How do you do the right thing when there are only bad choices to be made?
A neutral capital straddling Europe and Asia, Istanbul survived WW2 as a magnet for refugees and spies, trafficking in secrets and lies rather than soldiers. Expatriate American businessman Leon Bauer was drawn into this shadow world, doing undercover odd jobs and courier runs in support of the Allied war effort. Now as the espionage community begins to pack up and an apprehensive city prepares for the grim realities of postwar life, Leon is given one last routine assignment. But when the job goes fatally wrong – an exchange of gunfire, a body left in the street, and a potential war criminal in his hands – Leon is plunged into a nightmarish tangle of intrigue, shifting loyalties and moral uncertainty.
Rich with atmosphere and period detail, Istanbul Passageis the story of a man swept up in the dawn of the Cold War, of an unexpected love affair, and of a city as deceptive as the calm surface waters of the Bosphorus that divides it.
Review:
‘Istanbul is the setting for Kanon’s tale of rival spying agencies competing in an atmosphere of post-Second World War paranoia. US businessman Leon Bauer navigates his way through this Byzantine puzzle as he helps to smuggle a Romanian fascist out of the city’ – Sunday Express
A brilliantly compelling novel…Istanbul Passage cleverly combines a nail-bitingly tense narrative with a sophisticated exploration of the moral dilemmas its protagonist faces in the efforts to protect a man who is arguably not worth protecting…Leon is a sympathetic and complex character and his story makes a gripping and deeply satisfying read – BBC History Magazine, September Issue
‘The perfect combination of intrigue and accurate history brought to life’ – Alan Furst
‘Kanon is fast approaching the complexity and relevance not just of le Carré and Greene but even of Orwell’ – New York Times
‘Magnificent’ – Minette Walters
‘Spectacular in every way… wonderfully imagined, wonderfully written, an urgent personal mystery set against the sweep of glamorous and sinister history. Joseph Kanon owns this corner of the literary landscape and it’s a joy to see him reassert his title with such emphatic authority’ — Lee Child
A brilliantly compelling novel…Istanbul Passage cleverly combines a nail-bitingly tense narrative with a sophisticated exploration of the moral dilemmas its protagonist faces in the efforts to protect a man who is arguably not worth protecting…Leon is a sympathetic and complex character and his story makes a gripping and deeply satisfying read –BBC History
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