Book excerpt: After the death of his overbearing mother, the privileged Arda reclines in his wealth, reflecting on his young life, and on the life of his father, the famous mathematician Mürsel Ergenekon, who was murdered on Arda's fourteenth birthday. While on the other side of the city 'your humble servant' Bedirhan has decided to pack in his ten-year career as an assassin. Their two lives become intrinsically bound in this remarkable thriller that takes us through the streets of Istanbul. We learn that Bedirhan in fact killed Arda's father, and that they share more in common than he or we could begin to imagine. Meanwhile, Selçuk Altun, a former family friend, is playing a deadly game, providing Arda with clues to track down his father's killer ...