Nights of Plague

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A new novel by a Nobel Prize-winning author blends detective elements with a historical epic, set against the backdrop of a fictional island in the Ottoman Empire during April 1900. On Mingeria, located in the eastern Mediterranean, tensions run high between the Muslim and Orthodox Greek populations. The arrival of a plague—possibly brought by returning Muslim pilgrims or merchant ships—ignites chaos. To combat the outbreak, Sultan Abdul Hamid II dispatches his top quarantine expert, an Orthodox Christian. However, resistance from some Muslims, including followers of a prominent religious leader, undermines the quarantine efforts, leading to the expert's murder. As the plague spreads, the sultan sends a second doctor, this time a Muslim, and enforces strict measures. Yet, local governance failures and public defiance result in the quarantine's collapse, causing the death toll to rise. With the threat of the plague reaching Istanbul, the sultan succumbs to international pressure, allowing a blockade of the island. Left to fend for themselves, the people of Mingeria must confront the epidemic. This gripping tale, rich in historical detail and suspense, resonates with contemporary themes despite its setting over a century ago.