On the Bone — Barbara Nadel

Barbara Nadel's gripping Ikmen mysteries are the inspiration behind The Turkish Detective, BBC Two's sensational eight-part TV crime drama series, out now.


In Istanbul - the golden city on the Bosphorus - ancient myths and modern evils are at work...

On the Bone is the eighteenth novel in the brilliant Istanbul crime thriller series starring Inspector Cetin Ikmen, 'the Morse of Istanbul' (Daily Telegraph), from Barbara Nadel. Perfect for fans of Donna Leon and Lindsey Davis.

'Nadel's evocation of the shady underbelly of modern Turkey is one of the perennial joys of crime fiction' - Mail on Sunday

On a buzzing street in the fashionable district of Beyoglu, a young man drops dead. Ümit Kavas's death was natural but the autopsy betrays a shocking truth: his last meal was human flesh.

Under desperate pressure from their superiors, Inspector Cetin Ikmen and his colleague Mehmet Süleyman begin their most obscure investigation yet. How did Ümit Kavas, apparently a good, liberal man, come to partake in the greatest taboo of all? Did he act alone? And who was his victim?

Soon they find themselves embroiled in a dark web of underground worlds: of Turkey's old secular elite; a community of squatters; and a new gastronomy scene breaking every boundary. But where does the truth lie?

What readers are saying about On the Bone:

'Combines beautifully honed storytelling and fascinating insights into life in Istanbul'

'One of her best yet'

'Fascinating in its depiction of the changed Turkish political landscape, and how that change affects the people of Istanbul from all walks of life, from the rich to the poor, the transsexuals to the young married couples, the police departments to the military'