Kismet (Kayankaya) - Hardcover

"A worthy grandson of Marlowe and Spade." -"Stern"

"A worthy grandson of Marlowe and Spade." --"Stern"

"Jakob Arjouni writes the best urban thrillers since Raymond Chandler." --"Tempo"

"As Kayankaya hurtles from one nest of vipers to the next . . . the unsavory atmosphere is inimitable." --"Kirkus Reviews"

"Arjouni tells real-life stories, and they virtually never have a happy ending. He tells them so well, with such flexible dialogue and cleverly maintained tension, that it is impossible to put his books down." --"El Pais"

"There is hardly another German-speaking writer who is as sure of his milieu as Arjouni is. He draws incredibly vivid pictures of people and their fates in just a few words. He is a master of the sketch--and the caricature--who operates with the most economic of means." --"Die Welt"

"Kemal Kayankaya is the ultimate outsider among hard-boiled private eyes."
--Marilyn Stasio, "The New York Times Book Review"

"Re-imagines the dull capital of the German financial industry as an urban hell where minority groups and crime bosses prey on one another with ruthless abandon."
--"The Daily Beast"

"In the emphasis on action and quick-jab dialogue, readers will notice an echo of James M. Cain and Raymond Chandler, but Arjouni's stories also brim with the absurd humor that made "The Sopranos" so entertaining."
--Vikas Turakhia, "The Cleveland Plain Dealer

""A gripping caper and a haunting indictment of the madness of nationalism, illuminated by brilliant use of language: magnificent." "--The Guardian "(England)

"This lively, gripping book sets a high standard for the crime novel as the best of modern literature." "--The Independent "(England)

"If you like your investigators tough and sassy, Kayankaya is your guide."
" --Sunday Times of London"
Praise for "Kismet"
" "
"As winning a noirish gumshoe as has swooped onto the mystery scene in some time." --Richard Lipez, "The Washington Post"
"In the emphasis on action and quck-jab dialogue, readers will notice an echo of James M. Cain and Raymond Chandler, but Arjouni's stories also brim with the absurd humor that made "The Sopranos "so entertaining." --Vikas Turakhia," The Plain Dealer "(Cleveland)
"Jakob Arjouni's downbeat detective Kemel Kayankaya has proved as enigmatic as Columbo, as erudite as Marlowe and occasionally, as crazed as Hammett's Continental Op . . . Arjouni forges both a gripping caper and a haunting indictment of the madness of nationalism, illuminated by brilliant use of language: magnificent." "--The Guardian"
"This lively, gripping book sets a high standard for the crime novel as the best of modern literature." --"The Independent "
"With its snappy dialogue and rumpled heroes, Arjouni's crime fiction owes an obvious debt to American noir but it is equally reminiscent of many Eastern European satirical novels. The plot of "Kismet "may recall any number of gangster romps, but the society so caustically depicted here is as recognizable as that conjured up, for instance, by Jaroslav Hasek in "The Good Soldier""Schweik."" --Anna Mudow, "The Barnes & Noble Review"
" "
"Re-imagines the dull capital of the German financial industry as an urban hell where minority groups and crime bosses prey on one another with ruthless abandon." --"The Daily Beast"
"If you like your investigators tough and sassy, Kayankaya is your guide." "--The Sunday Times "(London)" "
" "
"This is true hardboiled detective fiction, realistic, violent and occasionally funny, with a hero who lives up to the best traditions of the genre." --"The Daily Telegraph "
Praise for "One Man, One Murder"
"Kemal Kayankaya is the ultimate outsider among hard-boiled private eyes." --Marilyn Stasio, "The Newt

Praise for Kismet

As winning a noirish gumshoe as has swooped onto the mystery scene in some time. Richard Lipez, The Washington Post
In the emphasis on action and quck-jab dialogue, readers will notice an echo of James M. Cain and Raymond Chandler, but Arjouni s stories also brim with the absurd humor that madeThe Sopranosso entertaining. Vikas Turakhia, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
Jakob Arjouni s downbeat detective Kemel Kayankaya has proved as enigmatic as Columbo, as erudite as Marlowe and occasionally, as crazed as Hammett s Continental Op . . . Arjouni forges both a gripping caper and a haunting indictment of the madness of nationalism, illuminated by brilliant use of language: magnificent. The Guardian
This lively, gripping book sets a high standard for the crime novel as the best of modern literature. The Independent
Withits snappy dialogue and rumpled heroes, Arjouni s crime fiction owes an obvious debt to American noir but it is equally reminiscent of many Eastern European satirical novels. The plot ofKismetmay recall any number of gangster romps, but the society so caustically depicted here is as recognizable as that conjured up, for instance, by Jaroslav Hasek inThe Good Soldier Schweik. Anna Mudow, The Barnes & Noble Review

Re-imagines the dull capital of the German financial industry as an urban hell where minority groups and crime bosses prey on one another with ruthless abandon. The Daily Beast
If you like your investigators tough and sassy, Kayankaya is your guide. The Sunday Times (London)

This is true hardboiled detective fiction, realistic, violent and occasionally funny, with a hero who lives up to the best traditions of the genre. The Daily Telegraph

Praise for One Man, One Murder
Kemal Kayankaya is the ultimate outsider among hard-boiled private eyes. Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

A zippy, deliciously dirty tour of legal fleshpots and low-down scams victimizing illegal aliens . . . Plotted with verve and written with passion. Kirkus Reviews

The book is as hard-boiled as private eye stories come. The Toronto Star

Praise for Happy Birthday, Turk!

The greatest German mystery since World War II. Suddeutsche (Germany)
International Praise for Jacob Arjouni s Kayankaya novels
A worthy grandson of Marlowe and Spade. Der Stern(Germany)
Jakob Arjouni writes the best urban thrillers since Raymond Chandler. Tempo (UK)
A genuine storyteller who beguiles his readers without the need of tricks. L Unita(Italy)
Arjouni is a master of authentic background descriptions and an original story teller. SonntagsZeitung (Germany)
Arjouni tells real-life stories, and they virtually never have a happy ending. He tells them so well, with such flexible dialogue and cleverly maintained tension, that it is impossible to put his books down. El Pais (Spain)
His virtuosity, humor and feeling for tension are a ray of hope in literature on the other side of the Rhine. Actuel (France)
Pitch-black noir. La Depeche (France)" --Pitch-black noir

Kismet is about organised crime and war profiteers, about the insanity of nationalism and the madness of the Balkan conflict, and about the longing for one great love. It is a thrilling, utterly captivating novel - Jakob Arjouni at his best. It all began with a favour. Kayankaya and Slibulsky had wanted to help out Romario, the owner of a small Brazilian restaurant, when he is threatened by extortionists. Then suddenly there were two bodies on the floor of Romario's restaurant, their faces caked in white powder. Kayankaya is troubled by these deaths and decides to find out who the men are, until he himself is pursued by a mafia organisation about whom nothing appears to be known. Gradually it becomes clear to Kayankaya that he is facing the most brutal and dangerous group of gangsters to have run Frankfurt's station quarter. And then a new assignment comes in: he is to find a woman he has seen in a video film, and who he is convinced was looking at him from the screen.