[1] The first United States publication of the book by Simon & Schuster in 1980 was titled The Idol Hunter.

[1] The film version, produced in 1988,[2] was written and directed by James Dearden.

[3] It stars Ben Kingsley, Charles Dance and Helen Mirren.

[citation needed] The novel is set on an island which is an outpost of the Ottoman Empire in 1908.

Basil Pascali is a spy who reports regularly to Istanbul on the activities of the local people.