Arabesk (Inspector Ikmen Series #3)

Confined to his home on sick-leave (and prevented from sneaking his beloved brandy and cigars), Inspector Ikmen of the Istanbul police is forced to hand his latest case over to his protege, the newly promoted Suleyman. That's too bad, because the aristocratic Suleyman knows nothing about Arabesk, the throbbing, deeply sentimental music that is adored by Turkey's working classes, and the case is drenched in those mournful melodies. A secret marriage, a murdered bride, an aging beauty, a father driven mad with grief and guilt: it's all so melodramatic that Suleyman can barely keep his lip from curling. Ikmen, unashamed of his own plebeian tastes, is happy to weigh in from the sidelines, but both cops eventually come to one conclusion: At the real heart of this operatic catastrophe is the city itself.

Confined to his home on sick-leave (and prevented from sneaking his beloved brandy and cigars), Inspector Ikmen of the Istanbul police is forced to hand his latest case over to his prot,g,, the newly promoted Suleyman. That's too bad, because the aristocratic Suleyman knows nothing about Arabesk, the throbbing, deeply sentimental music that is adored by Turkey's working classes, and the case is drenched in those mournful melodies. A secret marriage, a murdered bride, an aging beauty, a father driven mad with grief and guilt -it's all so melodramatic that Suleyman can barely keep his lip from curling. Ikmen, unashamed of his own plebeian tastes, is happy to weigh in from the sidelines, but both cops eventually come to one conclusion: At the real heart of this operatic catastrophe is the city itself.

Publishers Weekly

Nadel's intriguing third procedural to feature Insp. Çetin Ikmen (after 2005's The Ottoman Cage) finds Ikmen suffering from ulcers and on a restricted diet. While he is sidelined, his newly promoted subordinate, Mehmet Suleyman, takes charge of a hot-button murder inquiry. Someone has used cyanide to poison Ruya Urfa, the previously secret wife of the country's Arabesk music star, Erol Urfa. Suspicion centers on the mentally impaired son of the dead woman's neighbors, whose prints are found throughout the crime scene. News that Erol was married comes as a surprise to the public and has a curious effect on his lover, an aging movie star who's resorted to cosmetic surgery to preserve her looks. While some readers will anticipate whodunit, all will appreciate the skill with which Nadel depicts the tensions underlying contemporary Turkish society as well as her ability to make each of her characters fully human. (July)