Body Count
""’Body Count’ is extremely atmospheric and I loved it." "
Synopsis:
The body of an old man is found with his head partially decapitated in a neglected district of Istanbul. Inspector Mehmet Suleyman goes to investigate but no culprit is found. Months later the body of a dead woman is found in a health club. Soon after a visiting English academic is also found dead and the deaths continue. What, if anything, do they all have in common?
Inspector Cetin Ikmen joins Inspector Suleyman in the search for a possible serial killer. It appears that there might be a Roma connection and this leads Suleyman to meet up again with his old lover. He is also connected to the other possible lead, the intricate web of a family that has connections to the old Ottoman rulers. Inspector Ikmen keeps a cool head and a more detached view as they slowly piece together this intricate case.
Purchase the book from Amazon.
Review:
It is good to return to Inspector Cetin Ikmen as he involves himself in a murder investigation and fends off the imminent approach of retirement. He is a good man who is passionate about bringing the perpetrators of crime to account, but shows a great deal of compassion for the underdog. He works well with his colleague, Suleyman but has a jaundiced view of his amatory adventures and of his aristocratic heritage. I love the characters that Barbara Nadel has created and have since the beginning followed their progress with interest. Even the lesser characters are lovingly described and their weaknesses and strengths bring a rounded feel to the book. As always the changing face of Turkey and in particular Istanbul is revealed by an eye that obviously loves the place and cares what happens to it. The crime is, of course, the centre of the novel and here one has plenty of clues and mysteries to unravel. 'Body Count' is extremely atmospheric and I loved it.