River of the Dead
""Full of unexpected twists and turns..." "
Synopsis:
This is the latest tale of Inspector Cetin Ikmen and Inspector Mehmet Suleyman, both of the Istanbul police force. A vicious killer and drug dealer, Yusuf Kaya, escapes from a high security prison, with little regard for the death and destruction he causes in the process. Anyone implicated dies to prevent information leaking out.
At the same time Ikmen's third son, the black sheep of the family, returns home, to his mother's delight and his father's concern.
Inspector Suleyman sets off to investigate the past of the drug dealer in Kaya's home town of Mardin. He is aided in this investigation by Inspector Edibe Taner, a local policewoman, and forceful character. Unexplained deaths, strong and original faith and beliefs intermingle with American involvement and personal tragedy to produce a complex and exciting plot, culminating in a dark ending, with a small glimmer of light from the birth of a new baby.
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Review:
The three elements that appeal to me in Barbara Nadel's novels are the exciting plot, the insider information into the wonderful country that is Turkey and the development of the warm and complicated characters of Ikmen and Suleyman and their families. This book does not disappoint on any of these fronts. The plot is well constructed and grabs your interest from the first. Full of unexpected twists and turns, it ends with a bang. This time, not only the city of Istanbul, but also the strange and mysterious countryside and people of South East Turkey are explored. The relationships between Islam, Christianity and even older faiths are beautifully portrayed and arouse curiosity. The arrival of Ikmen's difficult son, who left the family to pursue a criminal life without telling them where he was, is carefully and sensitively described. The reaction of his mother is pure joy, which becomes tainted as she discovers how he is influencing her youngest son. Ikmen is the realist who sees the young man for what he is and who fears what will happen. The sadness and stoicism with which he deals with all the outcomes, good and bad, are very moving. Suleyman , on the other hand, remains somewhat reserved and distant from events, but even he is forced to look at himself and his life as an Ottoman in present day Turkey, and he comes to respect the beliefs of Inspector Taner.