Robert Olen Butler 
Star of Istanbul 

An intrepid reporter boards the Lusitania in a “vivid . . . ripping good” spy thriller from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author (The Wall Street Journal).   It’s 1915, World War I is in full swing, and foreign correspondent Christopher “Kit” Marlowe Cobb is tasked with following a German intellectual and possible secret service agent who’s just boarded the British ocean liner Lusitania. But Cobb is soon distracted from his mission by the sultry Selene Bourgani, a world-renowned silent film star who also appears to be working with German Intelligence. The secrets Selene harbors have the potential to set the whole international conflict further aflame—and they’re about to be ignited by a German U-boat attack off the Irish coast.   From the perilous waters of the Atlantic, Cobb tails Selene into London’s darkest alleyways, then on to the powder keg that is Istanbul. Across the war-torn stages of Europe and the Middle East, Cobb must venture deep behind enemy lines, knowing full well he may not return.   The second book in the Christopher Marlowe Cobb Thrillers, 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” (Book Page).   “[An] outstanding work of historical fiction.” —The Huntington News   “Butler . . . holds the reader transfixed, like a kid at a Saturday matinee.” —Booklist, starred review   “An exciting thriller with plenty of action, romance, and danger . . . [a] fast-paced journey through a world at war.” —Library Journal