Extremely well written
Alexander McCall Smith

Great historical touches
Johnny OBrien,
author of Day of the Assassins
Forward the Rifles!

When Captain Henry Simms of the Buffs, fresh from Russia, is summoned to the Foreign Office, he little knows what perils lie in store. As an agent in search of some missing papers of huge strategic importance, he sets off for Venice, where he meets a sinister Orthodox priest and a beautiful young Englishwoman, whose uncle is found brutally murdered...

The action swings to Istanbul, in whose magnificent mosques and shady bazaars Simms nearly meets his own...