“Paladyum”, a beautiful Turkish edition of my Istanbul thriller “Palladium”, was published on 1 October, endorsed by Ahmet Ümit. Harika! The official launch is at 18.00 on 20 October at D&R Kanyon in Istanbul. I look forward to seeing you there.
Paladyum: The Secret at the Heart of Istanbul
The Turkish edition looks like this
Legend tells that the Palladium, a powerful talisman carved by the goddess Athena and thrown from heaven by Zeus, protects modern Istanbul as it once protected the city of Troy. What if it falls into the wrong hands?
That’s the premise of my thriller “Palladium”, first published in 2022. The book is a song of praise to Istanbul and its people. So it’s wonderful to be able to report that “Palladium” was published in Turkish on 1 October 2026, under the title: “Paladyum: İstanbul’un Kalbindeki Sır“. The subtitle means “the secret at the heart of Istanbul”.
Paladyum: wonderful quotes
Ahmet Ümit, the famous Turkish writer, describes “Paladyum” as “a truly exciting book”, and “a suspenseful novel that keeps readers on the edge of their seats”. His full text is on the back cover:
The Turkish text from the back cover
Translated into English, Ahmet Ümit’s text reads:
“In ancient times, every city had a goddess, a sacred figure, or a protective symbol. The Palladium was one such protective statue, carved by the Goddess Athena herself. The influence of the Palladium was not limited to the era of Ancient Greece; it extended all the way to the Roman Empire. It is said that when the Roman Emperor Constantine chose present-day Istanbul as his capital, he brought the Palladium here as well. Drawing inspiration from this protective statue, Leigh Turner—who served for many years as the British Consul General in Istanbul—narrates a multi-layered saga spanning the time from Fatih Sultan Mehmet’s conquest of the city to the present day. Highlighting the pivotal historical moments of the Istanbul he loves so dearly, he offers Turkish readers a suspenseful novel that keeps them on the edge of their seats… Reading about Istanbul through the eyes of a British diplomat is a truly fascinating experience…”
The cover also features a quote from top British crime writer Barbara Nadel, whose brilliant “Inspector Ikmen” books feature in a successful Netflix series:
“Palladium is a wild ride through the ancient, crammed streets of Istanbul. Part thriller, part crime novel, part esoteric history – had me breathless right up to the end”.
Paladyum: the launch
The publisher, Feniks Yayınevi, will launch the book at the lovely Kanyon D&R bookshop in Istanbul at 18.00 on Tuesday 20 October. Timings are: launch 18.00, talk 19.00, book-signing 19.30. I’ll be there and look forward to chatting and signing books. Please come and say hello!
Invitation to the launch – come along!
“Paladyum” will be available in D&R and other bookshops, and on-line, from early October – watch my social media for updates. You can buy the book on kitapyurdu, on Amazon or at any D&R bookshop in Türkiye.
How did this happen?
It’s sometimes true, as the saying goes, that every challenge brings an opportunity. A US publisher, Immortal Works, first published my Istanbul thriller Palladium in 2022. In 2025 Immortal Works got into financial trouble, and the rights reverted to me. This meant (good news) that I could re-publish the book with a lovely hard cover, a paperback and an e-book. There’s also an Audible version, which gets lots of listens.
In March 2026 I spent two days at the London Book Fair, at Olympia. I met countless interesting people. I noticed that several countries had stands where publishers from that country could publicise their work and seek new opportunities.
One of those countries was Türkiye, or Turkey. On the second day I brought along a hard copy of “Palladium”. Heart in mouth, I approached a friendly-looking Turkish publisher and introducing myself in my bad Turkish. He asked me to pitch him the book. This turned out to be the outstanding Muharrem Kaşitoğlu of Feniks publishers. Half an hour later, we shook hands on a deal. Muharrem sent me a draft contract the next day.
The English version of “Palladium” looks like this
I’ve always liked the Turkish way of doing business. Some things happen slowly: before discussing a business deal, you should drink some tea, talk about personal issues, and try to build a relationship (some might argue that you should do this in any culture). Other things happen quickly: the Turkish translation was ready by July, the cover was ready in September and the book was published on 1 October.
What to do next
Come along to the launch party at D&R in Kanyon at 18.00 on 20 October. It’s going to be fun!
You can find more information about all my books, including the English version of “Palladium”, here.
