‘Serpent’s Tongue’ by Barbara Nadel

Published by Headline,
7 May 2026.
ISBN: 978-1-03541901-7 (HB)

I must start by making a couple of confessions. The most important one is that this is the first of Nadel’s 28 books in her ‘Inspector İkmen Series’ that I have read, despite good intentions in the past. Secondly, I watched the first instalment of ‘The Turkish Detective’, the series based on Nadel’s novels, on the BBC a couple of years ago and never got any further. Again, this was from inertia rather than disinclination, and I am glad to see that it is still available on the I Player (memo to self: must do better). As a consequence, I realise that most of you reading this will probably be far better informed about Nadel’s series than I am. But please bear with the impressions of this neophyte.  

In Istanbul Inspector Süleyman has two deaths on his hands. The first is that of dancer Gözde Turan from a snake bite. The second is that of Dilara Önder, the wife of a businessman, who dies when a bomb explodes at her home in what becomes a suspected terror attack. The deaths do not appear to be connected, but ex-Inspector İkmen has other ideas. He is helping a friend to try and place the extraordinary work of a dead artist which is in a flat close to where Turan died. İkmen notices that some of the art bears a resemblance to the dead dancer. Was she known to the artist? He also wonders whether the death of a devout Muslim woman (Önder) is connected to a terror plot. 

And so, begins an intricate investigation. Why, for instance, did Turan not seek medical help given that it took her 24 hours to die from the snake bite and prompt attention meant that she could have been saved? The investigation ranges through a whole host of subjects, from a snakelet, drag queen and drugs to Chechens and Islamic State. Religion is a constant theme (snake-worshipping even comes into it). Relationships are key, those between both individuals and communities. There are revelations about personal lives as the plot develops. A constant undercurrent is Süleyman’s marriage coming under scrutiny: he is concerned by ageing (‘I’m vain. I can’t take criticism’ he tells his wife) and she is jealous of the way he looks at other women (‘This was not to say that he wanted to sleep with other women; he just wanted to know that he could’). Other families have their problems. There are tensions between two Roma populations. 

It is also topical in more ways than one. Putin and the war in Ukraine is one example. ‘For all the peace talks we may offer to host in order to bring the war in Ukraine to a close,’ says one character, ‘other incidents will occur on our soil because, like it or not, we are at war. Not just Türkiye, not just Ukraine, Palestine, Israel – we are at war because some people believe they are better than other people.’ 

As I mentioned in my opening, many readers will be aware of the backstories of some characters which will doubtless add to their enjoyment, but I found myself sufficiently informed. The main thing is that this is an intricately plotted and convincing story in an intelligently presented contemporary setting. For those of you already familiar with Nadel’s writing, that will come as no surprise. For the rest of us, this could be the start of a new obsession.
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Reviewer: David Whittle

Barbara Nadel was born and brought up in the East End of London. She has a degree in psychology and, prior to becoming a full-time author, she worked in psychiatric institutions and in the community with people experiencing mental health problems. She is also the author of the award-winning Inspector Ikmen series and received the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger for the seventh novel in the series Deadly Web. There are now 24 books in the series. She is also the author of the award-winning Inspector Ikem series now adapted by the BBC as The Turkish Detective. Barbara now lives in Essex.

David Whittle is firstly a musician (he is an organist and was Director of Music at Leicester Grammar School for over 30 years) but has always enjoyed crime fiction. This led him to write a biography of the composer Bruce Montgomery who is better known to lovers of crime fiction as Edmund Crispin, about whom he gives talks now and then