Another Barbara Nadel mystery set in Turkey. While a lot of the book takes place in Istanbul as usual, a good part of the plot unfolds in the southeast of Turkey - Antep, Mardin and places in between. The plot is centred on the drug transit trade through Turkey from points further east, and it's a tight, convoluted plot as usual. Better written than some of her earlier work.
This book is well-researched as usual, and brings up some interesting cultural elements peculiar to the south-east. It highlights the complex cultural mix of Kurds, Turks, Suriani, Jews and Armenians that once existed there - mainly through observations about architecture and history - sounds like this area would be an interesting place to visit from that point of view.
There is also a glimpse into the clan and family structure that seems to dominate society there, with identifying tattoos for each clan.
Then there is this whole snake goddess cult thing called the Shameran, which apparently crosses ethnic and religious lines. On Wikipedia, this cult is traced back to ancient Crete, where the earliest images of a goddess holding two snakes in her hand were found. This suggests both an unusual cultural affinity and ancient historical continuity worth exploring further.
Al Jazeera means "the Island" and for some groups in the area, this is what they call the great Syrian Plain. Another name for this area is "the ocean".
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