A Passion for Killing

Inspector Ikmen #9

by Barbara Nadel

A serial killer is stalking the streets of Istanbul, seemingly targeting gay men. A man is found dead in a hotel room, a single stab wound in his heart. Could he be a victim of the "Peeper?" Inspector Mehmet Suleyman is assigned to the case, and is shocked to discover that the victim's body has been delivered to forensics entirely "clean." Has someone tampered with vital evidence? Meanwhile, a young carpet dealer, on the brink of a huge sale, is discovered in the mangled remains of his jeep, a bullet between his shoulder blades. The deal would have made him—the carpet he wanted to sell used to belong to Lawrence of Arabia. Did the young salesman know too much? Inspectors Cetin Ikemen and Suleyman uncover an incredible story and quickly realize that behind even the most respectable facade lurks passion, savagery, and madness...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Barbara Nadel is an English crime-writer. Many of her books are set in Turkey. Born in the East End of London, Barbara Nadel trained as an actress before becoming a writer. Now writing full-time, she has previously worked as a public relations officer for the National Schizophrenia Fellowship's Good Companion Service and as a mental health advocate for the mentally disordered in a psychiatric hospital. She has also worked with sexually abused teenagers and taught psychology in schools and colleges, and is currently the patron of a charity that cares for those in emotional and mental distress. She has been a regular visitor to Turkey for more than twenty-five years.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cetin Ikmen 9: My first Inspector Cetin Ikmen read. A mash up of themes featuring T E Lawrence's legacy, diplomats and affairs set in Istanbul. It was quite refreshing reading a book set in Turkey, but overall just an OK read. 4 out of 12

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another in the series of Inspector Ikeman. Reading all of these books out of order, therefore I am often taken back in time, finding out information about the characters, that I did not know before.

I really enjoyed this book as it involved a story about T.E. Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia. As a child in the late 40s, 50, and 60's, before the rest of the world saw the movie of Lawrence of Arabia, my grandmother and I would make our yearly visit, a pilgrimage, to Lawrence's grave. We would visit his effigy first in the church in Weymouth, where my grandmother would go over his story, and then with flowers, plants and cleaning tools we would go to Morton, Dorset and clean up Lawrences grave. Which no one at that time ever took care of, it was always badly neglected. Tourists had not yet clambered in masses to this small grave site. There was no Peter O'Toole as Lawrence! We often traveled the road, which leads to Bovington, where Lawrence was killed riding his motor bike. I always found this amazing, as back at that time, the road was hardly traveled. Later, when his house was opened to the public, we would visit his home "Clouds Hill". When I emigrated as a teenager from the U.K. my visits did not stop to Lawrences grave. I always like to return to the beautiful church at Morton, (well worth the visit, a story unto itself, wonderful famous windows), and one goes across the road to the grave yard, that is not attached to the church. There lies the grave of T.E. Lawrence. Nothing fancy. I hope someone is taking care of it! Why do I mention this? This book includes, information and wisdom that one generation passes to another. It is through the telling of history and stories, that the mystery of a carpet is solved.

Therefore, finding a book, that actually included a story about T.E. Lawrence was an added bonus. Barbara Nadel, the author takes us on a journey. A Magic carpet journey, my mind flashed back to the wonderful stories my grandmother would tell of Arabia and the magic carpet, and the intrigue and mystery of the casbahs. Nadel mixes it all in, the mystery of a carpet, a special carpet, a carpet long
gone missing. A carpet covered in blood, that once belonged to a Prince, a Princess and Lawrence of Arabia! A war, a new killing and a who dun it.

But Nadel does not just include one murder or the killing of a young carpet dealer, she mixes in a hideous crime, of rape, killings and secrets. She brings in Sulyeman and his Royal Ottoman blood, his family, a Princes and a charming British soldier, with a kind heart, long dead, but he and a picture and the stories he has handed down to a grandson, solve a mystery, of a magic carpet and a love story.

Stories, handed down from one generation to another, crimes committed in one generation and then inflicted on innocents in another. Nadel weaves a story, and she weaves it with the magic of the weaving of a carpet. Well done Ms. Nadel.

[Tsk Calder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Passion for Killing (Inspector İkmen Mystery 9) - by Barbara Nadel

Nadel has İkmen channelling Quiller in a disdain for guns, which interfere with thinking. “’The bullet that killed him came, so ballistics tell me, from a Beretta 92 pistol. You will, Çetin, be familiar with this weapon because …’
‘I have one myself, İkmen said. ‘The department obliges me to carry one.’
‘Even though you so very often conveniently leave yours locked inside your office drawer.’” Pg65
“‘I hate guns. … I hate the way they make some people feel powerful.’” Pg65
Then we have İkmen admitting to watching David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia and Lawrence’s given a background part in providing provenance to a rug. My sort of history.
Rugs, in themselves are interesting and essential to consistency when home moves.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspectors Cetin Ikmen and Mehmet Suleyman work for the Turkish police in Instanbul, and they are also friends. A person, that has been tagged “The Peeper” is killing gay men, but Mehmet also has to work this case with the Turkish Secret Service, as they believe he is one of their own. Meanwhile Cetin is investigating the murder of a young carpet dealer, did he get too greedy when he was selling a carpet that was reported to belong to Lawrence of Arabia?
Interesting read, twists and turns with both cases, which of course are solved in the end.

[Louise Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always pick up these books because they take me somewhere different. It was a decent enough murder mystery.

It is entirely my own fault that I struggle with the names. A parochial fault that I should have overcome by now. They are even more difficult than SF, which suggests that SF naming is not as different as one would think.

[Karen Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the Çetin Ìkmen series. I always have to look things up and learn more, whether it be history, culture, geography, and more, this time TE Lawrence and carpets. The characters and plots are engaging.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional

Ms Nade's research is the best. Her writing is most descriptive and gives the reader the feeling of being or feeling part of the story. Ms Nadel's writing has been a long-time favorite.

[Paul J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. The first I’ve read by this author and the plot is sufficiently intriguing, though one of the two plot lines does get resolved at a relatively early stage.
But there’s something I found a little unappealing about the writing style which seemed somewhat stilted.

[Spuddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I generally enjoy this series set in modern-day Istanbul, but this one just felt "off" and was a bit of a slog through the midsection. Hopefully the next will be back on track.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read most of this series, however missed this one. As with these series set in contemporary Istanbul there are always references to a bygone Ottoman era.

[Heidi de Goede · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed enough to want to buy the series and start with #1

[Danna M. Weidner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several twists & turns

As a mystery, rather slow. Good character development. Learned a lot @ Turkish history. Recommend to those who want a "different" mystery.

[Janette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that I had read all of these but had obviously missed one. I love her characters and the details of Turkish life as well as the mystery element.

[Viola80 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Adoro la Nadel ma alcuni suoi libri non decollano, per me. Non importa ovviamente continuerò a leggerla!

[Christine Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another exotic tale involving magic carpets, ottoman princesses and love of many sorts

[Stephen the Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fascinating interwoven tale of deceit and corruption . This tale featured less family issues with the key protagonists and made for a more of a traditional police procedural story

[Deepak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've become a huge fan of the Cetin Ikmen series

[Rogue Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always interesting to see the professionalism of the investigators and how they proceed with such cultural awareness. This one on carpets and Ottoman aristocracy

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having not read any of the previous books in the Inspector Ikmen series, I was initially conscious that a lack of background into the story’s key characters might dissuade me from giving this book a positive review.

Still, this doesn’t seem to be the problem with ‘A Passion for Killing’ – not the biggest problem, at any rate. A story about a murder in Istanbul, and its link to a carpet belonging to the late Lawrence of Arabia admittedly does carry initial intrigue - but it never quite delves deep enough to offering any sort of a hook that the reader can really get their teeth into.

In its essence, the book is just poorly written, which is a shame, as it has obviously been very well researched. Characterisation is weak, and the dialogue between characters is particularly appalling. One gets the sense that the story tries hard to be the next ‘Da Vinci Code’ with its many adventurous subplots and occasional twists and turns. But the result is that the storyline throughout is thin, and the fact it’s taken me two months to read shows I personally found it very difficult to stay engaged.

There were times that I thought about putting this book down, but was, admittedly, quite glad that I did persevere to what was definitely an unpredictable ending.

Still, this is definitely not a book that I would recommend, and as an introduction to the series, I am apprehensive about reading other stories by the same author.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspector Suleyman is supposedly tracking a serial killer who targets male homosexuals. But the latest victim is a middle-aged, married gangster. No one can even figure out why Suleyman thinks the serial killer, The Peeper, is involved--because he can't tell them that he's taking orders from a sinister, top secret agency. Meanwhile, to do him a favor, Inspector Ikmen agrees to look for a missing young carpet dealer, only to find himself interviewing members of the diplomatic community, some of whom are ardent carpet collectors. The only thing missing in this book is more contact with Ikmen's home and family.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a recent interview (http://www.crimefictionlover.com/2012...), Ms Nadel had the following to say about this book - "When I wrote A Passion for Killing, which is based around the carpet trade, I went to a place I know very well, the Grand Bazaar. However because I was going to be writing about the carpet trade I had to get behind the scenes and go into the workshops behind the glossy carpet retailers. I also went up into the small work rooms that hide in the roof of the Grand Bazaar to meet with men who risk their lives travelling into Afghanistan to buy now very rare Afghan and Baluch carpets."

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book continues to follow Suleiman's involvement with the killings of the "peeper" and the mysterious Turkish Secret Service. Ikmen takes over a case as a favor for Suleiman involving Suleiman's father's carpet seller friend. This subplot is the majority of the book and quite interesting as it involves a carpet allegedly owned by Lawrence of Arabia. Ikmen ends up dealing with a murder and diplomats who were all interested in this carpet. It seems passion for killing is not confined to the psychiatric spy gone crazy, the peeper, but also to the staid and proper foreign diplomats who perhaps kill for passion.

[Joseph Bevitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice to read a book set in Istanbul, and even more so the unusual carpet-trading scene. Despite the historical references and relations to the Turkish royal family and Lawrence of Arabia which I then set out to learn more about, I really was not able to develop an interest in the key characters.

The plot surrounding the domestic issues was believable, but those characters involved were not integrated well into the broader story or rounded out as independent characters.

I'll happily attempt another Barbara Nadel read.

[Mauberley]

OK, I suppose. This is the first of her books that I have read and I may venture another. In this book, it really seemed as though she had stitched together two incomplete stories. (However, what worked so well for the song 'A Day in the Life' was less successful here.) Setting her mysteries in Instanbul, however, is a masterstroke and this more than compensates for my disappointment with this book. Suggestions as to Nadel's best book with Cetin Ikmen will be gratefully received.

[Rog Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am trying to read the earlier books in this police procedural series set in Istanbul. Luckily just having read "Dance with death" I managed to get hold of this book which concludes the storyline. As well as Inspector Suleyman dealing with the mysterious "peeper" Inspector Ikmen investigates the murder of a carpet dealer. This is a good read and you learn a lot about carpets and Lawrence of Arabia!

[Kristina Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gave a very authentic feel of Turkey. There were two parallel crimes being investigated so it wasn't simply about tracking down a serial killer or stolen carpet. I liked how nothing about it was obvious and the main protagonists seemed real.

[Yvette Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story but the writing left a lot to be desired and I found this a real chore to read. There's a serial killer in Istanbul, a carpet dealer is dead, there's a Lawrence of Arabia carpet in the mix, foreign diplomats, and so many similar Turkish names I was easily confused.

[Unionpearl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best of Barbara Nadel's Istanbul mysteries, but how can you not love Çetin Ikmen?

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read Feb 2007.
2nd Time: July 2010

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst part is that I didn't really care about any of the characters, so the outcome of the story was anti-climactic.