Belshazzar’s Daughter is the first book featuring Inspector Cetin Ikmen, and is set in modern day Istanbul, Turkey. Ikmen's wife Is pregnant with their ninth child, his elderly father lives with them, and he's just been called to the scene of a horrific crime. An elderly Jewish man has been tortured and murdered and it appears that a bloody swastika has been drawn on the wall with the victim's blood.

Ikmen is a strange character in that he works slowly and meticulously, reconstructing each victim's life in an attempt to understand why the crime was committed. This brings him into direct conflict with his superiors who just want the job done quickly.

I really enjoyed the multicultural characters that surround Ikmen, especially his second in command, Suleyman, who is incredibly handsome and a devout Muslim. Nadel has a real talent for letting her reader's feel and experience the authentic streets of Istanbul in both it's beauty and squalor. I didn't love this book, but I'm still planning to read the next book in the series. I think it has great potential and Ikmen is a character worth spending a little more time with.
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I really enjoyed the characterisation of Cetin Ikmen, his colleagues and family. I also liked having Istanbul as the setting of a murder mystery. Pacing was great, as well not always being sure who was narrating the entry points (most of the characters narrate their version of the current circumstance). What I didn't like was the ending - not enough that it spoiled the book, but after such a strong set up, found it a bit lame. Nevermind, will still move onto Inspector Ikmen Mystery 2. ( )

i started out liking this from the get-go. the writing was good, the setting was atypical to me and well described, and the characters interesting (although mostly unlikable). so i enjoyed reading it, even as i wasn't so interested in the "why" of the murder; that part (which is major!) just didn't grab me. i should say that i was interested in the "why," until it was explained, and then it just felt a bit like a let down to me. and i saw no reason at all for maria to explain to robert the details of it all, which is how we learn it. that needed to be done some other way. but overall, this was pretty good. even if i almost choked on all of the cigarettes they smoke throughout. ( )

When an elderly Jewish man is brutally murdered in Istanbul's old Jewish neighborhood, Inspector Ikmen's investigation takes him to the few names in his address book – a local rabbi who provides some background, and two suspects - an elderly Russian emigree who lives a strange life shut in her home with her equally odd family, and an elderly German with Nazi sympathies. Also, on the list of suspects and odd characters is an Englishman who happened to be on the street outside at the times of the murder, and who happens to be involved with the granddaughter of the old Russian woman.
I mostly enjoyed this book, although at times it was cringe inducing because of the unbelievable behaviors of the characters. But, if you can suspend your disbelief, you should enjoy this. ( )

Since I read this for a book group I read it twice (otherwise I go so fast I tend to miss the details.) Would have given it 3 stars the first time, but liked it better upon re-reading. Beautifully written, love the characters of Inspector Ikmen and his constable Suleyman, just didn't care much for the other people, which was the way it was supposed to be. Also liked the fact that in the end you knew more than Ikmen, since you'd been hearing from the other characters, but still he was able to bring closure to the case. Ikmen lives in two worlds, where superstition and science meet, has realistic relationships with his father and his wife. I now need to read more in the series to find out whether Suleyman is able to escape his seemingly predestined fate. ( )