The Ottoman Cage : A Novel of Istanbul
- Book Review,
by Barbara Nadel
From Publishers Weekly
British writer Nadel (Belshazzar's Daughter) delivers on the promise of her American debut in this second outing featuring Turkish homicide detective Çetin Ikmen. This time around, the chain-smoking, brandy-swilling inspector is investigating a young man's murder in an apartment in one of Istanbul's upscale neighborhoods. While the victim's surfeit of scars points to drug abuse, a purple line around the base of his neck suggests it wasn't the needle that finally did him in. When an autopsy reveals excessive amounts of pethidine (a synthetic form of heroin), Ikmen and his best friend, criminal pathologist Arto Sarkissian, fear unscrupulous members of the medical community may be involved. Sex trade workers are also questioned, and the crime scene itself becomes an important clue: it bears a striking resemblance to a Kafes apartment, "the place where the old Ottomans used to place their rivals in order to keep them out of the way." Domestic troubles plague Ikmen, too; his crazy father Timür may soon push Ikmen's devoted wife over the brink. Nadel's lively characters pop off the page-particularly tech-challenged Ikmen, who recalls Clouseau in his slapstick relationship with his mobile phone-and the author ably evokes the sights and sounds of Turkey, a country where ethnicity is destiny, and the present is shadowed by events of the past. This is a richly textured tale packed with earthy humor and intrigue. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
When someone discovers a body in a -mansion-turned-boardinghouse in one of Istanbul's better neighborhoods, Inspector Cetin Ikmen's work is cut out for him. Neighbors think that the victim is probably Armenian like the mysterious landlord, who no one can describe. With the help of his colleagues--medical examiner Arto Karkissian, sergeants Farsakoglu and Suleyman, and officer Cohen--Ikmen tackles the case. As always, he chain-smokes, swills brandy, and gets lots of unwelcome input from his micromanaging chief. He also has to deal with problems at home. His wife is ill; he must provide for nine children; and his aging father, who lives in the family's cramped apartment, is slipping into dementia. As she did in Belshazzar's Daughter (2004), the series debut, Nadel combines a fascinating view of contemporary Turkish society--this installment touches on Armenian-Turkish relations, sexuality, and relationships--with a more personal, character--driven look at daily life in scenic Istanbul. Recommend Cetin Ikmen to fans of Inspector Espinosa, star of Garcia-Roza's similar series, set in equally scenic Rio. Barbara Bibel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
When a brutal murder shocks Istanbul's rundown Jewish quarter, the Turkish police force unleashes their best weapon - the chain-smoking, brandy-swilling Inspector Cetin Ikmen, husband to a strict Muslim woman (who disapproves of his drinking) and loving father of eight (with another on the way). With such a colorful personality and unrivaled investigative powers, Ikmen will surely join the ranks of beloved foreign cops Aureilo Zen and Guido Brunetti.
From the Inside Flap
British Praise for Belshazzar's Daughter:
"Intriguing, exotic whodunnit set in the scruffy Turkish township of Balat...Local colour judiciously applied and ethnic differences (White Russian refugees, uxorious Turks, fraught British expats) skilfully explored...A first novel: exciting, accomplished and original."
- Literary Review
"Best crime fiction by a new writer was Barbara Nadel's Belshazzar's Daughter. Set in Istanbul, with a battered, cynical and credible Turkish cop, and a great blooming baroque plot (ditto talent)."
- Books of the Year, Independent Weekend Review
"An unusual and very well written first novel...Although the murder mystery is intriguing, it is the characters who make this book so successful. The police team and their little feuds, the English teacher besotted with his mysterious Turkish girlfriend, and, most memorably, the chain-smoking little Inspector Ikmen, with his eight children and pregnant wife, contribute to this portrayal of an exotically different city."
- Sunday Telegraph
"This is an extraordinarily interesting first novel: the idea which drives its plot is an intriguing one; the Istanbul background is richly and thickly layered; the diverse cast of characters exhibits most of the psychoses known to man; while Çetin Ikmen is a detective one hopes to see more of."
- Evening Standard
"This Istanbul-set-thriller combines a multi-layered description of its locale with an equally complex plot...Nadel presents a fully fledged psychological understanding worthy of the best of the genre and her plotting is satisfyingly labyrinthine. Inspector lkmen too, is a highly unusual protagonist, characterized in a way that owes little to her predecessors. An evocative and idiosyncratic debut novel."
- Good Book Guide
"In Inspector Ikmen, Nadel has created a sympathetic sleuth. Supported by his handsome side-kick, intellectual father and plaintive wife, Ikmen should go far."
- Scotsman
About the Author
Barbara Nadel was born and bred in London. Trained as an actress, she is now a public relations officer for the National Schizophrenia Fellowship's Good Companions Service. She loves Turkey and has been a regular visitor there for over 20 years.
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