Istanbul, 1926. After her archeologist father makes a clandestine journey abroad, Jane and the dapper Mr. Redvers trace his footsteps while signs of danger loom back home in the United States. They’re greeted at their destination by Aunt Millie and unsettling news: Professor Wunderly was on a mission to locate the lost heart of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent–a legendary relic from the Ottoman Empire said to possess potent mystical powers–then vanished completely, leaving behind his unpacked luggage, a perplexing riddle, and an eerie mystery Jane must solve to keep her loved ones safe.

What starts off as a clear-cut investigation becomes an intercontinental game of cat and mouse as Jane realizes a gang of nameless figures have been stalking her every move from Turkey to Hungary. And it seems even helpful friends can’t be trusted for long when a man is stabbed to death on the Orient Express to Budapest. With Redvers by her side and few clues to rely on, Jane’s desperate search for her father leads to centuries-old secrets and an unidentified enemy who could make her disappear like the missing Sultan’s heart . . .

Intrigue in Istanbul (Amazon US) (Amazon UK) (AbeBooks)

Intrigue in Istanbul is the fourth outing for Erica Ruth Neubauer’s Jane Wunderly. I was originally introduced to Jane in the first mystery several years ago and found the mystery enjoyable. For my full review, Murder at the Mena House (Jane Wunderly #1) I will say that you do not have to have read the first three books in the series in order to enjoy this volume, but it would help with the characterization of some of the principal characters.

I love a good historical mystery done well, and the Jane Wunderly Mysteries seem to have hit their stride with this volume. Jane and her fiancé’ Redvers have arrived in Boston to find her father missing. It appears he’s taken out a large loan out on the house and payment is due in just a few short weeks. Jane pieces together the clues to her historian father’s research and realizes he’s gone to Istanbul with the cash advance, so she and Redvers follow him.

Of course, once arriving in Istanbul, with her Aunt Millie and her fiancé’ in tow, Jane and Redvers find her father’s boarding room empty, his luggage left behind and no sign of the massive amount of money her borrowed from the bank. But at a local restaurant near the hotel, they find a woman who knew Jane’s father, Henry quite well. Unnervingly well, in Jane’s opinion. As she grapples with the fact that her father may have romantic feelings for someone other than her long-dead mother, she looks for clues to her father’s whereabouts. Redvers sleuthing skills reveal that they are being followed wherever they go.

Jane frequently shivers or gets the chills in fright, and despite having been around murders several times now, it seems like she hasn’t developed a thicker skin. A minor complaint, to be sure, however there were times where she lets Redvers take the lead while she patiently waits for answers to just drop in her lap.

The rest of the book is a series of following clues, stepping over a dead body or two, evading their pursuers, and finding Jane’s father. But will they find the lost heart of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent–a relic from the Ottoman Empire that alleges to have mystical powers? And will Jane and her father lose their Boston home to the bank? You’ll just have to read the book for yourself to find out.

Now I’m going back to read volumes 2 and 3 in the series to find out more about Jane’s betrothed, Redvers. And look forward to future adventures with Jane Wunderly.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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