomen is a scandal in its own right, but one that steadily grows as Inspector Levent turns his trained eye on the things he knows best and the people that no one really knows well.
A wealthy successful feminist sliced and diced? A killer who talks to the police online? An Inspector of Homicide who is a gourmet and budding media personality? Incest, bigotry, and the contradictions of a world that straddles two continents and even more cultures? Graveyard Eyes has these things, plus a concentration on character and place that is the strength of Chacko’s novels. Meet Inspector Onur Levent as he follows a trail of blood and money up the social ladder to its international ending on an island in the Sea of Marmara.
It’s one thing to write about the rich and famous, and another to understand them. Chacko, who lives in Istanbul, is one of the few people who can take the reader into a world that in its own way is as private as the harems of the Ottoman sultans. From the call girls of the super rich to corrupt government officials force-fed hot money, the portrait that emerges in Graveyard Eyes is of an enormous center of trade and duplicity that stands at the exact crossroads of Europe and Asia.
ForemostPress.com
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"A powerful, engrossing read with vivid characters you'll not soon forget." --- ForemostPress.com
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