Customer Reviews

The Messenger Boy Murders

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In an unnamed city, genetically engendered seemingly ageless messenger boys are being killed. At the request of an old bookstore owner, the also nameless protagonist (on the back cover he is called Stavrogin, and later in the book, Stavrogin is revealed to be his mother's maiden name sets off to solve the murders. Along the way, he runs into some of the city's more interesting characters in his quest to stop whoever is killing the messenger boys. That in a nutshell is the plot of The Messenger Boy Murders.
This book is an interesting read. When a book starts with a gigolo dwarf who seemingly has psychic powers and is in love with his pet monkey, then you know your in for a memorable read, or that you have entered a David Lynch movie. The characters in this book lend a great deal to its charm. Most if them don't have names, and are called little quirky names by the protagonist, such as The Irish cap man, who does nothing but drink every time he shows up, in fact there is only once he isn't drinking. There is Wolfscientist; a scientist who became a stockbroker to make ends meet.
The main character is not a very heroic character. He drinks, extremely too much, he doesn't form good first impressions of people, and he's an all around spoiled brat who thinks too highly of himself, but he is kind and truly wants to stop the murders. All in all, The Messenger Boy Murders is a quick and interesting read.

Perihan Magden, a talented Turkish writer, keeps the protatonists of her books genderless; it is up to the reader to decide whether the story is being told about a woman or a man. This is an unusual, funny, spellbinding story of a person who has been expelled from school.

Great dark humour, an alice in wonderland setting with a Nazi reminding plot, this novel is a true gem! Easy to read, hard to foregt! I wisk it will be re-released by AmazonEncore to a wider audience... Orhan Pamuk described her the most inventive writer from Turkey...