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Inspector Ikmen #2
A Chemical Prison
Inspector Cetin Ikmen and forensic pathologist Arto Sarkissian have been friends since childhood, and their work together in Istanbul's criminal justice system has only served to cement their friendship. When they're both called to a flat to investigate the death of a twenty-year-old, there is no reason to think their relationship will alter. The case, however, is a strange one. Ikmen learns from the neighbours that they have never seen the man enter or leave the flat. The only visitor they're aware of is a solitary, well-dressed Armenian. Stranger still is that the limbs of the body are withered, and the victim seems to have been kept prisoner inside a gilded cage. What is it that's making Ikmen's old friend Arto, himself an Armenian, especially uncomfortable about the case?
452 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 6, 2000
69 people are currently reading
466 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Nadel
60 books211 followersBarbara 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
June 5, 2011
#2 Cetin Ikmen mystery set in modern Istanbul, Turkey. Ikmen, Sgt. Suleyman and their team investigate the death of a young drug addict found in a bizarre locked room in an apartment next to the Topkapi Palace, and the autopsy brings up a number of irregularities that has everyone scratching their heads.
Very atmospheric, with an interesting protagonist--how many police stories are written with the main character married with eight children?--and some strong secondary characters, but honestly the mystery itself was almost not a mystery, the clues laid out so openly even a caveman could figure this one out. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it though!
Very atmospheric, with an interesting protagonist--how many police stories are written with the main character married with eight children?--and some strong secondary characters, but honestly the mystery itself was almost not a mystery, the clues laid out so openly even a caveman could figure this one out. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it though!
May 11, 2011
Two years ago, the first book in this series, Belshazzar's Daughter, was one of the best books I read. I've taken entirely too long to get back to this series, and I picked up The Ottoman Cage with a great deal of anticipation. I enjoyed watching the wily Inspector Ikmen at work, but at times it felt as though there was too much going on for one book.
The book felt too long and moved as slowly as molasses in January throughout the murder investigation. It revealed itself much too slowly, undoubtedly due more to modern attitudes in Turkey toward the Armenian genocide than to its ties to the customs of the old Ottoman Empire. The murderer's identity was very clear to me early on, and as the investigation dragged on, I found myself becoming impatient.
There is also a lot of Ikmen's personal life in this book, but I did not find these parts intrusive at all. Quite the contrary, they illuminated the inspector's character and revealed elements of his personality that prove he isn't always as charming as he was in the first book. Ikmen, married and with nine children, has his elderly father living with them. Timür (and the entire family for that matter) is suffering from his advanced dementia. It's particularly difficult for Ikmen's wife, Fatma, who has debilitating health problems of her own. Nadel does an excellent job showing us not only how these two problems tear at the fabric of the family, but how Ikmen's coping mechanisms have a profound effect as well.
Although the pace dragged and I became impatient from time to time, I'm glad that I read the book. Nadel has created a marvelous character in Çetin Ikmen, and she brings Istanbul and the country of Turkey to life. I'm looking forward to book number three.
The book felt too long and moved as slowly as molasses in January throughout the murder investigation. It revealed itself much too slowly, undoubtedly due more to modern attitudes in Turkey toward the Armenian genocide than to its ties to the customs of the old Ottoman Empire. The murderer's identity was very clear to me early on, and as the investigation dragged on, I found myself becoming impatient.
There is also a lot of Ikmen's personal life in this book, but I did not find these parts intrusive at all. Quite the contrary, they illuminated the inspector's character and revealed elements of his personality that prove he isn't always as charming as he was in the first book. Ikmen, married and with nine children, has his elderly father living with them. Timür (and the entire family for that matter) is suffering from his advanced dementia. It's particularly difficult for Ikmen's wife, Fatma, who has debilitating health problems of her own. Nadel does an excellent job showing us not only how these two problems tear at the fabric of the family, but how Ikmen's coping mechanisms have a profound effect as well.
Although the pace dragged and I became impatient from time to time, I'm glad that I read the book. Nadel has created a marvelous character in Çetin Ikmen, and she brings Istanbul and the country of Turkey to life. I'm looking forward to book number three.
February 11, 2020
Another of Barbara Nadel's Inspector Ikmen series, reading all of these totally out of sequence, so am learning a little more of the characters, and where they come from and their back ground etc. Very nice thick book, but missed the list of characters at the front, which are in so many of the books. I like this, as you can flip back and try and figure out who is who, and their backgrounds.
Story, Inspector Ikmen has taken his sick father into his household, however, he is totally neglecting his family. Especially his wife, who is quite ill, though not telling her husband how much she hurts. Also the family are well aware of this, and do not put their foot down, in this book Ikemen appears to be a real despot where his family are concerned, and has little concern for their welfare, throwing all his time, into his job. They suffer greatly.
A body is found in a secret apartment, the house is wiped clean of prints. Who is this young man, why has he been plied with drugs, what are the secrets?
As normal, Ikmen and his best pal, who is an Armenian Christian Doctor, solve the case. Ikemen is Turkish Muslim, but had an Armenian mother, he is better connected to the Armenian people, than others. Many of the characters, that are in later books are introduced in this story.
Nadel brings the reader twists and turns, in a who dun it and why story, going back into the Ottoman history and different customs. I enjoyed it.
Story, Inspector Ikmen has taken his sick father into his household, however, he is totally neglecting his family. Especially his wife, who is quite ill, though not telling her husband how much she hurts. Also the family are well aware of this, and do not put their foot down, in this book Ikemen appears to be a real despot where his family are concerned, and has little concern for their welfare, throwing all his time, into his job. They suffer greatly.
A body is found in a secret apartment, the house is wiped clean of prints. Who is this young man, why has he been plied with drugs, what are the secrets?
As normal, Ikmen and his best pal, who is an Armenian Christian Doctor, solve the case. Ikemen is Turkish Muslim, but had an Armenian mother, he is better connected to the Armenian people, than others. Many of the characters, that are in later books are introduced in this story.
Nadel brings the reader twists and turns, in a who dun it and why story, going back into the Ottoman history and different customs. I enjoyed it.
August 12, 2016
Got to give this 5 stars! Any thing that could make me try to read this in entirety in as close to one sitting as possible has to warrant 5 stars for me! This is the second in this series by Barbara Nadel that I have read, and I have become familiar with all the main characters, the head detective, his not too with=it boss who is stuck with the public political ramifications, and the lives as well as personal lives of all those under him. And I am increasingly becoming more familiar with this area at this time. It is shortly after Kemal Attiturk's prominence and all sorts of ideas abound including plenty of immigrants and people living close by from other countries doing business, some very legal and some not. Customs die hard with the oldest and most conservative, those who fared well under the Sultans and understood and believed in their methods and ways of thinking. And also plenty who believed in the radical new...especially alot of the younger people, young professionals, as it were. A goodreads friend recommended this series to me, and I am entranced and can hardly wait for the next one!
February 17, 2018
An interesting and different mystery. Set in contemporary Istanbul, this novel is full of diverse characters and an unusual murder. The main character is Cetin Ikman, a low paid police inspector, who is Muslim and swills brandy and smokes all the time. Even his wife likes him, although she disapproves of the brandy. She is pregnant with their 9th child and is taking care of his aged father. Others are a Jewish policeman, several Armenians, and of course the Turkish Muslims. Ikman solves the mystery of course, but only after some parties and mayhem. Slow to start, but got more interesting as I began to follow all of the strange Turkish and Armenian names.
November 3, 2024
An impressive feat of world-building. The attention to detail in crafting this universe is astonishing. Every corner of the world feels lived in and authentic, making it easy to get lost in the story. The plot may be familiar, but the setting is truly something special.
October 12, 2022
Barbara Nadel does for modern day Turkey what Jason Goodwin did for the last days of the Ottoman Empire in his book The Janissary Tree. The descriptions are so atmospheric that I could almost smell the cigarette smoke come off the page (gross I know but at least not bad for your lungs like the real thing!) The mystery is fascinating as are both the main and secondary characters. I highly recommend it.
June 19, 2009
A book I read near the end of my visit to Turkey, it deals with some pretty sick behavior by the villain (whom you can guess at pretty easily)--but for a sense of life in Istanbul in current times, the tensions between Muslims and Christians, Turks and Armenians, the old ways vs the new ways, it has a lot going for it. I wish I had read it earlier in our trip.
April 24, 2018
Great continuity from the last book. Another masterfully pieced together who done it centered around the sometimes brilliant and sometimes human Inspector Ikmen and his partner. Although at times I felt that the author spent too much time on family affairs but it was all woven together rather masterfully leaving me looking forward to the next book in the series.
August 17, 2010
It reads like what it is: a novel by a person who isn't from Turkey and who doesn't live there, but she has read several history books, knows her way around the touristy areas, and has a strong social agenda (tolerance is good, smoking is bad).
April 12, 2014
A Chemical Prison by Barbara Nadel. Actually the same book as Ottoman Cage, a later edition of A Chemical Prison. Has alot to do with Ottoman rule and how things were done including some not to happy customs. The villain in this is a real villain in a number of ways!
July 31, 2024
What Am I Reading 24 – A Chemical Prison (Inspector Ikmen Mystery 2) - by Barbara Nadel - 27July2024
A few, four, years on from the first novel, I’m sad to recount that Ikmen’s dad Timür is deteriorating into dementia, now 76 heading 77. Not a good thought. In fact the whole focus of the book is on mental illness.
Foreshadowing (by many years) the recent attack by a police officer on a prone male, kicking him in the head, and stamping on his head as the result of earlier turmoil, Dr Sarkissian says to Ikmen, “You lot don’t like attacks on one of your own …” Pg112 Ikmen then surmises (with a little history thrown in, “… was one of those strange little historical facts which sometimes made the inspector believe that certain things were just meany. Mere synchronicity did not describe this phenomenon adequately. There was an order in the universe which ensure that certain things of a symbolic nature took place in a certain way. It was, he thought, perhaps a method whereby some higher power, whatever that was, taught humanity its hard lessons.” Pg113 A turn for the philosophical, or maybe I should write mysterious, alongside Çetin’s mother being a witch and his predilection for the unusual and going with gut feelings. We shall see (to coin a phrase).
“The argument is, as you can see, … circular in nature. Madness as a generic term could be applied to all and any aberrant behaviours; the problem of course is to define what is aberrant.” So, here we are towards the end of the book and we are considering whether responsibility for actions can be extended to the mentally ill. Who deserves to go to prison, itself a form of torture? What is love but another form of madness? The book is worth reading.
Calder Tsk – 31st July 2024
A few, four, years on from the first novel, I’m sad to recount that Ikmen’s dad Timür is deteriorating into dementia, now 76 heading 77. Not a good thought. In fact the whole focus of the book is on mental illness.
Foreshadowing (by many years) the recent attack by a police officer on a prone male, kicking him in the head, and stamping on his head as the result of earlier turmoil, Dr Sarkissian says to Ikmen, “You lot don’t like attacks on one of your own …” Pg112 Ikmen then surmises (with a little history thrown in, “… was one of those strange little historical facts which sometimes made the inspector believe that certain things were just meany. Mere synchronicity did not describe this phenomenon adequately. There was an order in the universe which ensure that certain things of a symbolic nature took place in a certain way. It was, he thought, perhaps a method whereby some higher power, whatever that was, taught humanity its hard lessons.” Pg113 A turn for the philosophical, or maybe I should write mysterious, alongside Çetin’s mother being a witch and his predilection for the unusual and going with gut feelings. We shall see (to coin a phrase).
“The argument is, as you can see, … circular in nature. Madness as a generic term could be applied to all and any aberrant behaviours; the problem of course is to define what is aberrant.” So, here we are towards the end of the book and we are considering whether responsibility for actions can be extended to the mentally ill. Who deserves to go to prison, itself a form of torture? What is love but another form of madness? The book is worth reading.
Calder Tsk – 31st July 2024
September 10, 2018
2000. My copy has the title "A Chemical Prison".
Perhaps I enjoyed this more than Belshazzar's Daughter. Maybe partly because I am becoming fond of the two star detectives [one ordinary Turk, one "Ottoman" Turk, meaning he comes from the old aristocracy, which we learn quite a bit about in the course of this book]. And we hear a lot about the personal lives of our two detectives in this book, more than in the other two books I have read I believe.
Like the other books in the series, many of the characters are non-Turks, in this case well-to-do Armenian Turks. Quite a lot of interesting discussion about how they feel about their community and about how Turks treat/view them.
Quite the ingenious plot, very complicated and many-angled as is usual with this author. We learn about male prostitution and drug use, and about the various mostly illegal pursuits of what are referred to as people from the other side of the Black Sea, meaning Russians. And psychological analysis is important in this book, as the murderer appears to be a psychopath.
Again set in Istanbul. I will save the book for Rhonda, in case she liked the first book of the series.
Perhaps I enjoyed this more than Belshazzar's Daughter. Maybe partly because I am becoming fond of the two star detectives [one ordinary Turk, one "Ottoman" Turk, meaning he comes from the old aristocracy, which we learn quite a bit about in the course of this book]. And we hear a lot about the personal lives of our two detectives in this book, more than in the other two books I have read I believe.
Like the other books in the series, many of the characters are non-Turks, in this case well-to-do Armenian Turks. Quite a lot of interesting discussion about how they feel about their community and about how Turks treat/view them.
Quite the ingenious plot, very complicated and many-angled as is usual with this author. We learn about male prostitution and drug use, and about the various mostly illegal pursuits of what are referred to as people from the other side of the Black Sea, meaning Russians. And psychological analysis is important in this book, as the murderer appears to be a psychopath.
Again set in Istanbul. I will save the book for Rhonda, in case she liked the first book of the series.
July 29, 2018
This novel provided satisfying holiday reading. I enjoyed it more than the first I read in this series and will be loading up more on my Kindle before heading out again on holidays next month. The plot, based around the murder of a young man who has been kept in the chemical prison of the title, is unusual, grounded in Turkish traditions but to me rather unbelievable. However, what I did like was the development of the detective's character (he's one of those scruffy, intuitive, decent types) and the insights I gained into the life of Istanbul. I'm not sure when the novel was set but I sensed that it was probably around twenty years or more ago. I've been told that each novel moves into another phase of modern Turkish history. I have always wanted to visit Istanbul, with its wealth of cultural and religious history and for its intersection between Europe and Asia. Reading these Nadel novels takes me there in my imagination.
August 6, 2023
Set in Istanbul in the late 1990s, Inspector Cetin Ikmen is investigating the murder of a young man who’s been imprisoned for some time. As Ikmen tries to identify the victim and the circumstances of his death, suspicions focus on the Armenian community. This makes things awkward between him and his good Armenian friend, pathologist Arto Sarkissian.
The characters in this story are really well drawn as the author weaves their complicated personal lives into the story. I especially like the way Turkish culture and a bit of history are also incorporated into the book. The author doesn’t glamorize the city, nor does she paint it in a completely negative light. Istanbul comes across as realistic and flawed as the characters. Since the book was set and published at a time when mobile phones were just beginning to become widely used, a lot of good old-fashioned police work is carried out in this novel. Despite the predictability of the killer’s identity, I really enjoyed this story.
The characters in this story are really well drawn as the author weaves their complicated personal lives into the story. I especially like the way Turkish culture and a bit of history are also incorporated into the book. The author doesn’t glamorize the city, nor does she paint it in a completely negative light. Istanbul comes across as realistic and flawed as the characters. Since the book was set and published at a time when mobile phones were just beginning to become widely used, a lot of good old-fashioned police work is carried out in this novel. Despite the predictability of the killer’s identity, I really enjoyed this story.
March 24, 2022
2nd in a long running series of Inspector Ikmen series, set in Istanbul, Turkey.
Straightforward crime story. The mystery is the body of a young man is found chained to a bed in an apartment with "secret room" attached. The body has strangely withered arms.
Cue Ikmen and his colleagues investigating. Plenty of character backstory - a fellow detective is getting divorce. Ikmen is still ignoring his (massive) family. Unlike the first book, I found Turkish (and Armenian) culture was far more prominent - history, food, religion, social mores etc. This was most welcome.
The story has a cartoon villian who gets to do the big scooby doo reveal in the last 50 pages - so it couldn't be any more text book crime. Once again, female writers appear to have far more appetite for sex and violence than their male counterparts.
Will certainly be back for book 3.
Straightforward crime story. The mystery is the body of a young man is found chained to a bed in an apartment with "secret room" attached. The body has strangely withered arms.
Cue Ikmen and his colleagues investigating. Plenty of character backstory - a fellow detective is getting divorce. Ikmen is still ignoring his (massive) family. Unlike the first book, I found Turkish (and Armenian) culture was far more prominent - history, food, religion, social mores etc. This was most welcome.
The story has a cartoon villian who gets to do the big scooby doo reveal in the last 50 pages - so it couldn't be any more text book crime. Once again, female writers appear to have far more appetite for sex and violence than their male counterparts.
Will certainly be back for book 3.
August 18, 2017
Questo secondo capitolo l'ho trovato un po' noioso, anche se poi si fa leggere fino in fondo. Questa serie l'ho iniziata anni fa in ordine sparso e devo dire che, contrariamente a quanto spesso accade, più si va avanti e più migliora, sia come ritmo che come storie. Qui non so, la trama è interessante ma manca un po' la partecipazione nei confronti dei personaggi. Comunque la continuerò di sicuro perché ci si affeziona a Ikmen e soprattutto presenta un interessante spaccato di vita turca, anche se essendo l'autrice inglese non so quanto veritiera.
August 25, 2017
An enjoyable and well-crafted mystery taking place in late 20th Century Istanbul. It was a great treat to read about the international communities and unique politics of this exotic city. Each of the characters was well-drawn and appealing in their own particular way. There are plenty of ins and outs in the story to keep you engaged plus historical information to tuck away.
This is the second in the series and I look forward to reading the first book and more after that.
This is the second in the series and I look forward to reading the first book and more after that.
November 20, 2020
I love reading mysteries set in exotic places but after reading this mystery I realized I liked them best if they are places I have visited. This mystery is set in Istanbul and i have never been to Turkey. Thus, I was not familiar with many of the settings. The author does a good job describing settings but I am sure I would have appreciated this more if I was familiar with the place.
I would have given this a 3.5 star rating. It was good but not riveting.
I would have given this a 3.5 star rating. It was good but not riveting.
October 24, 2020
Quality is very low
I truly enjoyed Barbara Nadel's first novel but did not listen to the negative reviews of this book. I should have. Very disappointed. It was disjointed as if she wrote one book and then overlayed a second book and forced them to mix together. I don't have a lot of free time, I can't get the time back.
I truly enjoyed Barbara Nadel's first novel but did not listen to the negative reviews of this book. I should have. Very disappointed. It was disjointed as if she wrote one book and then overlayed a second book and forced them to mix together. I don't have a lot of free time, I can't get the time back.
December 15, 2020
Rather slow
I learned a lot about Turkish culture--attitudes toward women, your parents, the class system, Armenians. I knew who the killer was long before the book revealed it. The investigation was painfully slow at times. The whole affair with Sulyman was a needless distraction.
I learned a lot about Turkish culture--attitudes toward women, your parents, the class system, Armenians. I knew who the killer was long before the book revealed it. The investigation was painfully slow at times. The whole affair with Sulyman was a needless distraction.
July 2, 2021
A cage of secrets.
Our inspector is beset with family and work problems. His wife is ill, his father lost to Alzheimer's and a dead teenage boy is found in a kind of prison. Add in racial, sexual and religious differences and our poor Ikmen is wreathed in a permanent smoke cloud. Excitong, informative on a place and culture ancient and modern. A brilliant read.
Our inspector is beset with family and work problems. His wife is ill, his father lost to Alzheimer's and a dead teenage boy is found in a kind of prison. Add in racial, sexual and religious differences and our poor Ikmen is wreathed in a permanent smoke cloud. Excitong, informative on a place and culture ancient and modern. A brilliant read.
April 5, 2018
The body of a young drugged man is found in a secret apartment within The Sacking House in Istanbul. Ikmen and his sergeant Suleyman investigate with a few red herrings thrown in, namely Armenians, Ottomans and Turks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2018
Loved the details of modern Istanbul and the intermingled “races” employed by the police department.
Didn’t love the largely caricatured characters, or the overwrought writing style, or the broad generalizations of ethnic characteristics.
Didn’t love the largely caricatured characters, or the overwrought writing style, or the broad generalizations of ethnic characteristics.
May 17, 2018
Okay
Like the first book in the series, still a bit disappointing. Good characters but the plotting is clumsy and predictable. Since there are more in the series, I will try again because I really want to like this set-up.
Like the first book in the series, still a bit disappointing. Good characters but the plotting is clumsy and predictable. Since there are more in the series, I will try again because I really want to like this set-up.
October 22, 2018
A fascinating blend of an Ottoman court custom into a modern crime novel. Since this is only the 2nd book in the series I'm very impressed how the author manages to weave historical tidbits of Istanbul and it's history into a modern crime novel. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
October 21, 2022
Great on atmosphere and character. Like the first in the series, I found the solution to the murder mystery a bit disappointing. (This may be my personal prejudice: there's a kind of murderer trope used in some mysteries, including this one, that seems lazy and/or cheesy.)
December 27, 2017
Well-paced police procedural set in Istanbul; the setting and its description elevate the book thoroughly
September 28, 2019
2.5. Sort of ok but, for me, was spoiled by all personal drama - too much anguished home and love life.
December 21, 2019
Interesting and educational; great characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews