Serpent's Tongue: Inspector Ikmen Mystery, Book 28

by Barbara Nadel

The twenty-eighth mystery featuring Çetin İkmen and Mehmet Süleyman, stars of BBC Two's gripping crime drama series The Turkish Detective, available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
When two women are found dead in Istanbul - one bitten by a snake in the slum quarter of Kuştepe, the other killed by a suspected terror attack in Teşvikiye - Inspector Mehmet Süleyman and his team cannot see an obvious connection between the two cases.

Ex-inspector Çetin İkmen isn't so sure. In Kuştepe, helping a friend place a collection of dazzling sculptures at one of the city's art galleries, İkmen discovers that one of the sculptures bears a startling resemblance to the Kuştepe victim. Did the deceased artist know her and, if so, in what capacity? And what, if anything, does the death of a devout Muslim woman in Teşvikiye have to do with an alleged terror plot aimed at undermining the security of the city?

Süleyman and İkmen soon discover there is more to this situation than meets the eye and they must uncover the truth in order to prevent more bloodshed . . .

Praise for Barbara Nadel's İkmen

'Complex and a Turkish delight' Mick Herron

'İkmen is one of modern crime fiction's true heroes, complex yet likeable, and the city he inhabits - Istanbul - is just as fascinating' The Times

'Barbara Nadel's distinctive Istanbul-set Inspector İkmen thrillers combine brightly coloured scene setting with deliciously tortuous plots' Guardian

Audible Audio

Published May 7, 2026

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.