The Turkish Affair

MYSTERY:  This was a delightful story, blending scenes from Karakuyu, a Turkish archeological dig site, with the atmosphere of a conservative Turkish village. Archaeologist Renaud Townsend and translator Anne Pierson are thrown together after the prior site archeologist goes missing. Artifacts from the site are disappearing, and Renaud is brought in to finish the dig and discover who is taking them. The culprit is looking for an easy scapegoat, and seems to think that Anne should take the fall, based on an event that occurred in her past. Renaud just wants to get to the truth.

The tension and danger seem to escalate for Anne, which gives this story an uneven, yet appropriate pace, as it ramps up when needed. There is a strong sense of place throughout this audiobook, as the author adds little details to the story that sound authentic and add texture to the story. Both of the main protagonists’ motivations are defined clearly for the listener, making their actions suitable throughout the audiobook. There are times when their flaws cause them to act a certain way, but there are other times, when their creative thinking saves one or both of them. 

While there are many wonderful aspects of this audiobook, the sound quality of this recording was poor, which took away from an otherwise engaging story. The recording breaks are jarring at times, and background noise is common as well. The narrator makes minimal distinctions between the voices of each character, leaving the discernment of those details up to context alone, regardless of whether they are male, female, young, old, Turkish, or American. Fortunately, it is easy enough to use the verbal cues to establish the character’s identity. Bearing this in mind, the narrator’s voice is actually comforting--in a favorite aunt sort of way. 

Carey Sullivan