Fantastic fiction barbara nadel istanbul

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So I’m always looking and listening and I’m forever reading – books about crime, politics, the occult. Through his eyes, Istanbul, as portrayed in Nadel’s recent Guardian article, emerges as a captivating destination, attracting interest from British readers.

Nadel tales goes on a nighttime journey in Istanbul

In said article, Barbara Nadel takes readers on a nighttime journey through the city’s historic sites.

TripFiction talks to author Barbara Nadel about ‘The Turkish Detective’

15th July 2024

We are delighted to be talking to author Barbara Nadel, whose Inspector Ikmen novels are the inspiration behind the new TV series: The Turkish Detective, which is now available towatch on BBC. The 27th novel in the series, coming May 2025, is The Wooden Library and all the books brim with the sights, sounds and smells of Turkey.

I was so excited. Not a huge amount but I was in there!

TF: How does it feel to see the essence of what you had created on the screen?

BN: It was nerve wracking at first, but when I saw the first 2 episodes at a viewing in London last year, I was delighted. The good guys win and when Cetin Ikmen popped into my head I knew he was one of the best.

fantastic fiction barbara nadel istanbul

However the reason for this change is sound. The latest book, The Wooden Library (Book 27), was published in May 2025. Climbing mountains and exploring archeological sites, Bell’s intrepid journeys are retraced by modern travel writer, Pat Yale, who provides an entertaining and fascinating account of her 21st century travels in the footsteps of the adventurous Bell.

Barbara Nadel

Barbara’s latest novel is The Darkest Night, published in May 2024, and is set around a festival called Bocuk Gecesi which is a sort of Turkish version of Halloween.

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Catch the author on Twitter X @BarbaraNadel

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NEWS British author Barbara Nadel Introduces Istanbul’s History and Legends to British Readers

British author Barbara Nadel recently took a nighttime stroll through Istanbul’s historic streets, following in the footsteps of her fictional detective Çetin İkmen.

There’s so much to see, so pace yourself. Yes, I do feel comfortable there. We live in a fast world and so things can and do change quickly. The sense of place is so strong that – especially after watching the TV adaptation – people are sharing on Social Media that they have booked for a visit to the city.

Midnight at the Pera Palas: The Birth of Modern Istanbulby Charles King looks at the city through the prism of its most famous hotel  and is one of my favourite books about the city.Farewell Fountain Street by Selcuk Altun is a psychological mystery centered around a dying aristocrat in modern Istanbul.

I’d had a few in the past. This put a dampener on everything for a couple of years but then in 2022 I discovered that we were ‘on’. Ditto people watching outside the many, many cafes and bars particularly in Beyoglu. I wrote crime fiction because it is a perfect world. And Ethan Kai, who plays Suleyman, is brilliant. One of my jobs is to get my Turkish news every day.

I love that it’s now really easy to get to the Asian side of the city via the Marmary link underneath the Bosphorus, although I am an absolute addict of the ferries that cross the waterways and a day spent just cruising out to the Bosphorus villages, across the Golden Horn or out to the Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Marmara is time very well spent.