Harem (Inspector Ikmen Mystery 5)

An ancient city, the oldest profession and a very modern crime...

The body of a teenage girl is discovered in a cistern deep below the city of Istanbul. For the Turkish police force's most idiosyncratic and talented officer, Çetin Ikmen, this is a difficult case. The girl was his daughter's friend and her attire, that of a nineteenth-century Ottoman, offers no easy explanation.

With his promise of justice to the dead girl's mother still fresh on his lips, Ikmen is taken off the case. He's reassigned to the kidnapping of an ageing movie star's wife. The star is hiding something and so, Ikmen fears, are his superiors. A powerful secret exists in the labyrinthine city, one which those on either side of the law will do anything to prevent escaping. But for Ikmen, there's no choice, only the truth.

Few can capture the magic mystery of Istanbul like Nadel as she delves once more into its darkened heart with a faithful friend in Ikmen as our guide (Western Mail)

Superbly written crime fiction (Glasgow Evening Times)

Eloquent and exotic depiction of Turkish culture and in particular what lies beneath the tourist friendly exterior of Istanbul (Buzz)

Her story is as dark and multi-plotted as Ian Rankin's tales of Edinburgh but involves Eastern European gangsters and corrupt politicians instead of Glaswegian toughs. Istanbul is, of course, the pefect city for Byzantine intrigue and HAREM makes full use of this while intravenously teaching us much about the city (Country Life)