RIZZO'S WORLD
Rizzo, a NYC based journalist, has problems trying to cope with his estranged wife Burcu, a pop star in Turkey who spends most of her time either in Istanbul or touring in concert throughout Europe and the US. He also has a daughter, Cansu, who lives with her mother in Istanbul and is a college student there, that he barely knows. He spends most of his time hanging out in Jake's, a bar near Union Square, with his childhood friend Peter, also a journalist for the same magazine. It isn't until his other best friend Cemal, a photographer for the magazine, is murdered in Istanbul that his life is thrown off-balance. It's then Rizzo is asked to help Cemal's favorite cousin Meral find out who killed Cemal.
With the unwanted help of his daughter, Rizzo finds himself going back and forth between NY and Istanbul trying to investigate the events surrounding Cemal's death. And in the course of that investigation, he finds his relationship to all three women--Burcu. Cansu, and Meral--undergoes a dramatic change.
This is a mystery, a love story, and a novel about friendship, and the price one pays to honor the commitment both friends and lovers require, and ultimately redemption.
CHAPTERS
Rizzo always walks his dog at eleven. It’s a habit his first dog got him into that this new dog has unwittingly insisted on continuing and he’s too old and too much a creature of habit to resist. So this morning, like all the other mornings past and all the mornings, he supposes, that lie ahead of him, finds him walking. And this new dog tags along. “You got a new dog,” Abdur says when Rizzo stops at his favorite pizza parlor for lunch. “You really went ahead and got one.” “Yeah,” he nods. “It looks that way.” “Does your wife know?” Abdur asks. “Not yet,” Rizzo says, and doesn’t say she probably won’t even notice, and certainly won’t even care. “She comes home soon, no?” “Today,” Rizzo says. “Today?” and Abdur grins that lopsided grin he has when whatever is said seems like a cosmic joke to him. “I guess she will know soon enough.” Rizzo nods again, not wanting to prolong this conversation any longer than necessary and pays for the meatball hero with extra cheese he always gets on Monday and a meat pie for the dog and starts to go.“What’s his name?” Abdur asks. “I don’t know yet,” Rizzo says. “You are going to name him, are you not?” “Probably.”Abdur laughs, the dog looks up at him with his head tilted to one side, Rizzo tugs on the leash gently, and they walk on. Once home, Rizzo washes down the meatball hero with a glass of Pellegrino and lemon and the dog eats his meat pie to keep it in the loop. They are both deliriously happy in the end and it’s only the clock on the wall that ruins everything by reminding him of the time of day. It’s then he notices he has a message on his voicemail.