Tuesday

Our kitchen fitter experiencing none of the previous day’s travel dramas arrived on time. Shortly afterwards the tiler arrived.

Later in the morning I drove to Attingham Park for my usual Tuesday volunteering at Visitor Reception. The day was lovely and warm compared to the previous Tuesday afternoon and also the flooding had subsided. This led to a steady afternoon with some regular visitors and dog walkers returning after Christmas and the subsequent cold snap.

I returned home to find the kitchen fitting had moved on in leaps and bounds. I love the tiled feature panel behind the extractor fan.

We visited mum, who for some reason thought she was going home. Her bag was packed and she had her coat on.

Afterwards we intended to dine in Miller & Carter but when we arrived, despite the website saying otherwise they were too busy to accommodate us and we would have to wait an hour. We returned to Wellington and The Cock Hotel where we both chose different versions of the festive roast than we had on our previous visit.

Synopsis from the book cover:

Ziya Bey has six months left to live. From his mansion on Farewell Fountain Street, the Ottoman aristocrat plans to tie up some questionable business affairs and say goodbye to the people he cherishes. He hires Artvin, a disillusione professor with a troubled past, to assist him. Intrigued by his employer’s mysterious household. Artvin spends the days uncovering Ziya Bey’s turbulent life story.

The two men become bound together as they reveal dark elements from their pasts. But when Ziya Bey releases Artvin from his duties sooner than expected, Artvin inherits a spiral of violence he cannot control.

In this gripping ride through the streets of Istanbul, two men learn one another’s secrets. But can either of them learn to live with themselves?

Thoughts on the book:

The book is promoted as a thriller but I would categorise it as mystery. The mystery which is teased throughout the book is revealed at the end was a surprise. I enjoyed the discriptions of Turkey and the interactions between Artvin and Ziya Bey.

The chapters are structured in a way that compelled me to read just a little bit more…