“Intricate and subtle as a Turkish carpet, lush as silk upon the skin…A fascinating and remarkably knowledgeable look at a society in flux, its very appealing characters caught between East and West, Islam and Christianity, and bound in a web of murder and treachery that only the lucky few may escape.”

“A wonderful read…about the exotic and fascinating world of the late Ottoman Empire. Of the highest quality.”

“[A] passionate debut…The writing is lyrical and the characters enchanting.”

“Fascinating, and…a lot of fun.”

“Exciting, alluring, and steeped in the kind of period detail that brings listeners into the story. [McCaddon] turns in a dramatic, fluid performance…[She] pays as much attention to verbal nuance and dialogue as White does to the historical details. The author and reader are a winning combination.”

“[McCaddon’s] slightly husky, cultured British voice perfectly sorts out this complex mystery by pausing between changes in character or time or place, and she encompasses male and female voices effortlessly.”

“White’s intelligent, sensuous writing marks a promising debut.”

“An unputdownable read…filled with a wide range of fascinating characters and set against a rich and mysterious backdrop…Ms. White’s writing is as sensuous as the shimmering harem silks and the waters of the Bosphorus she describes so eloquently.”