Enlightenment by Maureen Freely

Enlightenment

Maureen Freely

A rather complicated, yet gripping, political thriller set in Istanbul and focusing on the lives and activities of a politically idealistic group of students.

Extract
The story as I had it from the lurid newspaper cutting went like this: a Maoist cell consisting of the sons and daughters of some of Turkey's leading diplomats and industrialists had befriended one Jeannie Wakefield, the daughter of a US consular official, poisoning her mind and drawing her, perhaps unknowingly, into a plot against her father. All members of the cell were taken into custody after a bomb planted in the consular car left only his Turkish chauffeur in a critical condition. However, they were later released. (It was implied that this was due to parental pressure.)
The following day, the cell decamped to the 'garconniere' in the village of Rumeli Hisar that doubled as their secret hideaway. Shaken by the discovery that the authorities were fully acquainted with every aspect of their illegal activities, they became convinced that one of their number must be an informer. Having subjected the accused to a kangaroo trial and found him guilty, they had killed him, chopped him up, and put him into a trunk.
The victim was their teacher and political mentor, Dutch Harding.
Parallels
  • The Unknown Terrorist by Richard Flanagan
  • The Attack by Yasmina Khadra