Forfeit

Inspector Ikmen #23

by Barbara Nadel

GREED, LUST AND BETRAYAL LEAD TO MURDER i n Barbara Nadel's twenty-third Ikmen mystery, as Ikmen and Süleyman work to uncover a tragic tale of dark secrets and double lives...

In the early hours of the morning, Turkish TV star Erol Gencer is found dead at his home on the outskirts of Istanbul. But he is not alone. Beside him lies a Syrian refugee whose stomach has been split open with a cheese knife. Did Gencer kill his guest before committing suicide, or are they victims of a sinister double murder?
The dead Syrian is soon identified as Wael Al Hussain, whose wife, Samira, is in prison for attempting to kill Gencer a year ago. At the time, no one believed Samira's story that Gencer's wife had planned the attack, but now Samira's sister begs Çetin Ikmen to re-examine her claim.

Meanwhile, Inspector Mehmet Süleyman is on leave with his teenage son, Patrick, who is visiting from Ireland, but when Detective Kerim Gürsel's transsexual ex-lover, Pembe, is also murdered, shortly after confessing that Wael Al Hussain had used her for sexual favours, Süleyman knows he must help Kerim solve this complex case.
Entering a world of the Syrian diaspora, where tales of mythical storytellers abound, Ikmen and Süleyman uncover a tragic tale of dark secrets and double lives where nothing is at it seems...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime

416 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2022

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

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Dr. Phil-like celebrity is found dead in the backyard of his home by a fan. There’s another body too. So begins an investigation into gender bending, more murders, and intrigue involving Syrian refugees to include a 300 year old storyteller and trafficking in antiquities stolen from President Assad by a Robin Hood like figure who uses the money to provide for the victims of Assad’s tyranny. Lots of secrets broken and big changes made for the cast. Ikmen’s adventures will continue for awhile.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspector Ikeman is back

I enjoy reading the books in this series set in Turkey. I am somewhat disappointed with this book because there were too many characters in it. I had to go back all the time to the cast book to see who the character was later on the book as I would forget. I read this book over the period of a week and lost track of the protagonists.
The author over the last books has started killing off main characters which I thought were important to the book series continuance.
The ending leads to another book in the future.

[Vontel]

I have read & enjoyed this series for years. However, now that Ikmen has retired, & his wife died, I don't find that Suleyman is nearly the character to follow, conflicted as he is as well. There are some newer characters, especially in the police force, in the last few books, and we are learning more about their issues. The plots are very complex, as are some of the bit characters in addition to some of the recurring ones. I read a good chunk of the book, then found others that were calling to me more loudly. Needing to return it to the library, I skipped to the end and found I had missed at least one key plot element toward the end (what it was is revealed, just not how Suleyman got there). However, it will likely feature in the next book. I'll have to see if I maintain my interest in this series.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had trouble getting into this one: it's a complicated story, but my mistake was to get caught up in the pronunciation guide to the Turkish names. I enjoyed that, but the plot here needs concentration, and I wasn't giving it that. Once I gave up on remembering all the different vowel and consonant sounds, I found the story engrossing but perhaps too thematically loaded. Nadel wants to show the complexity and diversity of Turkish society, which is actually interesting, but it does lead to more subplots than might be necessary. This is a good series, though, and I, a cat lover, always like seeing Ikmen's cat treated so well at his local bar.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where do I start? This book is set in Istanbul, and the descriptions of the city and life within are wonderful. The plot is sufficiently convoluted to have kept me going. However, the number of characters with their various aliases makes keeping track near impossible without frequent backtracking and reference to the list of characters. Couple this with the structure of the book, and I found it hard going. For me, the plot and the effort were not rewarded by the ending. Clearly, the author has many avid fans but it will be a while before I try another of her offerings.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Ikmen stories, I think. Suleyman's son visits Istanbul, Ikmen delves into the magic of storytelling and storytellers, Gonca and Kerim Gursel's story expamds,and the underbelly of Istanbul's diverse population is exposed to violence and death. Interwoven plots, rich character development, and new characters, all with a backdrp of an ancient city with modern problems makes for an interesting read .

[Stephen the Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number 23 in an excellent series… as ever intriguing , culturally fascinating and a plot that entertains and grips.. read the series in order for best impact
Cetin Ikmen is one of crime novels best characters.
The Tv series was fine but bares no resemblance to this intelligent series
Do yourself a favour and enter Ikmen’s world

[S Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

A pleasure to read,as usual. and even more complicated than usual. “Who does what, and with which ,and to whom” comes to mind ! More djinn !!

[Christine Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another intriguing tale in exotic circumstances. I’ve read all the Ikmen series to date and never tire of them.

[Steven Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

another excellent Ikman story

The Ikmen series of books are tremendous. Especially for those who’ve been to Istanbul.
Highly recommended to lovers of detective novels.

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nadel had succeeded in keeping together a truly twisty tale of passion and murder. Wonderful read.

[Irene D · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never thought I couldn’t finish a Barbara Nadel mystery but this is it. Too long, too many people and way too quirky to be believable.

[Rog Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of this long running (twenty four books so far) police procedural series set in Istanbul and am trying to get hold of the books I have not yet managed to read. This is the twenty third book and Ikmen has retired from the police force but continues to do some private investigation.

The plot is quite convoluted and there is quite a bit of mysticism so this is not the place to start if you are new to this series. However I like the characters and was sad when one of the minor characters died in this book.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book that I have read by this author and I won't be in a hurry to read more. I did enjoy the setting in Istanbul and the insights about the local culture. However, I found the story confusing with too many characters, making it hard for me to follow the various threads. And in trying to bring all of these threads to conclusions the book lost focus and continuity.

[Susan Borgersen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another well-known author I've given up on at about the one-third point in the book. Rambling. Too many characters. While I am familiar with Istanbul and Turkish names - this was overkill. My time is too valuable to read any more. I was a big fan of this author - but this is the last book of hers I will buy.