Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40830 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
"'Everything you could want from a novel - a cracking story, beautifully written, with a wonderfully seductive and original detective in the figure of Yashim the Eunuch.' Kate Mosse, author of Labyrinth"

A leisurely mystery set in 19th-century Istanbul, the second in a series which began with The Janissary Tree (2006), winner of the 2007 Edgar Award. Providing continuity is Yashim, the eunuch and investigator who worked for the sultan. Now it's two years later, 1838, the sultan is dying, and Yashim has less clout, though he's still a confidant of the Queen Mother. The story starts with a bang when George, a Greek, is almost killed next to his vegetable stall. We'll find out much later that his misadventure is merely a red herring. Someone of more consequence is Max Lefevre, a shady French archaeologist with a passion for Greek antiquities described in a book he hides in Yashim's apartment. Lefevre is being pursued and begs Yashim for help; the eunuch gets him a berth on an Italian vessel, but next thing you know Lefevre is found dead, his face eaten away by dogs, outside the French embassy, and Yashim finds himself under suspicion. Who was pursuing the Frenchman? Could it have been the Hetira, a super-secret organization pushing for a new Greek empire? Its name keeps cropping up, then fades away in a story that proceeds by fits and starts. There are more puzzling murders (an Albanian waterman, a Jewish moneylender) but they're over in seconds, leaving plenty of time for Yashim to indulge his first love, cooking, and Goodwin, a British historian, to fill us in on Istanbul's fabled past and exotic present. The large cast includes a Greek banking family and the English doctor who attended Byron at Missilonghi. Nobody is quite who they seem, there may or may not be valuable relics above ground or below (there are two scenes in Istanbul's maze of tunnels), and through it all glides Yashim, a gentle presence, who will fight only when he must. A mildly entertaining smoke-and-mirrors tale that teases more than it delivers. (Kirkus Reviews)

The Sunday Times
Yashim's second outing easily lives up to the promise of Goodwin's
earlier novel, The Janisarry Tree ... Goodwin's knowledge of Istanbul is
extraordinary ... makes a perfect summer read.

Literary Review
It's a pleasure to meet again the infinately civilised and
intelligent Yashim ... a rich mixture adding up to an excellent and
enjoyable crime novel.

Customer Reviews

Formulaic let-down
As a mystery writer Goodwin needs to realise that complexity is neither necessary nor sufficient and that there is a difference between a twist and a completely unexpained (and perhaps inexplicable) piece of action towards the end of a book.

As a historical genre writer he needs to undertand that a lot of - indeed most - locations are no longer exotic and if you are going to use them then you have to do more than offer a description and expect the reader to be astonished. The extensive chambers that exist underneath Istanbul will presumably only come as a surprise to anyone who hasn't seen 'From Russia With Love' and the setting of a murder mystery around the supply of water to an ancient city would be new to those who haven't read 'Three Hands in the Fountain' by Lindsey Davis.

He also needs to invest in a thesaurus; I am sure it is possible for a pain to be other than 'searing'.

A strong example of the genre
Historical detective novels tend to suffer from the same concern. The setting is superficially historical, often with lavish physical descriptions, historical and cultural infodumping and one of two token quirks in the character and plot. The sensibilities tend to be perfectly contemporary. Some authors, such as Stephen Saylor, structure their initial premise is such a way as to alienate their protagonist from their peer culture and justify his very modern sensibilities. Others attempt to maintiain the illusian of an archaic sensibility. Some appear entirely unaware of the challenge.

Jason Goodwin is a rare example of an author who successfully treads the line. His protagonist, a eunuch who earns his living as a private "problem solver", rather than a palace employee, has the typical outsider's profile. With an interest in French literature and European culture, and a passion for Ottoman style cooking he has both a frame of reference for modern readers and suitably archaic quirk. The novel never quite reaches the peak of, say, the Unburied, by Charles Palliser, which presents it historical setting straight and allows the reader to sink or swim, but by dint of effort Goodwin raises his head above the churning surf of the genre.

Comparing to Prophet Murders Goodwin's knowledge of Istanbul gets only a D
Just read two different thrillers on Istanbul with two similar heros. One the Snake Stone the other Prophet Murders. The Snake Stone takes Istanbul as a souvenir backstage as flat as a Hollywood movie made in 1930's when nobody had a knowledge of socalled exotic places. Whereas Prophet Murders, featuring a cool, elegant, Audrey Hepburn fan, classical music critic, aikido master transvestite night club owner turned detective in Istanbul is completely different; the city lives in the pages as vivid as pictures taken moment by moment. The difference is so clear; the writer of Prophet Murders is Turkish and lives in Istanbul. Fun and perfect for summer as well. Sorry Goodwin, you need to study harder to compete with the "girls"...