Constantinople 1900: While she is still mourning her husband’s recent death, Theodosia is delighted to receive an invitation for herself and her daughter Electra to the wedding Hamid, son of Ferid Pasha. He is to marry Behice, youngest daughter of Omer Pasha therefore joining together two of the most eminent families in the city. The wedding is to take place in the Garden of Enchantment at Ferid Pasha’s elegant mansion. Within the beautiful surroundings and atmosphere of the Garden, the very last thing anything expected was murder.
With the help of her faithful manservant Abdul Agha and drawing on her last husband’s notes as a respected Judge, Theodosia finds herself in the midst of intrigue, mystery and danger. Working alongside Chief Inspector Ibrahim who has been entrusted with the investigation by the sultan, Theodosia quickly finds that all is not what it seems.
This new book by Kathryn Gauci is a very different turn to her recent very successful stories. Set in 1900 Constantinople, there is grace and beauty in Kathryn’s descriptions of the surroundings, the clothes and the food. Every page, every chapter gives a beautiful view of all of this and there is nothing I enjoy more than being able to ‘see’ what I am reading. Kathryn, you have done this so beautifully and I love everything about this new direction and this story. I look forward to more of the Madame Theodosia Mysteries.
I highly recommend this book, all of Kathryn Gauci’s books, to other readers who will love them as I do.
