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Inspector Ikmen #15
Deadline
The 15th Turkish crime novel from Barbara Nadel, "the Donna Leon of Istanbul" When Inspector Cetin Ikmen is invited to a murder mystery evening at Istanbul's famous Pera Palas Hotel he finds himself embroiled in a deadly game of life imitating art. Halfway through the evening, one of the actors is found actually dead in the room where Agatha Christie used to stay when she was in Istanbul. Walking in the steps of the great, Ikmen experiences fear and hatred which have echoes deep in his own and his country's past.
373 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
16 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Nadel
60 books212 followersBarbara Nadel is an English crime-writer. Many of her books are set in Turkey. Born in the East End of London, Barbara Nadel trained as an actress before becoming a writer. Now writing full-time, she has previously worked as a public relations officer for the National Schizophrenia Fellowship's Good Companion Service and as a mental health advocate for the mentally disordered in a psychiatric hospital. She has also worked with sexually abused teenagers and taught psychology in schools and colleges, and is currently the patron of a charity that cares for those in emotional and mental distress. She has been a regular visitor to Turkey for more than twenty-five years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
January 24, 2020
Barbara Nadel's story line is a variant on the 'unsuspecting gathering invaded and held hostage', in this case by a group of chosen thugs for purposes that can't be disclosed (spoiler avoidance).
The action moves along briskly, and if not all the characters or details are convincing (they're not) that didn't deter from my enjoyment in a quick engaging read.
The action moves along briskly, and if not all the characters or details are convincing (they're not) that didn't deter from my enjoyment in a quick engaging read.
August 26, 2023
I’ve been enjoying this series set in Istanbul. This story takes place in the historic Pera Palace Hotel. I loved the setting with the familiar cast of police characters trying to solve a murder within the four walls of a hotel, committed no less in Room 411 - the Agatha Christie room. The final unraveling of the plot is a bit far fetched, but I still enjoyed it :-) it’s one of those books where you give yourself up and just go with the flow trying to figure out the puzzle. Another enjoyable read from Barbara Nadel.
June 23, 2021
I’d become estranged from this series but am eager to get back and see how the character is coping with the change of the Turkish state from secularism to Islam.
Another dedicated and indefatigable detective that you’ve never heard about
Inspector Ikmen is 59 years old and having to attend a dinner murder mystery theater for a fund raiser for a friend’s brother’s charity. This is not the place he wants to be.
Murder on the Orient Express meets Die Hard.
Another dedicated and indefatigable detective that you’ve never heard about
Inspector Ikmen is 59 years old and having to attend a dinner murder mystery theater for a fund raiser for a friend’s brother’s charity. This is not the place he wants to be.
Murder on the Orient Express meets Die Hard.
January 13, 2024
After a few disappointing efforts by serial authors that have been churning novels out for a long time, it’s Barbara Nadel that demonstrates that originality is possible even whilst utilizing a familiar formula to give the audience exactly what they want.
Deadline, her 15th installment of the Cetin Ikmen series, mixes it up by giving us an adventure that is more elaborate and theatrical than her usually reality grounded, cold hard investigations.
A common Nadel mantra throughout her novels is to divert into the lives and perspective of what is a stellar cast of characters to explore the streets, the culture, the political landscape, the history and tradition of one of the most ancient cities on earth to bring alive the atmosphere of our setting.
This time around however, Nadel puts a new spin on a fairly tried and true concept… the old murder mystery party that ends with an actual murder… The twist, the hotel is taken over by masked gunman, and our participants are held hostage and given less then 8 hours to figure out who dunnit or else they and the rest of the guests get blown away.
The intrigue is of course that not only do we not know who committed the murder or whether our detectives can actually solve the crime, what will actually happen when the clock strikes 0700, who are the gunmen, why are they recording?
One of the first things that the avid Inspector Ikmen fan notices, is that we jump a little bit around the timeline, with the novel actually starting at the story’s climax, reverting back to the beginning after we get a taste of what’s to come, and then the count down starts. Though she has dabbled with this type of thing once or twice before, Nadel diverges from her traditional format and hammers into the audience that we’re in for a show tonight.
And as if this were not enough to build up the excitement, the reader simply cannot fail to notice the Agatha Christie’ness of it all. Ikmen as a protagonist has on several occasions expressed fondness for the author, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Murder on the Orient Express etc with some gentle prods from the author used to guide both new readers as well as long standing fans of the series towards this conclusion.
Barbara Nadel, who clearly derives some inspiration from arguably the greatest crime fiction author of all time, has allowed Ikmen to indulge in this passion before going all the way back to Dance with Death where he instigates a real Poirot like ‘gather everyone one into the room and show off the grand deduction’ scene.
With a key part of the setting choice involving the room in which Agatha Christie once stayed in… well it’s fun, it’s themed, it’s theatrical, and even if it all is a little elaborate, it fits together nicely.
The mystery itself is unspectacular. There is enough reminiscing and references to Muhammed Ersoy to let the reader in on his greater involvement, and kudos to Nadel for digging up an antagonist all the way back from book 2 in the series Chemical Prison. One could forgive the reader for not putting two and two together but for some reason I made the connection to a book I read once over 5 years ago right away. This really speaks highly of the author and perhaps of my love for the characters.
The murder of the young actor is a bigger head scratcher and requires more of the cold, hard detective work that Nadel’s novels are renowned. The characters are interviewed, and interviewed again after the crime scene is examined, and then they’re interviewed a third time once our detectives find some loose strings to tug on. And whilst there is much unraveling, this process unlike a traditional Ikmen thriller has an air futility about it.
Not only does the task at hand seem too great within that time frame set, there are hints that the gunmen are going to open fire on our heroes regardless of the outcome. Furthermore, we know from the first chapter of the book that in the early hours of the morning the whole thing turns into a bit of a siege with Ikmen left fighting to stay alive – we know the destination, and the reader can’t get there via the detectives promptly solving the mystery and it all going down smoothly.
Naturally though, it’s the characters, the relationships, their interactions with one another, and the impact of the main story on their lives, that makes this a gripping read. Despite the plethora of innovation, elaboration and theatrics that she has introduced into this series of novels, Nadel makes sure that her faithful readers still get that which they most desire from her novels: respect for the past, and progression of the story. It’s very Ottoman.
Yes we see references to an old Ikmen villain and some prominent past characters, old themes such as the respective heritages and habits of our main protagonists, and we’ve already spoken about the love for Agatha Christie but it’s the presence of a few tried and true themes that bring the story forward in a big way.
We all knew that despite her engagement to the gentle, caring, and devoted Izzet Melik, Ikmen’s deputy Ayse Farsakoglu still has an infatuation for the handsome and debonair Mehmet Suleyman. These not only lead her back to the hotel where she stumbles upon the siege, but acts as an instigator for Ayse to thrust herself into harms by heading into the thick of it.
The breakdown of their relationship as Izzet slowly realizes that Ayse isn’t ready or can’t let go of the man that treated her so poorly, is so painful it’s palpable. And his pure hatred for Suleyman by the end makes for an incredible level of discomfort. Especially when you consider Suleyman was almost unwittingly brought into this fray without any reciprocation on his part. The slow death of the professional relationship between Izzet and Suleyman, when reflecting that at one time they expressed a professional admiration for each other, is almost just as tragic.
Especially when you consider that even Ayse herself identified that there is no future for her and Suleyman. That path seemingly does not lead anywhere positive. So where the hell is this going? When it all boils day, it appears we say goodbye to the rough around the edges, sensitive, educated, and devoted Izzet Melik who cancels the wedding plans and heads home. Having to nothing to prove to any one but himself, it appears he is destined to continue his quest for equality and belonging on his own.
And whilst we wait with baited breath for the next chapter in that story, the big news of course is the bombshell that drops in the final pages of the novel as it is revealed that Ikmen himself is retiring. I think I speak for the collective when I say NOOOOOO… but at the same I can’t wait to see where this goes as we know there is at least one more Ikmen novel on the shelf.
An update on the relationship between Cetin and Fatima and a check in on his plethora of children is certainly well overdue and wait with keen interest to see how the big news will impact on Ardic, Suleyman and the rest of the Istanbully police force.
Like any great edition to an ongoing series one adventure is completed, the loose ends are tied, yet the reader is left only to anticipate the things to come. And the next installment cannot come quickly enough.
All in all, I give Deadline 5/5 stars. It was not only everything you would want and expect from a Barbara Nadel/Inspector Ikmen novel, but it gave us even more of what we didn’t anticipate. And when it was finished, a surge of anticipation for the next installment is left, with thoughts that Barbara Nadel has proven she is creative and versatile enough to make it even better.
Deadline, her 15th installment of the Cetin Ikmen series, mixes it up by giving us an adventure that is more elaborate and theatrical than her usually reality grounded, cold hard investigations.
A common Nadel mantra throughout her novels is to divert into the lives and perspective of what is a stellar cast of characters to explore the streets, the culture, the political landscape, the history and tradition of one of the most ancient cities on earth to bring alive the atmosphere of our setting.
This time around however, Nadel puts a new spin on a fairly tried and true concept… the old murder mystery party that ends with an actual murder… The twist, the hotel is taken over by masked gunman, and our participants are held hostage and given less then 8 hours to figure out who dunnit or else they and the rest of the guests get blown away.
The intrigue is of course that not only do we not know who committed the murder or whether our detectives can actually solve the crime, what will actually happen when the clock strikes 0700, who are the gunmen, why are they recording?
One of the first things that the avid Inspector Ikmen fan notices, is that we jump a little bit around the timeline, with the novel actually starting at the story’s climax, reverting back to the beginning after we get a taste of what’s to come, and then the count down starts. Though she has dabbled with this type of thing once or twice before, Nadel diverges from her traditional format and hammers into the audience that we’re in for a show tonight.
And as if this were not enough to build up the excitement, the reader simply cannot fail to notice the Agatha Christie’ness of it all. Ikmen as a protagonist has on several occasions expressed fondness for the author, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Murder on the Orient Express etc with some gentle prods from the author used to guide both new readers as well as long standing fans of the series towards this conclusion.
Barbara Nadel, who clearly derives some inspiration from arguably the greatest crime fiction author of all time, has allowed Ikmen to indulge in this passion before going all the way back to Dance with Death where he instigates a real Poirot like ‘gather everyone one into the room and show off the grand deduction’ scene.
With a key part of the setting choice involving the room in which Agatha Christie once stayed in… well it’s fun, it’s themed, it’s theatrical, and even if it all is a little elaborate, it fits together nicely.
The mystery itself is unspectacular. There is enough reminiscing and references to Muhammed Ersoy to let the reader in on his greater involvement, and kudos to Nadel for digging up an antagonist all the way back from book 2 in the series Chemical Prison. One could forgive the reader for not putting two and two together but for some reason I made the connection to a book I read once over 5 years ago right away. This really speaks highly of the author and perhaps of my love for the characters.
The murder of the young actor is a bigger head scratcher and requires more of the cold, hard detective work that Nadel’s novels are renowned. The characters are interviewed, and interviewed again after the crime scene is examined, and then they’re interviewed a third time once our detectives find some loose strings to tug on. And whilst there is much unraveling, this process unlike a traditional Ikmen thriller has an air futility about it.
Not only does the task at hand seem too great within that time frame set, there are hints that the gunmen are going to open fire on our heroes regardless of the outcome. Furthermore, we know from the first chapter of the book that in the early hours of the morning the whole thing turns into a bit of a siege with Ikmen left fighting to stay alive – we know the destination, and the reader can’t get there via the detectives promptly solving the mystery and it all going down smoothly.
Naturally though, it’s the characters, the relationships, their interactions with one another, and the impact of the main story on their lives, that makes this a gripping read. Despite the plethora of innovation, elaboration and theatrics that she has introduced into this series of novels, Nadel makes sure that her faithful readers still get that which they most desire from her novels: respect for the past, and progression of the story. It’s very Ottoman.
Yes we see references to an old Ikmen villain and some prominent past characters, old themes such as the respective heritages and habits of our main protagonists, and we’ve already spoken about the love for Agatha Christie but it’s the presence of a few tried and true themes that bring the story forward in a big way.
We all knew that despite her engagement to the gentle, caring, and devoted Izzet Melik, Ikmen’s deputy Ayse Farsakoglu still has an infatuation for the handsome and debonair Mehmet Suleyman. These not only lead her back to the hotel where she stumbles upon the siege, but acts as an instigator for Ayse to thrust herself into harms by heading into the thick of it.
The breakdown of their relationship as Izzet slowly realizes that Ayse isn’t ready or can’t let go of the man that treated her so poorly, is so painful it’s palpable. And his pure hatred for Suleyman by the end makes for an incredible level of discomfort. Especially when you consider Suleyman was almost unwittingly brought into this fray without any reciprocation on his part. The slow death of the professional relationship between Izzet and Suleyman, when reflecting that at one time they expressed a professional admiration for each other, is almost just as tragic.
Especially when you consider that even Ayse herself identified that there is no future for her and Suleyman. That path seemingly does not lead anywhere positive. So where the hell is this going? When it all boils day, it appears we say goodbye to the rough around the edges, sensitive, educated, and devoted Izzet Melik who cancels the wedding plans and heads home. Having to nothing to prove to any one but himself, it appears he is destined to continue his quest for equality and belonging on his own.
And whilst we wait with baited breath for the next chapter in that story, the big news of course is the bombshell that drops in the final pages of the novel as it is revealed that Ikmen himself is retiring. I think I speak for the collective when I say NOOOOOO… but at the same I can’t wait to see where this goes as we know there is at least one more Ikmen novel on the shelf.
An update on the relationship between Cetin and Fatima and a check in on his plethora of children is certainly well overdue and wait with keen interest to see how the big news will impact on Ardic, Suleyman and the rest of the Istanbully police force.
Like any great edition to an ongoing series one adventure is completed, the loose ends are tied, yet the reader is left only to anticipate the things to come. And the next installment cannot come quickly enough.
All in all, I give Deadline 5/5 stars. It was not only everything you would want and expect from a Barbara Nadel/Inspector Ikmen novel, but it gave us even more of what we didn’t anticipate. And when it was finished, a surge of anticipation for the next installment is left, with thoughts that Barbara Nadel has proven she is creative and versatile enough to make it even better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2015
SUMMARY: The 15th Turkish crime novel from Barbara Nadel, "the Donna Leon of Istanbul" When Inspector Cetin Ikmen is invited to a murder mystery evening at Istanbul's famous Pera Palas Hotel he finds himself embroiled in a deadly game of life imitating art. Halfway through the evening, one of the actors is found actually dead in the room where Agatha Christie used to stay when she was in Istanbul. Walking in the steps of the great, Ikmen experiences fear and hatred which have echoes deep in his own and his country's past.
REVIEW: i read about the first 100 pages of this book and finally gave up. The storyline was good, but there was such a multitude of characters all with Turkish names including double names for those in the murder mystery play that I could never keep other than 1 or 2 of them straight. So I finally had to give up.
REVIEW: i read about the first 100 pages of this book and finally gave up. The storyline was good, but there was such a multitude of characters all with Turkish names including double names for those in the murder mystery play that I could never keep other than 1 or 2 of them straight. So I finally had to give up.
July 10, 2013
This was great, another humdinger of a plot with Cetin one of my favourite detectives. I just love his character and his fellow officers. They seem so real, I did nearly start to cry when I thought Cetin might be leaving us! I love how Nadel worked in Agatha Christie (another of my favourite authors) and the setting is always evocative. I want to go to Istanbul!
November 23, 2013
I'm a big fan of this series but this one came as a bit of a disappointment. Good to see the familiar characters back in actio but the plot achieves new heights of sheer unbelievablity. The Istanbul setting remains wonderful.
March 24, 2014
I usually like these books as they are a slice of life in my favourite city of Istanbul. I love the regular characters but this plot seemed completely ridiculous. Not her best work.
May 13, 2015
Inspector Ikmen and Alys Farsakoglu. Murder game organized by rich guy in jail. ID jiller or be killed.
November 4, 2025
I came to this series about Inspector Ikmen very late, and I've been playing catch-up ever since! I really enjoy the stories, the setting and the characters. Better still, you don't have to read them in the correct order. In this, Inspector Ikmen and Inspector Süleyman are persuaded to attend a Murder Mystery Evening at a smart hotel in Istanbul, in order to raise money for a drug rehabilitation charity. The performance has only just begun when masked gunmen arrive and shoot dead several of the guests. Their leader demands that Ikmen and Suleyman solve the murder mystery before daybreak, or the remaining guests will be killed. With no idea about who is orchestrating this attack, or why, the detectives and the reader are kept guessing as the theatre performance morphs into a real-life drama. At times it was tricky to keep track of all the characters (guests and actors) but there’s a handy cast list to refer to if needed. A very satisfactory read!
Cornish Eskimo, Oundle Crime
Cornish Eskimo, Oundle Crime
December 11, 2022
I am a fan of this police procedural series set in Istanbul. This is a far-fetched story where Inspectors Ikmen and Suleyman are invited to a murder mystery in a posh hotel. Someone is really murdered and then events take a turn for the worse. This is an enjoyable read though you do have to willingly suspend disbelief. I would recommend trying to read this series in the order that the books were published.
February 8, 2019
I didn't enjoy this book as much as some of the earlier ones in the series. I think the premise for this story was a little too unbelievable. It looks like Ikmen is going to retire but I understand there are at least two more books in the series and I'm interested to see how things progress so I know I will keep reading.
June 26, 2025
The Best Ikmen story so far!
What a wonderful fast moving story line. This is a book that you just can’t put down and lurking just beneath the surface is Ersoy a character that has had a shadowy presence for the last few stories.
I really hope that this style of writing will continue.
What a wonderful fast moving story line. This is a book that you just can’t put down and lurking just beneath the surface is Ersoy a character that has had a shadowy presence for the last few stories.
I really hope that this style of writing will continue.
January 28, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyable plot, set around Istanbul's Pera Palace Hotel.
These characters are so well thought out and credible. A tribute to Agatha Christie , who stayed in this hotel.
These characters are so well thought out and credible. A tribute to Agatha Christie , who stayed in this hotel.
October 21, 2019
Would have rated it a four except for the identity of the villain.
March 4, 2020
Easy to read, well paced thriller. Plot rather unlikely but would be a good holiday read, especially if you are in Istanbul.
November 6, 2022
What is there to say but if you love this series then you’ll enjoy this 15th book in the series ... fast paced , familiar characters and plenty of twists and turns in a hotel hostage storyline
January 8, 2023
I love the characters in this series, they are as much of a draw as the plot
November 1, 2022
Good but not one other best. I think she should write a story about Nar, a much more interesting character.
March 28, 2014
I liked the book; in fact, it didn't stay on the shelf very long in between reading sessions. If could have arranged it, I probably would have read the whole thing pretty much in one sitting. It was that drawing to me, but then that is not unusual for me with Barbara Nadel's Cetin Ikmen head detective and investigator for the Istanbul police force along with his reputation gained by years of successful experience. This book tied in with another which not only explained the reason for the main plot, but the setting and follow up as well. Some of the endings are cliff hangers, but in such a way that you know that the justice is only postponed. And the sociopathic psychopath involved is a good reader of individual strengths and weaknesses as well as having access to wealth and charismatic charm.
May 8, 2013
The latest, and eagerly-awaited outing for Istanbul's Inspectors Cetin Ikmen and Mehmet Suleyman does not disappoint. The fund-raising murder-mystery event that Ikmen is forced to attend on his birthday (always a bad day for him) quickly goes very wrong and from there the tension builds nicely and keeps you gripped until the end. There are some lovely comic touches too. Look out for Nar Sozen - a trans-sexual with attitude - and a marvellous bit of farce when the maitre d'hotel is locked in the fridge by the bad guys. For true Ikmen fans though, there is a rather nasty surprise at the end of the book. Is this to be the last outing for our ageing hero? We must wait and see.
September 8, 2013
Istanbul detective Cetin Ikmen reluctantly attends a fundraiser at Istanbul's famed Pera Palas hotel. It's for a good cause, but Cetin just doesn't like "fun," and the event is on his birthday, when bad things always happen. Sure enough, a masked, armed group takes over the hotel and threatens to kill everyone there if Cetin, his sexy subordinate Mehmet, and a few others there can't solve a murder case by dawn. With no way to get out a call for help, Cetin is forced to try to investigate among a bunch of hysterical, fearful people. But there are people outside trying to get in to help, which may precipitate a gun battle.
May 16, 2015
The Pera Palas Hotel in Istanbul. Need I say more? A perfect setting for a murder mystery and Barbara Nadel once more pulls out all the stops. I was there (just for lunch) in the 1970s and this novel, whilst set in our current decade, took me right back to the sights, the tastes and the smells. A typically tangled web of a story, but don't let the Turkish names of characters and place names confuse. Learn how to pronounce them, turn them over in your mouth and you will be there with our hero, Cetin Ikmen (bless him), and his team throughout.
July 9, 2015
A Barbara Nadel spree is my reward for reading a book I didn't care to read. Re-entering the police station in Istanbul and following the careers of Cetin Ikmen and his people is pure heart-beats-a-little-faster pleasure. This was not one of her best, it seems to be an homage to Agatha Christie, and in her style, only with the heightened suspense we expect from Nadel. A very good book, but not a great book.
January 16, 2016
Well this was an excellent find. A friend has introduced me to Barbara Nadel and I am looking forward to reading the rest of her work. This detective thriller, set in Istanbul is exciting, atmospheric and full of interesting, well drawn characters. The tale romps along, drawing together two or three plot lines. The plot is far- fetched, but one for which I happily suspend my disbelief. A most enjoyable novel.
August 10, 2014
Ikmen and Suleman are invited to a Mystery-Solving Dinner and Fundraiser in a beautiful old hotel and all hell breaks loose. Unlike other stories of the detectives, everything happens there at the hotel so it is an interesting angle. The ongoing plot is also advanced as we continue to follow our favorites and we hear hints of change for the future.
August 6, 2016
An upside down Inspector Ikmen story.
The police are prisoners in a deadly murder party in a luxury hotel.
They are rescued, but the bad guy stays scott free ( in a luxury prison cell where he bribes all around him).
No investigation of the warden and the prison officials.
Maybe Turkey is really this corrupt!!!
Ugh!!!!
The police are prisoners in a deadly murder party in a luxury hotel.
They are rescued, but the bad guy stays scott free ( in a luxury prison cell where he bribes all around him).
No investigation of the warden and the prison officials.
Maybe Turkey is really this corrupt!!!
Ugh!!!!
January 14, 2017
I really enjoy this series; I love the way Nadel brings Istanbul close to the reader through both her characters and her plots - but I especially loved the suspense in this book. A great read for a plane etc
July 22, 2013
This is #15 in th series, but it may be the best in recent memory. Something of an homage to Agatha Christie it all takes place on one night in one location, an Istanbul hotel where she apparently stayed. Sadly, I get the feeling the series is drawing to a close.
December 15, 2014
I really liked this book - the device, the setting, the link with Agatha Christie (my original favourite mystery novelist). I also liked that the characterisation continues to deepen, though I am worried about Cetin Ikmen getting old.. yikes!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews