Take an exotic trip into love and mystery!

PLEASE WELCOME LYNDI’S ADVENTUROUS FRIEND J. Arlene Culiner!!

My book, The Turkish Affair, is a romantic suspense/mystery. There is certainly menace in the story, but it’s largely psychological. Yes, there has been a murder, but takes place offstage: there are no violent descriptions, there are no car chases or screaming sirens. The setting for this story is exotic — the archaeological site of Karakuyu in central Turkey, once home to the long-vanished Hittites.

The heroine of The Turkish Affair, is Anne, a strong-willed woman who’s running from a scandal in her past, but her attraction to my hero, Renaud Townsend, threatens her peace of mind and her way of life. Renaud is intelligent and tender, but has no wish to settle anywhere: his passion is archaeology “discovering the world from the ground down.” However, when important artifacts are stolen, both Anne and Renaud are drawn, although unwillingly, into the mystery.

The Turkish Affair was inspired by my own adventures. Like Anne, I went to live in central Turkey where I learnt Turkish and worked as a translator. Many of the incidents I describe in the book really did happen: I was with a group of archeologists when they were called in to identify fake coins; and the brave young woman, Leyla, who rescues Anne from a tricky and dangerous situation really does exist. She came to my aid on a lonely road in exactly the same circumstances. Like Anne, I was also brought in for questioning by a menacing group of policemen — a frightening experience in a country with a terrible human rights record, and where people were being arrested for criticizing the government, religion, for being a communist, a Kurd, or a journalist, filmmaker, writer, or even a teacher protesting against the lack of books.

And although I never did meet Renaud, the hero of The Turkish Affair, he is modeled after a man I briefly saw. I was traveling on a bus when it pulled off the main road, drove down a rutted lane, and pulled into an archaeological site. While we waited for a passenger to board, I caught sight of a man ambling in the direction of a tumble of pillars and ruins. He was lean, supple, and the bright sun caught the golden blaze of his hair. Who was he? An archaeologist? I never found out. With a puff of noxious smoke, the bus turned and roared back toward the main road. That blond man’s image remained with me over all these years; he was slated to become Renaud Townsend, Anne’s lover.

Excerpt

A delicious breeze tickled the air, and the little boat rocked gently. A fine line appeared between Renaud’s brows, and his blue eyes were, once again, serious. “I need your help.”

Anne stared. “My help? With what? Translating?”

“No. With something else. I have to find out who is behind the thefts at Karakuyu.”

The feeling of dread returned, but she forced herself to sound casual. “How could I possibly help you with that?”

“I don’t know.” He sighed. “I just don’t want to feel that I’m alone in this.”

What could she say to that? Tell him she was the last person he should team up with? That long ago, she’d escaped arrest by the skin of her teeth? If she did so, this splendid moment would be over. The silver-foil glimmer of romance would be tarnished forever. He’d row back to shore, drive back to Gülkale, get rid of her as quickly as possible.

“Anne?” He reached out to caress her bare arm. “Come back from wherever you are.”

“You know nothing about me,” she said jaggedly.

“Nothing,” he agreed.

She swallowed. “I could be involved in the thefts for all you know. Why ask for my help? Why choose me?”

He smiled faintly. “A good question. I suppose, quite simply, I need—or want—to trust you.”

She felt utterly miserable. Why was life always like this? Wanting someone and not being able to have them? Wanting trust, but seeing it snatched away before it came close?

Blurb

Love and Danger at the ancient Hittite site of Karakuyu

Priceless artifacts are disappearing from the ancient Hittite site of Karakuyu in Turkey, and the site director has vanished. Called in to solve the mystery, archaeologist Renaud Townsend is hindered by both his inability to speak the language and the knowledge that the local police are corrupt. His attraction to translator Anne Pierson is immediate, although he is troubled by her refusal to talk about the past and her fear of public scandal.

 But when murder enters the picture, both Anne and Renaud realize that the risk of falling in love is not the only danger.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zkQ20uC4eg

Purchase Links: https://books2read.com/TheTurkishAffair

Author Bio

Writer, social critical artist, and impenitent teller of tall tales, J. Arlene Culiner, was born in New York and raised in Toronto. She has crossed much of Europe on foot, has lived in a mud house on the Great Hungarian Plain, in a Bavarian castle, a Turkish cave dwelling, a haunted house on the English moors, and on a Dutch canal. She now resides in a 400-year-old former inn in a French village of no interest where, much to local dismay, she protects spiders, snakes, and weeds. Observing people in cafes, in their homes, on trains, or in the streets, she eavesdrops on all private conversations, and delights in hearing any nasty, funny, ridiculous, sad, romantic, or boastful story. And when she can’t uncover really salacious gossip, she makes it up.

Author links: https://linktr.ee/j.arleneculiner