Ten and Fifty Thousand

With the passing of the 10,000th page visit to Crime Scene NI (can I get a woo hoo?) comes news of Adrian McKinty's latest publishing development. Fifty Grand's UK release will be published by the ultra-cool Serpent's Tail; the UK independent publishers who brought us The Dead Trilogy by Adrian McKinty, Hidden River by Adrian McKinty, The Semantics of Murder by Aifric Campbell, The Red Riding Hood Quartet by David Peace and The Prophet Murders by Mehmet Murat Somer, among many others.

Nice.

Serpent's Tail have confirmed that they aim to publish Fifty Grand by next summer. Better get your finger out and finish the darn thing, Mister McKinty.

an Interview - Mehmet Murat Somer

Mehmet Murat Somer, born in Ankara in 1959, feeling 27, loves to spend time in Rio de Janeiro. My book The Prophet Murders is published in the UK on the 6^th May. It is the first of the “Hop-Çiki-Yaya” series of thrillers. They have been best-sellers in Turkey. Six volumes published until now.

‘M M Somer’s novels are hysterically funny and get better each time’

Time Out, Istanbul

My other published novels are “Holding” and “Catwalk” from the “Champagne Trilogy”.

Q1. What are you writing at the minute?

I’m writing the next in the “Hop-Çiki-Yaya” series.

Q2. Can you give us an idea of Mehmet Murat Somer’s typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

I sleep less than most people. Ever since I was a child five hours is more than enough for me. My Mother always complained. I was probably a dreadful baby with this habit. Sleeping less means more time to spend doing other things. I start my day very early with black coffee and few cigarettes, checking mail, surfing the net... If the weather is good I go for a walk. Then.... either write, watch films or play cards with friends. A nice dinner with friends is always appreciated. Don’t like night life, but adore opera and classical music concerts. And occasionally some cruising adds some spice. To tell you the truth I don’t write my novels everyday. I wait till they are completely planned in my mind, scheduled, sequenced, chaptered, etc... Then I start typing, which does not take very long.

Q3. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Well I have retired from my executive training consultancy business. I used to do group training on management issues and personal development for years. I prepared hundreds of pages of course and seminar notes. Occasionally someone pops up who I can’t say no to, and I do the consultancy or seminar for a day or two.

I love travelling! There many different paradises on our old earth... Mine is Rio de Janeiro. I believe the perception of our paradise changes with time, age, needs, expectations. I want to explore more, taste different pleasures, enjoy different places and people. My “to visit” list is huge!

Q4. Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the crime fiction scene?

Try to put joy in it! I personally seek joy in whatever I read or watch. I believe it is the essence of our lives. And naturally try and solve everything with perceptive logic so the plot hangs together well.

Q5. Which crime writer(s) have impressed you this year?

Shame on me, I haven’t read much crime this year! But still have 8 months ahead. I liked Jason Goodwin, although I think his writing of Turkish / Ottoman life is very orientalist. I also finished an Ingrid Noll, one of my favourites, recently translated into Turkish. I adored it all over again! She is kind of a crime-Balzac. Same characters appearing in the different books. Painting a complete panoramic picture of certain time and life.

Q6. What are you reading right now?

Ms.Ayşe Kulin’s “Veda (Farewell)” is on my bedside table, waiting to be finished. I adore her novels. As Nobel prize winner Orhan Pamuk aims more the intellect and thoughts on the cool side, Ayşe Kulin fires directly at my heart with deep down feelings in her page-turners.

Q7. Plans for the future?

Rio de Janeiro sometime soon, one trip to Sardinia, then Helsinki for white nights, Dalmatia for sea, sex and sun, Warsaw for book launch....

Writing? I will finish the third and the last book of “Champagne Trilogy”, the “Backstage”. Also on my desk is a new “Hop-Ciki-Yaya” thriller. Possibly for this autumn.

Q8. With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

I would have posed naked before I gained weight! No, only joking... I am very content with my career...

Q9. Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

An enormous part of my international publishing is the efforts of my agent, also my best friend, Mr.Barbaros Altuğ. I have to thank him at every occasion!

And my motto in life is: “Stay joyful... and read my books!”

Thank you, Mehmet Murat Somer!

A Wee Review - The Prophet Murders by Mehmet Murat Somer

This book is as far from Northern Irish as you can get. I thought the first deviation should be a spectacular one. The Prophet Murders is the opening instalment of the Hop-Ciki-Yaya detective series by Ankara born Mehmet Murat Somer. Originally published in Turkish, Serpent’s Tail have translated it into English for the first time. Its official release date is the 8^th of May 2008.

Somer has created the most original detective I have encountered to date. The unnamed protagonist is a transvestite nightclub owner, kickboxing computer-geek with a lucrative IT day-job. And on top of all this, she’s brought it upon herself to investigate the alarming pattern of transvestite murders in Istanbul.

Our protagonist, who most refer to as abla -- the Turkish title for a big sister, runs a nightclub wherein a curious Joe Public can experience the exotic world of transvestism. Abla’s club hosts a venue for the dolled up dancers, and many of the local girls have worked for her at some point in their lives. Because of this, abla has accumulated a huge list of contacts and attachments within their tight-knit community. And since the police don’t seem to count crime against transvestites as serious, who better to assume the role of chief investigator when the poor girls start dropping like flies? Abla calls on everyone she knows to get to the bottom of this case, all the while aware that her own life is in serious jeopardy.

The novel is a fascinating insight into a community which I know very little about. Somer, through his protagonist, introduces us to the many types of transvestites and holds their lifestyle up to respectful examination. The book doesn’t judge or try to force the alternative lifestyle on the reader. It simply shows us what life is like for “manly girl” in Istanbul. And there’s plenty to show. He touches on the hierarchy of the cosmetically altered and those who chose to work with what God gave them. He shows us the dynamic between the young and the old girls. And he helps shed light on the various sexual preferences of his large and colourful cast.

I had hoped for a more detailed tour of Istanbul so that I’d maybe lose myself in the descriptive prose, but alas, the huge personalities of the characters overshadowed the setting. There were occasional glimpses of Turkey, but I wanted more. However, there are currently five more books in the series. It’s possible that this is built upon throughout.

I won’t judge the writing too harshly, as this book began life in Turkish and I’m sure a lot of Somer’s literary flourishes were lost in translation. I suspect some of the comedy also failed to make it through the transition. This novel is marketed as hilarious but I think that’s hyperbole. I found little humour, though I do think it was a very light and fun read. There’s the odd typo and awkward sentence, but again, I put this down to small translation errors. Overall, this is a highly presentable and easily read text. I think this series will be very popular.

So, lock up your sons, readers. The Turkish transvestite detective is coming, and she’s taking no prisoners.