In 1917, while World War I continued, body parts scattered around various districts of Istanbul revealed a gruesome murder. The murder caused anxiety and apprehension in the public, and the efforts of the police units remained inconclusive. Finally, former Police Chief Ziya Bey, nicknamed “Nat Pinkerton,” took over the investigation and managed to solve the murder by disguising himself and collecting clues.

The Severed Head Murder, which appeared in installments on the Haftalık Mecmua in 1926, is the most recent link added to the chain of Ottoman-Turkish crime fiction tradition. Published with facsimiles of the illustrations in the original text, the novel offers striking details about the daily life of the period.