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The Wooden Library

Inspector Ikmen Mystery, Book 27

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The Wooden Library

By: Barbara Nadel
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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Summary

 The twenty-seventh mystery featuring Çetin İkmen and Mehmet Süleyman, stars of BBC Two's gripping crime drama series The Turkish Detective, available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Inspector Mehmet Süleyman is on holiday in Romania when his distant cousin calls. Nurettin Süleyman has bought the Wooden Library, an ancient building in Istanbul once owned by their ancestor. He needs help cataloguing its priceless contents and who better for the job than Mehmet's old friend Çetin İkmen? As İkmen sets to work, he detects a terrible smell pervading the library that leads to the discovery of a rotting corpse. The dead body is that of Senol Ulusoy, the man who sold Nurettin the library . . .

A long-running feud between the two families comes to light, as does the bitter rivalry between the three Ulusoy brothers, fuelled by their father's cruel manipulation. Then pathologist Arto Sarkissian makes a shocking discovery that turns this case on its head, and Süleyman's detective team must dig deep to reveal a truth that is rooted in the past as well as the present . . .

Praise for Barbara Nadel's İkmen mysteries:

'Complex and beguiling: a Turkish delight' Mick Herron

'İkmen is one of modern crime fiction's true heroes, complex yet likeable, and the city he inhabits - Istanbul - is just as fascinating' The Times

'Barbara Nadel's distinctive Istanbul-set Inspector İkmen thrillers combine brightly coloured scene setting with deliciously tortuous plots' Guardian©2025 Barbara Nadel Crime Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Police Procedurals
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Serpent's Tongue By: Barbara Nadel
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Great story development and descriptions of Istanbul. Excellently read. I was gripped all the way through!

Good Ikmen story

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Another wonderfully narrated book by Sean Barrett, he brings the characters to life and the story line was had me gripped from the start.
Cannot recommend more highly. Cannot wait for book 27!

Istanbul comes alive in these books. I have read all 26 books and like revisiting old friends

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I love this author and have read all her Ikmen books. And Sean Barret is the best narrator ever.

Outstanding as always.

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The characters and description of Istanbul give me as much pleasure as the storyline.
Just want to add, what a shame that TV series made such a travesty of the Ikmen books, it certainly wouldn't encourage anyone to read the books which have been very informative and document the changes in Istanbul.
I think i read that Barbara Nadel was interested by Jason Goodwin's Yashim series, which i have read and enjoyed.

Another gem

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This has been my favorite Ikmen book, a total page turner and of course crowned by the inimitable narration of the master himself - Mr. Sean Barrett.

Utterly engaging page turner

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