Dance With Death - Barbara Nadel

Amazon.com says "A body is discovered in a cave in the remote region of Cappadocia, Turkey. The woman died of gunshot wounds, and her corpse has lain undisturbed for twenty years. Who is she and who killed her? Inspector Ikmen is summoned from Istanbul to investigate but discovers a complex web of intrigue. Was it her boyfriend, driven mad by love, or her husband, believing she would never bear the son he wanted so badly? When it is revealed the girl was pregnant when she died, the whispers and accusations increase. Ikmen, stifled among a rural community thriving on legend, folklore and intrigue, begins to think he will never see clearly through the lies surrounding this case. One thing, however, is clear: the past is as potent as the present."

I was actually visitng this area of Turkey with my mom and husband when I bought this book. There was a cute little used bookstore in the middle of town called 1001 Book that had loads of great books and when I say this one I knew it would be a great read while I was staying in a cave hotel.

I have read 2 other Barbara Nadel books since I have lived in Turkey and really enjoyed them - this one was no exception. I loved reading about the mysterious and wonderful place of Cappadocia (if you haven't seen pictures of it you should google it because it is AMAZING). The houses are built into the sides of caves and you can explore underground cities that were built by the Christians hundred and hundreds of years ago. It is a great place for a murder mystery setting.

Inspector İkmen is excellent in this novel. He is funny and I love how we see the character develop in each novel. I also liked that there was a sub plot going on in Istanbul involving Inspector Mehmet Suleyman. It is interestşng how he handles the case he is working on without Inspector İkmen's help and insight.

The ending of this novel is by far the best in any of the books in this series that I have read. It wraps things up nicely and some parts made me laugh. Overall it was an excellent murder mystery. I think if this author got more worldwide recognition it would be wonderful. Turkey is such an interesting setting for books such as these because there is so many different people and places.

Rating - 3