'Extremely well written'Alexander McCall SmithGreat historical touches'Johnny O'Brien,author of Day of the AssassinsForward the Rifles!When Captain Henry Simms of the Buffs, fresh from Russia, is summoned to the Foreign Office, he little knows what perils lie in store. As an agent in search of some missing papers of huge strategic importance, he sets off for Venice, where he meets a sinister Orthodox priest and a beautiful young Englishwoman, whose uncle is found brutally murdered...The action swings to Istanbul, in whose magnificent mosques and shady bazaars Simms nearly meets his own death. Danger stalks the captain as he lands in the Crimea, and at the gates of Sevastopol he finds himself in the thick of it, fighting for England and his life against the Russians and their treacherous Ottoman allies.The Ottoman Affair has all the verve and vivid action of the Flashman novels, bringing to life an era when an Englishman abroad - especially a gentleman of Simms' calibre - was a force to be reckoned with, displaying great gallantry on and off the field of battle, in the service of his country - and a beautiful woman.