Monday, December 13, 2010

Book "The Topkapi Secret" by Terry Kelhawk




About the Book: A fourteen hundred year old cover-up. All who threaten this secret die. A race through the Middle East to uncover evidence buried in plain sight. Cultures clash and emotions soar as Arab researcher Mohammed Atareek and American Professor Angela Hall race away from death towards discovery. Will they succeed in their journey to expose the truth, or will the opposition terminate them first?


Predicted to be an international bestseller, The Topkapi Secret is a captivating tale of international intrigue, mystery, and betrayal.


In what RT Book Reviews calls “meticulously researched” and “fantastic” the story takes you from San Francisco across America and Europe into exotic settings of the Middle East and North Africa. The thrilling plot comes wrapped in details ranging from the harems of the Ottoman Empire and Turkish Baths, to the English countryside and literature, art and architecture, women explorers, the 2006 war in Lebanon, and insights on Arab life in Dearborn, Middle Eastern cooking, and Islamic extremism.


But The Topkapi Secret doesn’t stop with high stakes action and suspense. “What They Learn About The Koran Could Change The World Or Cost Them Their Lives” is the book’s tag line, and as it suggests The Topkapi Secret shines a light on long-standing myths about Islam and the Koran.


All except a few percent of Muslims around the world sincerely believe the Koran has never been changed – that it is the same now as it was at the time of Mohammed, and as it is in heaven. Islamic and Western academic sources plainly show otherwise. As the focus of a novel this truth easily glides from the ivory shelf to the kitchen table.


A few are comparing The Topkapi Secret to The Da Vinci Code; but Kelhawk is quick to point out that while The Da Vinci Code is mostly fictitious, what The Topkapi Secret says about the Koran is backed by authoritative references. (See “References” page on website or in the book’s appendix.)


So, if you want to taste the cultures of the Middle East, thrill at cliff-hanging experiences, and come face to face with one of the greatest cover-ups of all time, read The Topkapi Secret. (See “An Inside Look at The Topkapi Secret” book trailer on this website or Youtube.com.)







About the Author: Terry Kelhawk is an award-wining speaker, writer, and teacher with significant personal and professional experience with Islam and the Middle East.

In Terry’s words, “I love peoples and cultures. We have so much to learn from each other, and this makes the world a richer place. Yet when I come across a misunderstanding or deception which adversely impacts a culture or people group, for the sake of those people I believe it should be exposed.”

Terry Kelhawk holds a doctorate degree, but believes people should keep on learning through life. Her areas of interest are culture, religion, and women’s rights – especially of Middle East. She blogs on huffingtonpost.com, foxnews.com, and politicalmavens.com, and likes travel, reading, and asking questions.

Terry believes we should, as Honey Jean of Atlanta in The Topkapi Secret would say, “Make the world a better place, or y’all just taking up space!”






My Review: This is truly a wonderful piece of fiction and as such should be read and savored. If we start entering in the merit of if the plot is for real or not, we will be traveling in dangerous waters and I am not a muslin and I have no rights to put any question marks on their faith. When I read "The DaVince Code", I just assumed it to be a work of fiction and nothing more than that. I never considered it to be a challenge to my faith. I want to believe that the potential readers of this book are adult enough to realize that this book should be read as a work of fiction and nothing beyond that. If you do that, you will be able to enjoy a magnificent novel. The book is split into very small chapters, that is very convenient if you need to stop reading in a short notice. Also if it ever make into Hollywood, it is a very nice scene breaker, ready to go to the screens.

This book contains all ingredients to become a quick bestseller: intrigue, love, murder, mystery, and the author does a magnificent job describing the characters and the places in a way that make us participate and cheer for our heroes on every turn of the pages. And the picture in the cover page could not be better. Very well chosen!

So, I recommend this book to a permanent library of any lover of mystery and fast pace, action story.

This book was written by Terry Kelhawk and it was published in 2010 by Prometheus Books and Glass Road Public Relations through Rebeca Seitz was kind enough to provide me a copy for reviewing. Thanks, Mrs. Terry Kelhawk, for such a nice novel!


If you want to read more about this book, visit its facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Topkapi-Secret/112870552068331


If you read this review, feel free to leave a comment.

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