Tavid Kaloustian, a cunning and determined young Armenian, does whatever it takes to protect his family and friends from a quickly approaching genocide. Trained as a chemist to work in the silk industry, Tavid trades his knowledge for both survival and the hefty profit of the opium trade. He is a major player in the local black market, moving stealthily through enemy forces often disguised as one of “them.” After Turkish soldiers killed his beloved grandfather, Tavid’s actions are fueled by rage. He becomes the misunderstood protector of his people; a charming one-man army, ready to take a life in order to save another. As he seeks justice, however, he learns that things aren’t always, as they seem. He discovers that before his death, his grandfather had initiated a shrewd plan, setting Tavid on an obstacle-ridden path to reunite his family. A novel based upon historic events, A Perfect Armenian leads us into the intimate world of cultural conflict. From Constantinople to Cypru s World War I begins, Constantinople is a seething hornet's nest of corruption, crime, and prejudice. Tavid Kaloustian, a cunning and determined young Armenian, does whatever it takes to protect his family and friends from a quickly approaching genocide. Trained as a chemist to work in the silk industry, Tavid trades his knowledge for both survival and the hefty profit of the opium trade. He is a major player in the local black market, moving stealthily through enemy forces often disguised as one of them . After Turkish soldiers killed his beloved grandfather, Tavid's actions are fueled by rage. He becomes the misunderstood protector of his people; a charming one-man army, ready to take a life in order to save another. As he seeks revenge, however, he learns that things aren't always, as they seem. He discovers that before his death, his grandfather had initiated a shrewd plan, setting Tavid on an obstacle-ridden path to reunite his family.A novel based upon historic events, A Perfect Armenian leads us into the intimate world of cultural conflict. From Constantinople to Cyprus, the novel takes the twists and turns so deeply rooted in the duality of human nature. Dr. Keri Topouzian was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, where he currently lives with his wife and four children while practicing medicine in both Grand Rapids and Detroit. His grandparents hailed from Ancient Armenia, each immigrating to the U.S. in the early 1900s. Topouzian started writing "A Perfect Armenian" in 2003 and published the novel 7 years later. Topouzian's first novel is rooted in the history of his own grandparents and the extraordinary lives they were forced to lead during World War I. His grandparents hailed from four different villages in Ancient Armenia (now part of Turkey), each immigrating separately to the United States. Keri's paternal grandmother, Varsenig, came from the village of Tchingiler, a city that is an integral part of "A Perfect Armenian." In 1915, Turkish soldiers forced Varsenig, her family and the rest of their village to walk from their homes to the desert near Damascus, Syria. They walked hundreds of miles because the soldiers had convinced the villagers that they were traveling to safety from World War I. They were deprived of food and water, and left to die. 1.5 million Armenians were killed in the genocide. While most books about Armenian history tend to disclose the dark victimization that plagued this people, Topouzian chose to focus on the victories hidden within this extraordinary time, and to emphasize the heartbreaking choices that can make real life victories possible.