When I Grow Rich: Nuri Bey Investigates -

by Joan Fleming

Set in Istanbul, this thrilling tale conveys the mystery and magnetism of the old imperial city at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.Nuri Bey is a Turkish philosopher and scholar who lives for his books. An innocent and dreamy man, he yearns to go to Oxford, but with his relatively poor background it’s a dream that may never be realised without the help of his wealthy mentor, Madame Miasma.When she asks him to deliver a parcel to a friend of hers at the airport, Nuri bey obliges, and events bring him in touch with a side of life that is dark and dangerous. A security guard is shot, and Nuri bey flees the scene, because the last thing this philosopher wants is to be involved with a nefarious crime in a country where convicted murderers are hanged in public ...

Genres: Mystery

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Joan Margaret Fleming was a British writer of crime and thriller novels. She was educated at Lausanne University.

She married Norman Bell Beattie Fleming in 1932. The Turkish detective Nuri Bey Izkirlak features in two of her books, 'When I Grow Rich and 'Nothing is the Number When You Die'.

Her novel 'The Deeds of Dr Deadcert' was made into a film 'RX Murder'. She won the Gold Dagger award twice, for 'When I Grow Rich' in 1962 and for 'Young Man I Think You're Dying' in 1970.

She wrote 33 novels beginning with 'Two Lovers Too Many' in 1949 and ending with 'The Day of the Donkey Derby' in 1978.

Reviews

[Trevor]

the 8th CWA winner. quirky but believable characters and a strong story add up to a great little book.

[Bodil]

The hero, Nuri bej, is a philosophical scholar, but also very insightful and resourceful. And apparently much younger than I first thought. Anyhow, he helps an old friend and rescues “a damsel in distress”, and then things start to happen.
i rather enjoyed the not too complicated story but felt rather sorry for Nuri for getting into so much trouble just for being kind! But all ends well, at least for him.

[Regine]

Odd, atmospheric.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: Nuri Bey is a Turkish scholar; his mentor, Madame Miasma, asks him to deliver a parcel to the airport. Then a security guard gets shot.

[Annarella]

I loved everything in this book: the style of writing, Nuri Bey and the cast of characters, and the descriptions of my beloved Istanbul.
Istanbul was the reason for requiring this book and I'm very happy I did.
This book's poetic, atmospheric and entralling..
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Dover Publications and Netgalley for this ARC