Istanbul Passage: A Novel. Read Or Stay Away?

Hey, everyone. Lida_Rose here. Welcome to my second blog post. I have decided to make my posts about whether or not I would read a book based solely on the book's description. I'll pick out the newest books on Amazon for this, and if one of them happens to be a sequel, I'll look at the two or more book descriptions and see if I'd read one, two, the whole series, or none of them. So, without further ado, I will look at Istanbul Passage: A Novel.

"A neutral straddling Europe and Asia, Istanbul survived the Second World War as a magnet for refugees and spies, trafficking in secrets and lies rather than soldiers. Expatriate American businessman Leon Bauer was drawn into this shadow world, doing undercover odd jobs and courier runs in support of the Allied war effort.
     Now, as the espionage community begins to pack up and an apprehensive city prepares for the grim realities of postwar life, Leon is given one last routine assignment. But when the job goes fatally wrong—an exchange of gunfire, a body left in the street, a potential war criminal on his hands—Leon is plunged into a tangle of intrigue, shifting loyalties, and moral uncertainty.
     Played out against the bazaars and mosques and faded mansions of this knowing, ancient Ottoman city, Leon’s conflicted attempt to save one life leads to a desperate manhunt that ultimately threatens his own survival. How do you do the right thing when there are only bad choices to be made?
     Rich with atmosphere and period detail, Istanbul Passage is the haunting story of a man swept up in the dawn of the Cold War, of an unexpected love affair, and of a city as deceptive as the calm surface waters of the Bosphorus that divides it."

Secrets and lies! Always secrets and lies! *Ahem* Anyway, let's take a look at the positive and negative aspects of this description.

Positives: Someone will die in this book, and it looks like the main character will have to go through a huge moral struggle. The line, "How do you do the right thing when there are only bad choices to be made?"  is one that I can relate to and serves well to suck me in.

Negatives: Well, it looks like I'd have to know some geography to understand this book. Blech. Geography. I have, like, no understanding of it whatsoever. Also, when the description mentions the job going "fatally wrong", was everything between the dashes really necessary? One last thing I take issue with is the phrase "unexpected love affair". I mean, come on. Does anyone really not expect love affairs in any book this day and age? It'd be more unexpected if there was no romance in this book at all.

So, based on this description, I'd say the book looks like it'll be an interesting read. The negative things I have to say are nitpicks, and this sure seems to be different from all the paranormal romances floating about. If I see Istanbul Passage: A Novel in a bookstore, I'll probably read the first couple chapters and see if it sucks me in.

So, to answer the question of whether to read or stay away from this book, I say I'm more likely to read than stay away from it at this point.