Leonid Meyer is found murdered in his flat in Balat, Istanbul's decrepit Jewish quarter, a swastika daubed on the wall in the old man's blood. But Inspector Cetin Ikmen is quick to eschew the obvious conclusion that this is a racist attack. The evidence leads Ikmen and his young lieutenant, Suleyman, to two people: Robert Cornelius, a teacher observed outside Meyer's flat shortly after the murder, and a retired businessman, Reinhold Smits, known to have had Nazi sympathies. But another link connects these two: a ninety-year-old Russian emigre, Maria Gulcu, a widow who thinks she possesses a secret worth killing for...

This fantastic debut novel by Barbara Nadel is compellingly atmospheric and has been highly praised: 'Exciting, accomplished and original' Literary Review

About the Author
Trained as an actress, Barbara Nadel used to work in mental health services. Born in the East End of London, she now writes full time and has been a visitor to Turkey for over twenty years. She received the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger for her novel DEADLY WEB, and the Swedish Flintax Prize for historical crime fiction for her first Francis Hancock novel, LAST RIGHTS. To find out more, follow Barbara on Twitter @BarbaraNadel or visit her website www.barbara-nadel.com

Reviews
'Intriguing, exotic whodunnit... Local colour judiciously applied and ethnic differences skilfully explored. A first novel: exciting, accomplished and original' Literary Review
Evocative and idiosyncratic * Good Book Guide *
`Best crime fiction of the year by a new writer was Barbara Nadel's Belshazzar's Daughter... great blooming baroque plot (ditto talent)' * Independent *
`This is an extraordinarily interesting first novel' * Evening Standard *
'An unusual and very well written first novel...Although the murder mystery is intriguing, it is the characters who make this book so successful' Sunday Telegraph
'Ikmen will go far...will have you looking over your shoulder' Scotsman
`Really refreshing to encounter something as idiosyncratic and evocative among debut novels as Barbara Nadel's Istanbul-set thriller' * The Times *
`Unusual and very well-written' * Sunday Telegraph *

Belshazzar's Daughter has been chosen by Jane Jakeman in Saturday's INDEPENDENT weekend review section as
'Best crime fiction by a new writer...a great blooming baroque plot (ditto talent).'

`Will have you looking over your shoulder' * Scotsman *
'This is an extraordinarily interesting first novel: the idea which drives its plot is an intriguing one; the Istanbul background is richly and thickly layered; the diverse cast of characters exhibits most of the psychoses known to man: while Cetin Ikmen is a detective one hopes to see more of' TJ Binyon, Evening Standard

'It's really refreshing to encounter something as idiosyncratic and evocative among debut novels as Barbara Nadel's Istanbul-set thriller BELSHAZZAR'S DAUGHTER, which matches a multi-layer description of its locale with an equally complex plot' The Times


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Book Information
ISBN 9780747262176
Author Barbara Nadel
Format Paperback
Page Count 448
Imprint Headline Book Publishing
Publisher Headline Publishing Group
Weight(grams) 280g
Dimensions(mm) 178mm * 110mm * 30mm