Barbara Nadel

Nadel was born and raised in the East End of London in the 1960s and 1970s.{{cite web|url=https://shinynewbooks.co.uk/an-interview-with-barbara-nadel |title=An Interview with Barbara Nadel |website=ShinyNewBooks.co.uk |date=October 20, 2014 |accessdate=9 November 2024}} Her father had lived through World War II and witnessed the carpet bombing during The Blitz in the early 1940s. As a young child, she wanted to be an Egyptologist when she grows up. She frequently visited the local library to borrow books. "With no real gardens to play in", Nadel and her friends would "explore any other strange buildings we might find on our sojourns out to play in the street. Disused railway buildings, derelict houses, abandoned sheds" and even "on what we called 'bomb sites', massive craters in the ground where bombs had fallen."

Barbara Nadel trained as an actress before becoming a writer. Now writing full-time, she has previously worked as a public relations officer for the National Schizophrenia Fellowship's Good Companion Service and as a mental health advocate for the mentally disordered in a psychiatric hospital. She has also worked with sexually abused teenagers and taught psychology in schools and colleges, and was the patron of The Acorn Group in Shrewsbury,{{cite web|website=btconnect.com|url=http://home2.btconnect.com/acorngroup|title= The Acorn Group home page|access-date=17 September 2015}}{{cite book|url=http://home2.btconnect.com/acorngroup/Acorn%20Group/images/acorn_group_front.jpg |title=The Acorn Group |edition=pamphlet (large JPG)|access-date= 17 September 2014}} a charity (now apparently closed following a cut in funding{{cite news |url=http://www.shrewsburychronicle.com/2010/08/12/charity-to-close-in-funding-crisis/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010032257/http://www.shrewsburychronicle.com/2010/08/12/charity-to-close-in-funding-crisis/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 October 2014 |work=Shrewsbury Chronicle |title=Charity to Close in Funding Crisis|date=August 12, 2010| access-date=10 October 2014 }}{{cite web|url=http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/SearchResultHandler.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1118270&SubsidiaryNumber=0&Ref=CO |website=UK Charity Commission Register of Charities |title=Charity Number 1118270|access-date=17 September 2014}}) caring for those in emotional and mental distress. She has been a regular visitor to Turkey for more than 25 years.

Nadel had tried to publish her first novel in 1992 but was unsuccessful. Seven years later, in 1999, she contacted Julie Burton Literary Agency who liked her work and became her agent. Nadel next signed a three-book contract with Hodder Headline,{{cite web|url=https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/38819-the-writing-life-interview-barbara-nadel |title=The Writing Life interview: Barbara Nadel |publisher=Goodreads.com |date=March 12, 2009 |accessdate=9 November 2024}} with her debut novel Belshazzar's Daughter being published that year. Nadel's motivation to pursue publishing again had been financial difficulties after her husband lost his job.

Her Inspector İkmen series follow Çetin İkmen, a chain-smoking and hard-drinking detective on the Istanbul police force, and his colleagues Mehmet Süleyman, Balthazar Cohen, and Armenian forensic pathologist Arto Sarkissian. Ikmen's father's ancestry hails from the Cappadocia region while his mother is Albanian. The two main characters develop flaws as the series progresses, as Nadel explains, "People do get angry, have affairs, experience envy and have less than satisfactory relationships with their families in real life. That İkmen and Süleyman do these things too, makes them better characters."{{cite web|url=https://crimefictionlover.com/2012/09/interview-barbara-nadel/ |title= Interview: Barbara Nadel | Crime Fiction Lover|date= 14 September 2012|accessdate=}}

Her Francis Hancock series, set in West Ham in the East End of London during World War II, follows undertaker Francis Hancock amid The Blitz. The first novel Last Rights was published in 2005. With the second series, Nadel became a full-time professional writer in 2006.

On 24 January 2011, Quercus announced having signed Nadel to write a new crime series set in modern-day East End which was to be published starting in Summer 2012 under the pen name B J Nadel.{{cite web|url=http://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/blog/2011/01/24/quercus-sign-barbara-nadel/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719004242/http://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/blog/2011/01/24/quercus-sign-barbara-nadel/ |website=Quercus |title=Blog entry|date= 24 Jan 2011| archive-date=19 July 2011 |access-date=21 June 2011}} The book, A Private Business, was ultimately published and credited to Barbara Nadel.{{cite book|author=Nadel, Barbara|title=Private Business: Hakim Arnold Mystery|id={{ASIN|0857387731|country=uk}}}} The series follows private investigator Lee Arnold and his British Bangladeshi assistant Mumtaz Hakim. Her parents had moved to the Spitalfields neighborhood in the 1960s from East Pakistan before the latter became independent in 1971.{{cite web|url=https://www.allisonandbusby.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Pages-from-Web-of-Lies-Chapter-Sample.pdf |title=Web of Lies Sample Chapter |date=7 June 2022 |accessdate=8 November 2024}} The series' publication moved to Allison & Busby starting with the fifth book.

Other published works include short stories in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, plus British magazines (My Weekly and Woman's Own), and travel pieces for British newspapers (The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The Independent), and the US food magazine Saveur.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

Barbara Nadel is married. The couple have one adult son who is a comic book writer,{{cite web |last1=Sümer |first1=Gencoy |title=Interview with Barbara Nadel |url=https://dedektifdergi.com/interview-with-barbara-nadel/ |website=Dedektif Dergi |date=25 May 2023 |access-date=2 September 2023}} and one grandson who was born in 2016.{{cite web|url=https://www.annecoatesauthor.com/barbara-nadel/ |title=Barbara Nadel |website=annecoatesauthor.com |date=6 May 2020 |accessdate=8 November 2020}}

According to Nadel, she cannot sleep until she's read for at least half an hour.{{cite web|url=https://independentbookreviews.co.uk/interview-with-barbara-nadel/ |title=Interview with Barbara Nadel |website=IndependentBookReviews.co.uk |date=9 May 2019 |accessdate=8 November 2024}} She quit drinking alcohol but used to enjoy rakı. She enjoys eating almonds, pickles, fish sandwiches, baklava, profiteroles and kokoreç.

Since November 2014, Nadel and her husband have resided in Essex in the East of England.{{cite web|url=http://www.internationalcrimeauthors.com/?p=6142 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419233355/http://www.internationalcrimeauthors.com/?p=6142 |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 April 2015 |author=Nadel, Barbara|website=International Crime Authors Reality Check|title=Blog entry |date=19 April 2015 |access-date= 14 April 2015}} The couple previously lived in Lancashire in North West England with her six pet axolotls.{{cite web|url=https://crimethrillerfella.wordpress.com/2014/08/29/the-intel-barbara-nadel-reloaded/ |title=The Intel: Barbara Nadel Reloaded |website=CrimeThrillerFella|date=28 March 2014 |accessdate=8 November 2024}}{{cite web|website=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/BarbaraNadel/statuses/192910602568609792 |title=Tweet at 2:40 AM |date= 19 April 2012|access-date= 15 July 2012|author=Nadel, Barbara}} Her Persian cat named Lily died on 23 December 2011.{{cite web|url=http://www.internationalcrimeauthors.com/?p=2271 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502045619/http://www.internationalcrimeauthors.com/?p=2271 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 May 2012 |author=Nadel, Barbara |website=International Crime Authors Reality Check|title=Blog entry |date=2 May 2012 |access-date= 15 July 2012}} By 2020, she had one axolotl named Hattie and two cats.

Published by Headline

{{col-begin}}

{{col 2}}

{{ordered list|start=1

|Belshazzar's Daughter (1999)

|A Chemical Prison ({{abbr|AKA|also known as}} The Ottoman Cage) (2000)

|Arabesk (2001)

|Deep Waters (2002)

|Harem (2003)

|Petrified (2004)

|Deadly Web (2005)

|Dance With Death (2006)

|A Passion for Killing (2007)

|Pretty Dead Things (2007)

|River of the Dead (2009)

|Death by Design (2010)

|A Noble Killing (2011)|Dead of Night (2012)

}}

{{col 2}}

{{ordered list|start=15

|Deadline (2013)[http://www.headline.co.uk/Books/detail.page?isbn=9780755388912 Headline web site.] Accessed 16 July 2012

|Body Count (2014)[https://archive.today/20140917102116/https://www.headline.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn=9780755388929 Headline web site.] Accessed 17 September 2014

|Land of the Blind (2015)[https://archive.today/20140917102115/https://www.headline.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn=9781472213761 Headline web site.] Accessed 17 September 2014

|On the Bone (2016)[https://www.headline.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn=9781472213792 Headline web site.]{{Dead link|date=June 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Accessed 11 December 2015

|The House of Four (2017)[https://www.headline.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn=9781472234643 Headline web site.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106190237/https://www.headline.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn=9781472234643 |date=6 November 2016 }} Accessed 6 November 2016

|Incorruptible (2018)

|A Knife to the Heart (2019)

|Blood Business (2020){{Cite web|title=Blood Business (Ikmen Mystery 22) by Barbara Nadel - Books|url=https://www.hachette.com.au/barbara-nadel/blood-business-ikmen-mystery-22|access-date=2020-06-11|website=www.hachette.com.au}}

|Forfeit (2021)

|Bride Price (2022)

|Double Illlusion (2023)

|The Darkest Night (2024)

}}

{{col end}}

Published by Headline

1. Last Rights (2005)
2. After the Mourning (2006)
3. Ashes to Ashes (2008)
4. Sure and Certain Death (2009)

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{{col 2}}

Published by Quercus

1. A Private Business (2012)
2. An Act of Kindness (2013)
3. Poisoned Ground (2014)[http://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/book/Poisoned-Ground-by-Barbara-Nadel-ISBN_9781848664197 Quercus web site.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307110849/https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/book/Poisoned-Ground-by-Barbara-Nadel-ISBN_9781848664197 |date=7 March 2016 }} Accessed 17 September 2014
4. Enough Rope (2015)[http://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn=9781784292447 Quercus web site.] Accessed 2 September 2015

Published by Allison & Busby

{{ordered list|start=5

|Bright Shiny Things (2017)[http://www.allisonandbusby.com/book/bright-shiny-things-hardback Allison & Busby web site.] Accessed 6 November 2016

|Displaced (2018)

|A Time to Die (2020)

|Web of Lies (2022)

}}

{{col 2}}

Published by Piatkus

1. Ten Bells Street (2019)
2. Ten Bells Street at War (2019)
3. Victory on Ten Bells Street (2020)

1. Back to the Future (2012)

{{col end}}

{{Main|The Turkish Detective}}

In June 2020, it was announced that Miramax TV and ViacomCBS International Studios would produce a television adaptation of the Çetin İkmen novels entitled The Turkish Detective.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/06/viacomcbs-international-studios-partners-miramax-the-turkish-detective-1202967477/|title=ViacomCBS International Studios Partners With Miramax On 'The Turkish Detective'|website=Deadline|first=Jake|last=Kanter|date=June 24, 2020|access-date=July 12, 2022}}

By April 2022, the project was greenlit for a full series of eight episodes, to be released on Paramount+. The series is written by Ben Schiffer, and directed by Niels Arden Oplev. Acclaimed Turkish actor Haluk Bilginer stars as İkmen, alongside Ethan Kai as Mehmet Süleyman, and Yasemin Allen as Ayşe Farsakoğlu.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/04/the-turkish-detective-ben-schiffer-niels-arden-oplev-miramax-tv-series-order-at-paramount-1235001585/#comments|title='The Turkish Detective' From Niels Arden Oplev & Miramax TV Gets Paramount+ Series Order, Sets Cast|website=Deadline|first=Nellie|last=Andreeva|date=April 13, 2022|access-date=July 12, 2022}} The series released in September 2023.

The series will air in the UK on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/the-turkish-detective-cast/|title=Meet the cast of The Turkish Detective|website=Radio Times|first=James|last=Hibbs|date=July 7, 2024|access-date=July 10, 2024}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite thesis|url=http://gala.gre.ac.uk/6603/ |author=Goldsmith, Hilary Anne|title=The Relationship between the Aristotelian, Newtonian and holistic scientific paradigms and selected British detective fiction 1980-2010|date=July 2010 |publisher=University of Greenwich |type=phd }}

• [http://www.internationalcrimeauthors.com International Crime Authors Reality Check]
• [http://www.shotsmag.co.uk/author_view.aspx?author_id=125 Shotsmag Profile]
• [http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/n/barbara-nadel/ Fantastic Fiction profile]
• [http://www.twbooks.co.uk/authors/barbaranadel.html Tangled Web profile]
• [http://www.meettheauthor.com/bookbites/73.html Meet the Author (video) 2004]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20071013185259/http://thecwa.co.uk/daggers/2005/gold.html CWA Gold and Silver Daggers 2005]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110527174321/http://www.redbridge.gov.uk/cms/leisure_and_libraries/libraries/big_red_read.aspx London Borough of Redbridge Big Red Read]
• Wikipedia SE entry for the Flintyxan, in Swedish
• [http://www.bokrecension.se/Marianne-Alstermark bokrecension.se entry for Marianne Alstermark, in Swedish]
• [http://shortmystery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/2013-derringer-finalists.html 2013 Derringer nomination]

{{Authority control}}

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Category:English women mystery writers

Category:Writers from London

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Category:21st-century English novelists

Category:21st-century English women writers