River of the Dead

Inspector Ikmen #11

by Barbara Nadel

Convicted murderer and drug baron Yusuf Kaya has escaped from Istanbul prison and he appears to have had inside help. Ikmen is called to investigate Kaya's contacts in the city, while Inspector Suleyman heads to Kaya's hometown of Mardin, a dangerous city in the southeast of Turkey. As Ikmen delves deeper into Kaya's past, the body count continues to rise. It's not long before the two Inspectors are caught up in a terrifying web of arms and drug running, terrorism, blackmail, and murder.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Audiobook, Detective

384 pages, Paperback

First published December 27, 2008

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

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story although Mardin is actually a beautiful city. The contrast between Istanbul and Eastern Turkey is fascinating. The story was good with Yusuf a psychopathic drug dealer escapes prison and leaves a trail of dead bodies behind him.

I look forward to seeing the new tv series The Turkish Detective and whether the chain smoking is kept in it. All in all I enjoyed this story.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The American wife of Yusuf proves to be the mastermind. Arranging the wiping out of his entire family and the death of Yusuf. The death of the Saint results in the female detective quitting to inherit her father’s snake charms or pay homage to the snake gods. The death of the detective’s subordinate son a criminal opens up new story lines with Sophia and her grandson.

[Elli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fine work of Barbara Nadel's Turkey based novels, and certainly no disappointment! Her descriptions of two completely different areas of Turkey and the peoples who live there is amazing in my opinion! She seems to get to quite a core of much of human actions, the effect of history on them in different ways, and interrelationships. One of the detectives is sent east near the Afghanistan and Iraq borders to follow through with efforts to recapture an escaped convict, a violent and dangerous one. The book has much violence in it, but with the make up and the situations involved, it would have to be that way. And it is extremely dramatic and much brings out raw emotion. It is slow at times, but not uninteresting. Just seems to flow but with twists and turns that are unexpected and not planned on.

[Lilisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great mystery/crime read in this 11th book in the Cetin Ikmen series - with a great sense of place, time, and culture. While it starts out in Istanbul, the storyline takes us to southeastern Türkiye, primarily Mardin and the surrounding area close to the Syrian border, where Mehmet Suleyman is dispatched to follow the trail with the help of local Inspector Taner. There he finds an environment unique to southeastern Turkiye. With a diverse blend of cultures and beliefs in the communities and animosities between various clans, Suleyman has to temper his direct investigative approach and respect local sensitivities to unravel the web of murder and crime amidst local rivalry, the Shahmaran legend, and personal links back to Istanbul. I had watched the Shahmaran Turkish series on Netflix so it was interesting to see it woven into the storyline. I enjoyed the meaty plot, twists and turns, and the hitting so close to home connection (no spoilers here!). This was a great read and probably ranks among some of the best I’ve read so far in the series - this is my 12th book - not reading them in order, so yes, they can be read as standalones too. If you’re a fan of Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti series and Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache series, you’ll enjoy Barbara Nadel’s Cetin Ikmen series. I particularly enjoy Donna Leon’s and Barbara Nadel’s series for their great sense of place.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts brilliantly, with the daring escape of drug baron and convicted murderer Yusuf Kaya and several consequent corpses. Set in Istanbul, Nadel definitely gives us a flavour of the cosmopolitan, exotic settings and as the trail goes south, we get taken to a very different, more traditional world. Some real narrative shocks and surprises which help maintain tension . But, the plot is convoluted and I couldn't swallow all the myth and legend stuff taken so seriously and literally by an otherwise hard headed and rational female detective. Killer chat up line: 'You are a very impressive person'!!

[I34anbulunruhu . · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't like how Barbara Nadel portrays a Turkish person in these series. And by saying Mardin is a dangerous city, the author is leaving negative views on non-Turkish readers. Mardin is a beautiful city with great historical architecture and is one of the many amazing places in Turkey to be visited. She should be more careful on how is wording.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Barbara Nadel book about Inspector Cetin Ikemen, on the police force in Turkey. Reading all of this series out of order.

Story, Inspector Mehmet Suleyman had put a very bad evil drug dealer in jail some time before, the man escapes. The escape included cleaners, guards and doctors, who are all being bumped off. Years ago, Inspector Ikemen, who has many children, had a wayward child, who was into drugs etc. and who had left home at 15. They had not heard of him since, in the midst of the search for the escapee, the son returns. Dad not happy, the mum is ecstatic at seeing her son. The son pulls wool over mums eyes, as always, dad Cetin is never home, and never sees anything where his children are concerned. The raising of all the children has fallen into the mothers hands.

Story takes us to the far reaches of Turkey on the boarders of Iraq and Syria. Not a good place to be, Mehmet is dispatched to see if the family of the escapee knows anything. He becomes involved with people using different languages, a different culture and a cult belief in a female snake god. He is way out of his league, but a female detective there, as well as monks are of some help.

Very complicated plot, but well worth reading. I always enjoy the maps, and the page that gives the description of all the characters, that normally go with Nadels books. What was missing this time was the page that gives the descriptions of the different names, and places and what they mean. These often go with this series, and was my only disappointment with this book. The reader, if interested, will need to do search on internet to find out what certain words and places actually mean. However, it does enhance ones vocabulary!

[Mirrordance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un po' faticoso l'ascolto, tra i nomi, la cadenza e il tono abbastanza monotono ho fatto fatica a seguire questo mio primo incontro con Cetin Ikmen. La vita lavorativa dell'Ispettore Ikmen si intreccia con la sua vita privata. Un importante boss del traffico di droga, Yusuf Kaya, evade (con la probabile complicità del personale del carcere e dell'ospedale in cui è stato trasferito per un ipotetico attacco di cuore); le indagini procedono a tutto campo tra Istanbul e la città di origine del boss-. Allo stesso tempo uno dei figli di Ikmen, un piccolo delinquente tossicodipendente, scappato di casa a 15 anni si ripresenta millantando un cambiamento di vita ed una disintossicazione a cui il padre crede poco. La madre del ragazzo non è più in se dalla gioia ed è troppo presa dalla sua felicità di avere di nuovo con sè il figlio tanto amato e pianto, il padre è troppo assente, impegnato dalla sua indagine, e toccherà ad un altro dei fratelli accorgersi che la sua dipendenza dalla droga non è superata e che sta iniziando su quella strada il fratello minore.
L'indagine si svolge in parallelo tra Istanbul dove i complici dell'evasione muoiono misteriosamente e la città di Mardin al confine della Siria e non lontana dall'Iran dove Yusuf ha ancora potere e dove vivono le sue donne ed i suoi uomini...

[Stacey Kondla · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a little while to getting around to reading this. My question to myself now is why have I never read Barbara Nadel before?? This book was great!
I felt completely immersed in Turkish culture. The spiritualism and sense of history juxtaposed against a modern police department, the drug trade and an escaped convict was incredibly well done. I wouldn't mind learning more about the myths and legends of this area. I will be on the look out for more of Barbara Nadel's books for sure!
Checking into the Inspector Ikmen series, it appears that this one is book 11!! Should be a fun challenge to wrangle up the previous 10 and the 7 that follow for a total of 18 in the series!

[Rog Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am trying to read all the books in this long running police procedural series set in Istanbul. When a criminal escapes from prison Inspector Ikmen deals with the investigation in Istanbul while Inspector Suleyman travels to the south east of Turkey where there has been a sighting of the escapee. This is far-fetched stuff but somehow the author makes it work and even the more bizarre characters seem plausible. Many people die before the end of the book and Inspector Ikmen has to deal with things which affect his family. I would recommend that new readers try to read the books in the order that they were published.

[Stephen the Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another fast paced and fascinating novel - number 11 in the series-following the escape of a drug dealer / murderer from a hospital …Inspector Ikmen and Suleyman follow the trail in tow locations in what is a violent and tragic tale.In this Cetin Ikmen has to confront his past and his wayward son .The journey through the east of turkey and the mix of religion and superstition is powerful and pulls the reader into another world of understanding of different cultures. Another winner in a great series

[Vi Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite this book being no 11 in the series this is the first that I've read and I can't say I was over impressed by her style. However the story set in Turkey was interesting enough. Never having visited Turkey I must assume that Ms Nadel has travelled extensively there and knows the country well but I can't say what I read made me inclined to want to visit. Overall a fairly average crime thriller.

[E B Halton · Rating 4 out of 5]

incredible Story

This is a book of two locations, Istanbul and Eastern Turkey. It provided a wonderful insight into the two areas making it difficult to believe that it is the same country.

The storyline is complex and the main characters fascinating but sometimes the constant shifting between the two locations can be confusing.

Overall a great read.

[Philippa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable but a bit complicated! (Sadly, I forgot that there was a full characters list at the beginning...).

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars

[Christine Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good plot, modern yet arcane.
I love this series…next please!

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nadel is so satisfying. The drug pipeline fuels the narrative, and southeastern Turkey establishes a very foreign, insular place even to those of Istanbul. Thanks for the maps

[Richard Kunzmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was my first visit to Istanbul, and I have to say I’m dying to go back and see the city again … only this time for real. Barbara Nadel does an exceptional job evoking its streets, the sights and sounds, the smells and textures, its denizens. When I finished reading this latest instalment in the Inspector Cetin Ikmen series, I had to remind myself that my memories of that city came from a book.

Isn’t that the best thing about reading, though?

Yusuf Kaya, a jailed psychopathic drug-dealer, has escaped from custody and left no witnesses alive. The jailbreak is a particularly heavy blow for Inspector Mehmet Suleyman, Ikmen’s trusty sidekick, as he was the one who first brought Kaya to book. Soon the investigation is torn in two: Ikmen continues to pursue leads in the capital, while Suleyman gives chase into the far eastern corners of Turkey, the wild tribal homeland of the powerful Kaya family, long known for their links to drugs and weapons smuggling.

Ikmen and Suleyman are two detectives on the opposite ends of a spectrum: one is a chain-smoking father of a large Turkish family, an intuitive investigator whose mother was a well-known witch, while the latter is a straight-backed descendent of Ottoman princes, a calculating thinker married to a half-Irish woman. It’s a duality that probably works very well in other novels, but on this occasion they’re very much apart. Instead, Suleyman hooks up with Edibe Taner, who at first impresses us as a tough modern woman in a patriarchal world, but then it comes to light that she has links with an ancient snake-Goddess cult.

I struggled to find my way through many parts of this book because of the endless plot reversals that frustrated rather than intrigued me. Often our experienced detectives unnecessarily summarise for us what has come before, and then strangely take a direction that seems to clash with what they’ve just deduced from the evidence. Someone once said about red-herrings that they can only be called that when they’re obvious; in this novel there was a shoal of them. I also found it difficult to distinguish between the characters, because they all seemed to speak in the same voice – the dialogue is littered with language that seems more at home in a Hercule Poirot story than a modern gritty city like Istanbul, and the statement “but of course” emerged as a verbal tick of virtually every character. But let this not be a condemnation of Barbara Nadel’s work in general. Next week I’ll be reviewing her second novel for the year, Ashes to Ashes, which I found much more compelling, both for its setting and characters.

River of the Dead truly takes flight when Barbara Nadel settles into her narrative. She takes us as easily through the backstreets and markets of a modern Istanbul, passed the mosques and churches that date back to Byzantine times, as she shows us the vast plains around Mardin, a place so steeped in history and mysticism that your heart aches to stand at the spot where Suleyman first sees that green landscape stretch out beneath him. I enjoyed the descriptions of the Scorpion clan that is Yusuf Kaya’s family, the snake-goddess worshipped by the locals, the jailed living saint – all of which is part of a Cob-webbed world that is grossly at odds with Suleyman’s digital age. The best part of this novel was Nadel’s understanding of the complex push and pull relationship between an ancient culture and a world of glass and plastic that tries to bury it.

[Mike Finn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 11th book in the series about Turkish policeman, Inspector Cetin Ikman yet Barbara Nadel manages to keep the mix fresh.

This time, the setting for most of the action moves to the mystic and violent East of Turkey. Cetin's colleague, Inspector Mehmet Suleyman is the centre of most of the action. The change of scene allows the introduction of new, powerful characters, the most noteable being Suleyman's counterpart in the local police force.

As usual, the sense of place is strong in this novel. The plot is complex but plausible. The real star of the book is the clan culture of Eastern Turkey and the mysticism associated with it.

This book has an exceptionally high body count for a Cetin Ikmen novel and the book is pervading by a sense of impending violence in the East and corruption and faithlessness back in Istanbul.

This was an enjoyable read but it was marred for me by the thinness of the characterisation of an American woman who is central to the plot and who becomes at one point little more than a plot exposition device.

If you are already a fan then you'll read this with pleasure. If this is your first time give yourself the pleasure of reading the books in sequence and start with "Belshazar's Daughter".

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only a few of Nadel's books have been published in America, so I was lucky to find a British paperback of this. Psycopath drug dealer Kaya has escaped from an Istanbul prison. Inspector Ikmen must find out who helped him, while his friend and colleague Inspector Suleyman travels to Kaya's home territory, in eastern Turkey, to find the criminal. Ikmen is also trying to welcome home his son Bekir, who left the family years ago during a difficult adolescence. Suleyman must work with a local inspector deeply involved in a local cult, the ever-present possibility of terrorism and porous borders with Syria and Iraq. This description in no way does justice to the richness of the writing and depth of characterization.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A drug lord escapes from prison leaving a trail of corpses and flees to the East near the Syrian border. Ikmen stays in Istanbul following up clues while Suleyman is dispatched to the countryside which is rife with clan violence and the PKK separatist movement. While away from Istanbul Suleyman meets a remarkable woman police officer and also deals with the merging of faiths in the countryside. Nadel also introduces us to yet another interesting sect or belief involving snakes. Lots of action in this one and there's a personal gut shot once again to Ikmen. Nadel even manages to bring the American Army in Iraq into the plot. One of her best yet.

[Tina Bergstrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I need a break from these books but they are an addictive series. It sheds light on Turkish culture as well as geography.This one highlighted South East Turkey. Though Barbara is not an expert and should not be taken as such I enjoy how the country of Turkey is woven into the stores. Ikmen is great character. In this one he lost his son Bikmen. Not reading these in order but now on to the next!

[Jack Laschenski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to give this book a 10!!

Ms. Nadal takes us mile by mile into the far east of Turkey, where priests and shamans are real and saints walk the streets, but not those of the West.

Geographically meticulous and emotionally terrifying, you can not put this book down - and there is no other way to travel to this hidden part of the world - unless, of course, you are a major drug dealer!

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

More tales of murder and mayhem in Istanbul and the wild east of Turkey. A murderer disappears while on his way to hospital, and then bodies appear all over the place. The son of Inspector Cetin ikmen reappears after missing from home for 15 years. He is not the sort of son you would be proud of. A beautiful woman, monks and drugs are all in this book

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara Nadel's Inspector Cetin Ikmen deals with a mysterious drug dealer who has escaped from a high security prison. In the wake of the prison break there are many murders and further travel to southeast Turkey. Inspector Mehmet Suleyman travels to southeast Turkey in pursuit of the drug dealer, where he encounters the Cobweb World, during his investigation.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again Nadel's happy, multi-ethnic Turkey seems too awash in Armenians and other Christians. I did appreciate the book's split view between Inspector Ikmen in Istanbul with serious family problems and Inspector Suleyman tracking an escaped drug dealer amid the clans and superstitions of southeastern Turkey. It is chock full of oriental splendor and melodrama and coincidence.

[Louise Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something different and intelligent AND with an acknowledgement of the world that may or may not exist under our own. What's not to like?

I do like books that take me somewhere completely different. It may be full of Turkish stereotypes, I wouldn't know, though, so I can switch off and read on blissfully.

[WR · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read one of the Nadel/Ikmen books in a while, and honestly couldn't remember much of the subplot. This story turned out to be quite explosive - with quite a bit of harsh reality brought to light by double-crosses/family intrigue. Not bad at all.

[Karen Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara Nadel is one of my favorite crime writers, not the least because the stories are usually set in Istanbul. This story takes loveable character Inspector Ikmen, to Southeastern Turkey where he learns about a local cult and terrorism along borders with Syria and Iraq. A good read.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wooo HOOOO! Another Barbara Nadel; I can sink into Istanbul and learn more about Turkey and the Ottoman Empire.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved 'visiting' Turkey!