The House of Four

Barbara Nadel's gripping Ikmen mysteries are the inspiration behind The Turkish Detective, BBC Two's sensational eight-part TV crime drama series, out now.


A family built on lies, secrets and murder...

The House of Four is a gripping Istanbul crime thriller featuring Inspector Ikmen, 'the Morse of Istanbul' (Daily Telegraph) from Barbara Nadel. Perfect for fans of Donna Leon and Jason Goodwin.

'Impeccable mystery plotting, exotic and atmospheric' - Guardian

Everyone in the Istanbul neighbourhood of Moda knows the Devil's House. A crumbling Ottoman mansion, and once the home of a princess, it is a place associated with ill fortune.

The princess's four children, now in old age, still live in separate apartments on different floors and are rumoured never to speak to each other. Then one of them is found dead, stabbed through the heart, and it is discovered that the other three siblings have met an identical fate. There is no sign of forced entry or burglary, and all evidence must be gained from letters and diaries, but as Inspector Ikmen digs into their past it becomes clear they have been harbouring a secret...

Meanwhile a young couple are arrested for a series of seemingly random killings on the streets of Istanbul. They claim to have been squatting in the Devil's House. But this fiendish mystery is far from over and it will take Inspector Ikmen to the darkest and most devilish depths of this ancient city

What readers are saying about The House of Four:

'The book really brings the colourful and diverse nature of Istanbul alive'

'I have found the whole series compulsive reading and this is one of the best'

'So evocative it makes me long to sit and watch life in the most fascinating city'