The Ottoman Cage: A Novel of Istanbul [Hardcover]

Barbara Nadel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 13, 2005

When a brutal murder shocks Istanbul's rundown Jewish quarter, the Turkish police force unleashes their best weapon - the chain-smoking, brandy-swilling Inspector Cetin Ikmen, husband to a strict Muslim woman (who disapproves of his drinking) and loving father of eight (with another on the way). With such a colorful personality and unrivaled investigative powers, Ikmen will surely join the ranks of beloved foreign cops Aureilo Zen and Guido Brunetti.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British writer Nadel (Belshazzar's Daughter) delivers on the promise of her American debut in this second outing featuring Turkish homicide detective Çetin Ikmen. This time around, the chain-smoking, brandy-swilling inspector is investigating a young man's murder in an apartment in one of Istanbul's upscale neighborhoods. While the victim's surfeit of scars points to drug abuse, a purple line around the base of his neck suggests it wasn't the needle that finally did him in. When an autopsy reveals excessive amounts of pethidine (a synthetic form of heroin), Ikmen and his best friend, criminal pathologist Arto Sarkissian, fear unscrupulous members of the medical community may be involved. Sex trade workers are also questioned, and the crime scene itself becomes an important clue: it bears a striking resemblance to a Kafes apartment, "the place where the old Ottomans used to place their rivals in order to keep them out of the way." Domestic troubles plague Ikmen, too; his crazy father Timür may soon push Ikmen's devoted wife over the brink. Nadel's lively characters pop off the page-particularly tech-challenged Ikmen, who recalls Clouseau in his slapstick relationship with his mobile phone-and the author ably evokes the sights and sounds of Turkey, a country where ethnicity is destiny, and the present is shadowed by events of the past. This is a richly textured tale packed with earthy humor and intrigue.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

When someone discovers a body in a -mansion-turned-boardinghouse in one of Istanbul's better neighborhoods, Inspector Cetin Ikmen's work is cut out for him. Neighbors think that the victim is probably Armenian like the mysterious landlord, who no one can describe. With the help of his colleagues--medical examiner Arto Karkissian, sergeants Farsakoglu and Suleyman, and officer Cohen--Ikmen tackles the case. As always, he chain-smokes, swills brandy, and gets lots of unwelcome input from his micromanaging chief. He also has to deal with problems at home. His wife is ill; he must provide for nine children; and his aging father, who lives in the family's cramped apartment, is slipping into dementia. As she did in Belshazzar's Daughter (2004), the series debut, Nadel combines a fascinating view of contemporary Turkish society--this installment touches on Armenian-Turkish relations, sexuality, and relationships--with a more personal, character--driven look at daily life in scenic Istanbul. Recommend Cetin Ikmen to fans of Inspector Espinosa, star of Garcia-Roza's similar series, set in equally scenic Rio. Barbara Bibel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (January 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312337698
• ISBN-13: 978-0312337698
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,371,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ottoman Cage = Chemical Prison, September 8, 2005

By 

L. Bryant - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ottoman Cage: A Novel of Istanbul (Hardcover)

In answer to the question below, I don't have a copy of "The Ottoman Cage," but I do have "A Chemical Prison." I checked the first page of my book against Amazon's first page for this new book. They are the same. It looks like they are reissuing the old book with a new title. Those of us who look for Barbara Nadel's books all over the world (my personal favorite location is Robinson Crusoe Bookstore, on Istiklal Caddesi) are going to have to watch out for this. I love this series and hope to see an actual new volume soon.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointed, March 27, 2005

By 

a reader in NY "a reader in NY" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ottoman Cage: A Novel of Istanbul (Hardcover)

This is the first of her mysteries I've read, and I came to it with high hopes. The British paperback edition called her "the Donna Leon of Istanbul." alas, no. I made it about half way through and I still have her first novel on order, so I will try again. But she digressed too much for me, did not create enough sense of place, and her use of the word 'rather' as a modifier rather turned me off: I started counting them at some point, always a bad sign. Maybe a touch more editorial direction was needed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book in the series, February 18, 2005

By 

Alise "beatha" (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ottoman Cage: A Novel of Istanbul (Hardcover)

Since the previous reviewer outlined the plot, I would only like to add that it's easy to get hooked on Barbara Nadel's writing -- mysteries with a twist, the well developed characters, and the details of Turkey and Turkish culture.
I read the first one released in the US, Belshazzar's Daughter, and was hooked. But at that time, I couldn't find any more books from this series released in the US. I was finally able to buy the others from Amazon Canada, and was thrilled to find that they were as good as the first. I hope we will see future entries in this series released in the US.