2007 - Best Novel

In "The Janissary Tree" Jason Goodwin gives us an engaging murder mystery set in 1836 Istanbul. In the imperial capital, the sultan faces pressure from shrinking territory and waning influence, and when a young houri is his harem is murdered, he sighs and says, "Summon Yashim." Thus are we introduced to the intrepid and resourceful investigator who must solve not only the mystery of the harem murder, but also the apparent murder of four of the sultan's young officers. Are they related?

We have major international intrigue, treason, stealthy murder, and our hero in and out of hot water. I love when an author puts a mystery in an ancient setting (see Steven Saylor and Ellis Peters for the two best), and I'd hoped to learn about and feel immersed in (late) medieval Istanbul. I got this, but it seemed like "Istanbul Lite." The mystery and intrigue work satisfactorily, but I would have liked a little more basic info and flavor. Mr. Goodwin paces his story pretty well, and hides the identity of whodunit well, too.

If you're in the market for a medium-duty mystery with an exotic setting, give this a try. ( )

Well paced and well written mystery located in Istanbul, Turkey during the Napoleonic age. Intersection of Europe and Asia, this is an amazing & exotic setting for a mystery. In one of the worlds largest cities at the time, just about anyone can pop up and anything can happen. Inspector Yashim, the *lala*, can go just about anywhere, which makes for an even better story. Goodwin also scored points with me by including a visit to the Imperial Archives and the sexy archivist! ( )

Audiobook. Best to read this on vacation. Nothing spectacular. But I have a soft spot for historical fiction--especially of the nineteenth century. And so how could I resist Byzantium, intrigue. Can't even remember why I bought this book. Probably not the best use of reading time. But fun overall. Okay. I'm easy. ( )

This is a messy, cluttered book. It is set in Istanbul in 1836 as the Ottoman Empire is dying. Yashim is a eunech and is called in to solve 2 separate mysteries. The book does pursue both mysteries but not necessarily diligently. There are a lot of secondary characters introduced and many of them are very vivid characters. Istanbul is perhaps the most vivid character in the book. Yashim follows multiple clues into dark alleys and finds information in interesting places. When it is time to solve the cases it is done quickly, somewhat out of left field and messily. In fact two of the main things Yashim has been trying to find - where the old Jannissary religious churches were at and where are the soldiers that have been kidnapped - don't really have that much to do with the ending of the stories. In fact he has spent most of the book looking for these things only to solve the mysteries without needing that information. Like I said this is a very messy, cluttered book. But in many ways it mirrors Istanbul in 1836, a crossroads city with all kinds of religious and political influences jockeying for power. The city itself has dead end streets, running this way and that, with bazaars in oddly shaped spaces with fires rezoning property left and right. The messy, clutterd style of the book is very much in keeping with the city itself. In short, the book is actually more interesting than the mysteries are.

The Janissary Tree won the Edgar Award for best novel of 2007. I read all the nominees and agree that by a very thin margin it is the best of the 6 books nominated. Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris was also a good book and was worthy of winning the award as well. The other book nominated that year that is worth mentioning is The Dead Hour by Denise Mina. I really liked the main character in the book and liked reading about her personal story though the mystery was much less compelling. ( )