The Women's Sultanate

In the fabulous surroundings of the sacred city of Christianity and Islam, Constantinople or Istanbul, a young, innocent but desperate housewife of striking beauty gradually becomes entangled in a web of a glamorous career in fashion modeling, trusting the promises of a unscrupulous filthy rich Jewish patroness for a rapid financial advancement and a luxurious lifestyle. However, soon enough the two roles undergo a profound transformation, as the patroness' motives prove to be much more subtle and noble than simply turning a pretty woman into a pin-up girl, or possibly an aristocratic call-girl, while the innocent victim's secret intentions are much more hideous than simply starting a lucrative career in fashion or artistic photography might imply. In fact, after an unexpected and mysterious death, it becomes even vaguer if this tragic event is just an accident or a well orchestrated assassination by a blackmailed victim. Incidentally, two retired military officers from the EU who are visiting Istanbul as tourists investigating mysterious historic events as archeological amateur detectives get also involved in this enigmatic affair, as they discern several fuzzy coincidences relating this untimely death with the accidental demise of a past Ottoman Sultan many centuries ago. The fog over Istanbul gradually thickens, as progressively more unscrupulous people intentionally or unwillingly get involved in the conspiracy motivated by a great variety of unclear and possibly conflicting intentions. This significant increase in the number of participants is promptly followed by another assassination attempt that nearly misses its target. In the ensuing chaos where fanatical competitors become momentarily trusted allies, practically all the participants lose their bearings driven only by the urge to prevail when the fog is finally dispersed. Only the hideous murderer knows exactly what must be done, because his or her aims are the most clearly defined. P.S. Garbol