Two young people leave Ireland for Turkey, eighty years apart: for one, Private Jack Callaghan, newly enlisted in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, a bitter parting from his fiancé; for the other, Jack’s great-niece, Ellie McKnight, the promise of an exciting new life.
It’s 1915, and the world is engulfed in war: Jack finds himself at Gallipoli, where, in the carnage of V Beach, he loses his young life. Though his body is mangled, Jack’s spirit survives, his appetite for revenge nurtured by the fact that he and his comrades died needlessly, thanks to mistakes made by their superiors. For decades this vengeful revenant has bided his time, knowing one day someone would come to help him seek the retribution he desperately craves.
The 1990s: a rapidly modernising Turkey. And, it seems that at last Jack’s helpmate has arrived: his great-niece, traveling to Istanbul to wed her diplomat lover, Harry. As Ellie struggles to settle into diplomatic life, her great-uncle gradually reveals himself to her in a series of chilling incidents. At first disbelieving, Ellie finally comes to accept that Jack is not merely a figment of her imagination. So shocked is she by his terrible story, and the political machinations unfolding around her, that she becomes his accomplice in his search for retaliation.
Set against the fabulous background of Istanbul, Ghost of Gallipoli is part thriller, part ghost story … and part love story. Above all it is a tale of betrayal and revenge, and of how the sins of the fathers may be revisited on their descendants, regardless of time or place.
A cleverly plotted, well-paced thriller.