Petrified

Inspector Ikmen #6

by Barbara Nadel

Summer in Istanbul is hot. The kind of heat that can drive even the sanest people a little crazy . . .

An elderly woman is found dead in a flat with the perfectly preserved body of a young man. In an ancient part of the Jewish quarter, two children are missing. Their father, an artist whose genius borders on insanity, only seems more driven in his work. And a raid on a Russian gangster yields nothing except the dead body of a girl he claims is his daughter. Could the connection to all cases lie in a macabre forgotten art? But Inspector Cetin Ikmen's worries aren't just work-related. His protégé, Suleyman, is going dangerously off the rails, threatening to compromise not just himself but months of painstaking investigation. Ikmen faces a complex case which threatens to rock the very fabric of Turkish society.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Asia, Murder Mystery

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Barbara 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.

Reviews

[Bookish Bluestocking · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written book that brings the modern Constantinople into focus, with the people living together for centuries, generation after generation. Cetin Ikmen is a very human policeman with very mundane and everyday concerns and that makes him endearing. The subject is unusual (mummification of corpses in a way that they seem alive) but it is very well written and doesn't gross out the reader. Also, a very great protagonist of the book is the neighborhood Balat, a special place imbuing the inhabitants with its own hue. Another big plus of the book is the characters of the police men and women that are a mosaic of modern Turkey.

[Stephen the Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sixth book in the Çetin Ikmen series continues to the develop the series and characters. The charismatic Ikmen and his powers of thought beyond the norm continue to entertain and mystify. Barbara Nadel’s strength is the creation of a team of police that are all so different in backgrounds and faith but combine to make a satisfying read. The interwoven plot exploring art and faith is fascinating and also disturbingly original- demonstrating the extremes of the human psyche. Ikmen calmly but determinedly draws together the pieces and it’s shocking outcome. Another winner.

[Άννα Τσιαπούρη · Rating 4 out of 5]

Στον Μαρμαρωμένο, αστυνομικές έρευνες και ενέργειες στρέφονται γύρω τρία συμβάντα:
1. Την ανεύρεση του πτώματος μιας ηλικιωμένης κυρίας από την Αργεντινή και ενός ταριχευμένου νεαρού άντρα σε ένα διαμέρισμα.
2. Την εξαφάνιση των δύο παιδιών του διάσημου και διαταραγμένου εικαστικού Μελίχ Ακντενίζ στην εβραϊκή συνοικία Μπαλάτ.
3. Την προσπάθεια εξάρθρωσης της Ρωσικής Μαφίας και την ανακάλυψη του πτώματος ενός μικρού κοριτσιού στο ψυγείο του Ρώσου γκάνγκστερ Ροστόφ, ο οποίος ισχυρίζεται ότι είναι η κόρη του.

Full review at https://www.instagram.com/p/CwP9J-CIs...

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another strange, strange tale from Nadel's Turkey - a young man, preserved in the flesh. His skin in pliant, almost glowing. And nearby an elderly dead woman. Ikeman and Fatima have returned to their early love but Suleyman's love is fractious and unhappy. More religious and cultural cross purpose connections that inform and delight. Too much smoking and not enough food in this one, my only criticism.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three investigations that come together at the end. An artist who claims his children have been abducted; an embalmed body discovered at the time of natural death of an older woman from Argentina and Suleyman delves into the Russian mafia. Not the greatest story but entertaining.

[Tsk Calder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for more mystery, we enter the world of embalming. “You know, … whenever one thinks that one has experienced the most strange thing it is possible to experience, along comes something else. Like this.” Think Eva Peron.

[E B Halton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best in the series so far.

As knowledge of the characters increases then so does the reading experience. Such a rich tapestry of life woven round an intriguing story. Thank heaven there are still many more books in the series to read. Keep going Cetin Ikmen!

[Cas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good Ikmen detective drama. And again, very unusual deaths and plot. Always love the character portraits of Ikmen, his colleagues and their families. I wish there was another TV series of this man.

[Christine Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another exotic crime solved! A really enjoyable series to read

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

well done!! difficult subject matter but well worth the read.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

After I finished reading Petrified I told my sister that I was thoroughly disgusted with it, and that is mostly true. I think. The story telling wasn't particularly bad, and there were parts of this story that really were thought provoking. The juxtaposition of East and West, Islam and Christianity, past and future, holding on and letting go were very present and potent in this Cetin Ikmen novel, and there was a lot in those themes that grabbed me and held me through the whole book. And Nadel can tell a story in a way that makes a book next to impossible to put down, and next to impossible to get out of your head once you do finally divorce the book from your hand!

That said, in this novel Barbara Nadel took one of the best characters she has created in these stories (and I mean best both in terms of her craftsmanship of the character and in terms of his morals and ethics), and all but ruined him for me. I found this character's actions and behavior in this book to be completely inconsistent with the character Nadel established for him in past books. The author's decision to take this character down a path that seemed completely at odds with all of the past character development she's done with him seriously colored my impression and enjoyment of Petrified. I feel like there is so much darkness in these books, that it just doesn't do to have a major character from the light side slip into the dark side. Of course, I guess sometimes even very good people lose their bearings and fall, and sometimes they fall far, and with significant consequence. Maybe that was Nadel's whole point.

In addition to the problems I had with character, I felt that the primary mystery in this book was transparent, and I had it figured out fairly quickly. I was also frustrated with the cliffhanger ending of this book, but that's just because I generally like instant gratification.

So, there was a lot about the book I didn't like. But Nadel made me think. A lot. About a lot of themes and about what she could have been *really* saying with this work. Like the artist in this story, she took lots of ugliness and lots of things that made me very uncomfortable, and made statements with this work. I have to give her credit for that.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's fantastic to have more of Barbara Nadel's books available, even if it's hard to read them in sequence. When I read my first book by Nadel, I was struck by the exotic locale, but now she's built a whole world in my mind. It's summer in Istanbul, and two children are missing from their artist-parents home. Inspector Suleyman is trying to pin something on a Russian mobster. And in the small apartment of an elderly, recently deceased widow, the police make a surprising discovery. As the investigations proceed, there are more deaths, more encounters with some of Istanbul's peculiar citizens, and more opportunity for Inspector Ikmen, who inherited some unusual abilities from his Albanian mother, to put together the pieces and solve a horrible crime.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this a bit too blokey hard boiled for my taste. The protagonists smoke constantly and swear a lot. It is my first reading in this series. I might read another if only for the exotic location. It is a window into Istanbul and its mixing pot of different cultures. The plot revolves around an important cultural and religious difference - the treatment of bodies after death. Grisly? Yes. There were three major threads which eventually tied together. I could see where it was going quite early but that didn't detract from the tension. It was quite a page-turner, but it really isn't my style of reading.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The twins of a well known Turkish artist disappear and Cetin Ikmen gets bad vibes from the very beginning. Nothing feels or sounds right from the stories of the parents to the results of the door to door searches. His instincts are usually correct. This artist is bizarre in any case Ikman is one of those people who believes that you should like art and this artist is one who believes that art is a statement even if you don't know what the statement is or if it makes you sick. To Ikman though finding the children is paramount, to the artist maybe not so much.

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barbara Nadel has been going to Turkey many years. She has written a number of murder mysteries featuring Ikmen, inspector in the police force of Istanbul. I read this while on tour in Turkey after a short visit to Istanbul and loved hearing about some of the things we were visiting or had seen. Not too sure about the foresight of Ikmen and his 'witch' mother (now dead). But the characters live on in one's memory and they are an interesting bunch. For anyone addicted to murder mysteries and always looking for another good read, this award winning English author is recommended.

[Spuddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ack, I had written a rather lengthy review and my internet died in the middle and I lost it! LOL

Suffice it to say that I very much enjoy this series set in modern-day Istanbul, although this one seemed to have just a little too much coincidence that tied the three mysteries in the book together. The city itself is one of the characters in this book, although the author makes it seem like a small town where everybody knows everybody else rather than a city of 14 million people. It just wasn't quite believable in that regard, although it was enjoyable as always.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have to read this series in order as I have been doing. This is all Ikmen and his Albanian witch mother's genetic inheritance coming of age in him with a vengeance. A really macabre plot around the keeping of immaculately preserved corpses that touches on Russian gangsters and eccentric artists. Professional and personal tragedies as well as succumbing to weakness are central in this episode. Looking forward to a wedding in the next episode after so much sadness in this one.

[Ane Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read several of Barbara Nadel's books now and have enjoyed them all. As well as a good detective story, each book has a few themes running through it. This one involves the Jewish and arty communities of Istanbul, the Russian mafia, and the bizarre preservation of dead loved ones.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather sad and gruesome, this Ikmen story still provides plenty of suspense and interest. Nadel provides a good background on the Turkish shadow puppet art as an allegory for her story of murder and mystery.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

second time read.
first read June 2004

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

More creepy Turkish crime writing

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly dark and creepy stuff going on in Turkey!

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great and gripping mystery by Nadel. I like her characterization and plots.

[Lisbeth Brising · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trevligt med en deckare med turkiska poliser. Fina beskrivningar av Istanbul.

[Deb Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really engrossed in this series now. I feel like I know the families and individuals so well. Fatma and Cetin have a deeply respectful relationship. Love this series!

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down, fantastic !!!

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine vacation book if you are on your way to Istanbul. Otherwise, not so much.

[Kaylol · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's good but still not as entertaining as I wished it would be.

[Magpie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kylie 2015