Prophet and loss in Turkey

Metro.co.uk – Tina Jackson

by Mehmet Murat Somer (Serpents Tail, £7.99)

A serial killer is on the loose, bumping off ladies of the night. So far, so routine – but what sets Mehmet Murat Somer’s stylish pulp thriller The Prophet Murders apart is its setting, Istanbul’s transvestite underworld, and its unnamed narrator.

The femme fatale may be a staple of noir fiction but this one, a cross-dressing nightclub owner with a fine line in waspish asides and a no-holds-barred approach to sex, gives the book its own special something.