When Jason Goodwin explored the Ottoman Empire in Lords of the Horizons, The New York Times Book Review hailed it as “a work of dazzling beauty…the rare coming together of historical scholarship…with luminous writing.” Now he returns to Istanbul, with a delicious mystery — The Janissary Tree.
It is 1836. Europe is modernizing, and the Ottoman Empire must follow suit. But just before the … suit. But just before the Sultan announces sweeping changes, a wave of murders threatens the fragile balance of power in his court. Who is behind them? Only one intelligence agent can be trusted to find out: Yashim Lastname, a man both brilliant and near-invisible in this world. You see, Yashim is a eunuch.
He leads us into the palace’s luxurious seraglios and Istanbul’s teeming streets, and leans on the wisdom of a dyspeptic Polish ambassador, a transsexual dancer, and a Creole-born queen mother. And he introduces us to the Janissaries. For 400 years, they were the empire’s elite soldiers, but they grew too powerful, and ten years ago, the Sultan had them crushed. Are the Janissaries staging a brutal comeback?
The Janissary Tree is the first in a series featuring the most enchanting detective since Precious Ramotswe of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. Splendidly paced and illuminating, it belongs beside Caleb Carr’s The Alienist and the historical thrillers of Arturo Perez-Reverte.
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The first book in this brilliant series set at the end of the Ottoman era in Istanbul. The detective is a eunuch who used to work in the sultan’s harem, which is certainly a first! The historical setting is fabulous, as well as the beautifully-wrought characters.
A historical mystery set in Istanbul might at first glance sound obscure, but I was drawn to this book after visiting that ancient city. To my delight, The Janissary Tree is a rich, accessible tale with a vibrant main character (a eunuch, no less) and a cleverly developed tale of suspense.
Sorry, this one was boring.
While this book is full of history, it was a bit confusing and I didn’t love the ending. It was a page-turner and I liked the characters.
This was a unique and quirky book that has an early 19th century eunuch as a crime-solving detective. I particularly enjoyed the historical setting and the very astute main character, Yasim.
I enjoyed this book a lot but it got a little hard for me to follow during the last half of the book. It is very interesting to read about this particular time in history and the political workings of this era. There was little taught about the history of this part of the world when I was in school so I find it fascinating.
Really different take on an historical mystery, learned a lot and enjoyed the story and characters.
This man writes with his soul. Such a great book. Recommending it to everyone.
great
Excellent historical novel – story of the Ottoman Empire in the early 1800s. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even thought I have read many historical novels, I haven’t had much exposure to Istanbul and this period of history. The main character is a self-contained, solitary but connected eunuch who is asked to solve a mystery by the Queen …
Really did enjoy this. Something different. Good story and a look at other cultures.
It took half the book to figure out who was what.
Excellent view of life in a place and time unfamiliar to me. Very good character development and plot. I disagree with the reviewer who said the author included too much of his research in the book. I’m an editor and it’s my job to trim out excess. I saw none here. It was all necessary to the plot and development. I will certainly read more in …
Learned a lot about mid century Ottoman Empire & Istanbul.
Absolutely wonderful book. It recreates the world of Ottoman Turkey through the eyes of the wise and clever eunuch, Yasim. The historical details tend towards accuracy according to the sources we have available, yet this book is thoroughly readable and entertaining. It also gives many insights into a world most Westerners still don’t know a lot …