Nights of Plague

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A new novel by a Nobel Prize-winning author blends detective story and historical epic, imagining a plague ravaging a fictional island in the Ottoman Empire. Set in April 1900 on Mingeria, the 29th state of the Empire, tensions run high between its Muslim and Orthodox Greek populations. The plague arrives, possibly brought by Muslim pilgrims or merchant ships, leading to chaos. To contain the outbreak, Sultan Abdul Hamid II dispatches his top quarantine expert, an Orthodox Christian. However, some Muslims, including followers of a prominent sect led by Sheikh H, resist the quarantine measures. The expert is soon murdered, and as the plague spreads, a second doctor, a Muslim, is sent to enforce strict quarantines. Yet, local governance and public defiance thwart these efforts, resulting in rising death tolls. As the threat of the plague spreading to Istanbul looms, the sultan succumbs to international pressure, allowing foreign warships to blockade the island. Left to fend for themselves, the people of Mingeria must confront the epidemic. This gripping tale, steeped in history, explores themes that resonate with contemporary issues.