Star of Istanbul

World War I is in full swing. Germany has allied itself with the Ottoman empire, persuading the caliphs of Turkey to declare a jihad on the British empire, as President Woodrow Wilson hesitates to enter the fray. War correspondent and American spy Christopher Marlowe Cobb has been tasked to follow a man named Brauer, a German intellectual and possible secret service agent, into perilous waters aboard the ship Lusitania, as the man is believed to hold information vital to the war effort. Aboard the Lusitania on its fateful voyage, Cobb becomes smitten with famed actress Selene Bourgani, who for some reason appears to be working with German Intelligence.

Soon Cobb realizes that this simple actress is anything but, as she harbors secrets that could pour gasoline on the already raging conflict. Following the night of the infamous German U-Boat attack on the Lusitania, Cobb must follow Selene and Brauer into the darkest alleyways of London, then on to the powder keg that is Istanbul. He must use all the cunning he possesses to uncover Selenes true motives, only to realize her hidden agenda could bring down some of the world's most powerful leaders.

"Pulitzer Prize-winning Butler successfully changed pace by launching a thriller series."—Library Journal

"Butler impresses with his exceptional attention to historical detail, particularly aboard the Lusitania." —Publishers Weekly

"Pulitzer Prize-winning Butler successfully changed pace by launching a thriller series." —Library Journal

“Zestful, thrilling . . . a ripping good yarn.”—Wall Street Journal

“[An] outstanding work of historical fiction.”—Huntington News

“The Star of Istanbul has it all: history galore, exotic foreign settings, a world-weary yet engaging protagonist, villains in abundance and a romance worthy of Bogart and Bergman.”—BookPage

"Double and triple crosses merge like lanes in a traffic roundabout, and . . . the novel commingles character-driven historical fiction with melodrama and swashbuckling action. Somehow . . . it all works; on one level, Butler is playing with genre conventions in an almost mad-scientist manner, but at the same time, he holds the reader transfixed, like a kid at a Saturday matinee."—Booklist (starred review)

"Butler impresses with his exceptional attention to historical detail, particularly aboard the Lusitania."—Publishers Weekly

“Butler is an excellent observer of interior psychological detail . . . and his fine description of the Lusitanias demise shows he can write action-packed scenes as well. . . . Its a pleasure to watch Cobb clear away layer upon layer of scheming and disguises to expose some ugly truths about humanity.”—Kirkus Reviews

“While The Star of Istanbul meets the genre requirements for action and plotting, the precision and lyricism of Butlers language, his incisive observations, his psychologically complex characters, and his understanding of the past lift this novel well into a genre of its own.”—Arts Fuse

“Butlers grasp of history is excellent. . . . You will enjoy every new twist and turn in this spy game.”—Arab Voice

“[Butlers] description of the aftermath of the attack on the Lusitania will leave you with your heart in your mouth. . . . Yet another remarkable work from an author who continues, at this advanced stage of his career, to surpass himself.”—Bookreporter

“Butlers description of the sinking of the Lusitania is exceptional . . . . In Cobb, Butler has created an appealing hero.”—Readers Unbound

"An exciting thriller with plenty of action, romance, and danger. . . . Fans of historical spy fiction will enjoy this fast-paced journey through a world at war."—Library Journal

Robert Olen Butler is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of fourteen novels, six story collections, and a book on the creative process, From Where You Dream. A recipient of both a Guggenheim Fellowship in fiction and a National Endowment for the Arts grant, he also won the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. He has twice won a National Magazine Award in Fiction and has received two Pushcart Prizes. The Star of Istanbul is his second novel featuring Christopher Marlowe Cobb. He teaches creative writing at Florida State University.