Katie Hirschel is the proud owner of Istanbul's only mystery bookshop. When the director of a film starring an old school friend is found murdered in his hotel Katie starts her own maverick investigation. After all her friend Petra is the police's principal suspect and reading all those detective novels must have taught Katie something.

Esmahan Aykol: Esmahan Aykol was born in 1970 in Edirne, Turkey. She lives in Istanbul and Berlin. During her law studies she was a journalist for a number of Turkish publications and radio stations. After a stint as a bartender she turned to fiction writing. She has written three Katie Hirschel novels. Hotel Bosphorus is the first and has been published in Turkish, German, French and soon in Italian.Ruth Whitehouse: Ruth Whitehouse worked as a violinist in Ankara. She pursued her interest in Turkish culture and literature by doing by obtaining a PhD in Turkish Literature at SOAS in London. This is her first translation of a full novel but her work has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2010 in a series called Young Turks, featuring translations of work by young Turkish writers.