Incorruptible 20

Barbara Nadel's gripping Ikmen mysteries are the inspiration behind The Turkish Detective, BBC Two's sensational eight-part TV crime drama series, out now.

'Inspector Ikmen thrillers combine brightly coloured scene setting with deliciously tortuous plots' Guardian

INCORRUPTIBLE is the gripping new Istanbul crime thriller starring Inspector Ikmen, 'the Morse of Istanbul' (Daily Telegraph), from award-winning author Barbara Nadel. Not to be missed by fans of Donna Leon.

In the backstreets of Istanbul, a young woman's body is found. Dumped in a dustbin and covered in cut flowers, she is the victim of a frenzied and vicious stabbing.

Inspector Ikmen discovers that the woman was well known in Istanbul. Newspapers had been calling her the blessed woman; cured of cancer in a Christian miracle and a proclaimed messenger of the Virgin Mary. These controversial claims had made her fierce enemies in the predominantly Islamic community and she had unwittingly stirred up divisions amongst the Christians of the city. But as Ikmen digs further into the case he uncovers powerful hatred and dark secrets lurking within her family. And to find the truth he must delve into a toxic world of fear, concealment and lies. The question is: was this a killing in the name of faith or does the answer lie somewhere else?

Review: Intelligent and captivating * Sunday Times *
Inspector Cetin Ikmen is one of detective fiction's most likeable investigators, despite his grumpy and unsociable character...think of him as the Morse of Istanbul * Daily Telegraph *
Impeccable mystery plotting, exotic and atmospheric * Guardian *
The delight of Nadel's books is the sense of being taken beneath the surface of an ancient city... We look into the alleyways and curious dark quarters of Istanbul, full of complex characters and louche atmosphere * Independent *
Gripping and unusual detective story, vivid and poignant * Literary Review *