Killstanbul is a quirky, off-genre pulp crime novel(la) set in the winters of Reykjavík, Prague, and Istanbul. Carolus, an Icelandic native, navigates a tangle of women, attackers, and ancient cities looking for the unfortunate mark he’s paid to kill.
Carolus is oversexed. And overpaid. And too familiar with wiping the blood of a fresh kill from his hands. He gets what he wants (and more than enough of it) and worries about the imprint his actions leave on his soul.
Carolus's blood runs deep with the weirdness of Icelandic lore. The twelve Yule Lads trained him since his childhood to be a skilled assassin, and he lives and kills by the rules they taught him.
Killstanbul's characters loop in and out of the plot in surprising ways. The lives of Mr. Delicious, the Turkish candy-maker; Bjorn, the deadbeat husband of Carolus’s sister; and Marta, owner of the Poseable Religious Emporium (a warehouse for religious figurines), crash into each other with disastrous consequences. The characters are caught up in the cynical wind of Carolus's life and the strong thrust of their own motives.
The book is a deliciously odd, entertaining, and satisfying first novel of an exciting young writer.