Istanbul: A City Of Spies In Fact And Fiction

 

 

Two of my favorite thrillers, Eric Ambler's Journey Into Fear and Ian Fleming's From Russia With Love, take place in Istanbul, so I was interested in NPR's look at the Turkish city and its history of spies in fact and fiction.

Headlines today in Turkey feature stories of alleged Iranian spies, gathering information about Kurdish militants who are responsible for many deaths in Turkey this summer.

But these tales of deception and intrigue pale in comparison with the city's storied past as a mecca for spies. Turkey's golden age of espionage was World War II, a period that continues to serves as a muse for writers of historical thrillers.

You can listen the NPR broadcast and read the story via the below link:

http://www.npr.org/2012/09/09/160771041/istanbul-a-city-of-spies-in-fact-and-fiction