Istanbul

Istanbul is the tenth novel in the long-running Nick Carter-Killmaster series of spy novels. Carter is a US secret agent, code-named N-3, with the rank of Killmaster. He works for AXE – a secret arm of the US intelligence services. Publishing history The book was first published in October 1965 (Number A157F) by Award Books part of the Beacon-Signal division of Universal Publishing and Distributing Corporation (New York, USA), part of the Conde Nast Publications Inc. The novel was written by Manning Lee Stokes. Plot summary The story is set in May 1965. Several Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) agents have been murdered in Turkey. Carter attends a secret meeting in which a top US Government official orders him to assassinate four individuals believed to be involved in protecting an international heroin processing and distribution network based in Turkey. Carter accepts the mission and makes his way to Istanbul posing as a crewman on a cargo freighter. Carter makes contact with fellow AXE agent Charles “Mousy” Morgan stationed in Istanbul. Mija Gialellis, a former heroin addict, is being held in AXE custody in order to provide information on how to penetrate the opium smuggling syndicate. Morgan tracks Maurice Defarge – one of the four assassination targets – to the Le Cinema Bleu where he is known to the owner Leslie Standish. Carter and Morgan visit Le Cinema Bleu intending to seize Standish and interrogate her at AXE's Istanbul office. They observe Marion Talbot, Defarge's secretary, enter the club's back office. Carter follows and finds Standish dead in her office – her throat cut in the same way as the murdered FBN agents. A peculiar smell – acetone – fills the air. Carter encounters and fights Johnny Ruthless – one of the other assassination targets – but cannot capture or kill him. A few minutes later, Carter finds Morgan outside the club with his throat cut.