Jason Goodwin

As the Sultan lies dying of tuberculosis, a French archaeologist arrives in Istanbul. He hasn't been there long before he approaches Yashim in a very frightened state and asks him to help him leave. Yashim books him a passage to Palermo and puts him on board a caique to take him to the ship. The next morning, the archaeologist's body is found outside the French embassy, torn to pieces by feral street dogs.

Another fascinating glimpse of1830s Istanbul and especially its waterworks. I must show more admit I was a bit puzzled by the ending. If it was foul play on the gangplank, rather than an accident, why? show less

This is the second in Goodwin's series set in 19th century Istanbul. A visiting French archaeologist reveals that he thinks he knows the location of long-lost Byzantine treasures...the cup and plate being used at Mass when the Ottoman Turks entered Aya Sofia in the 15th century. In the confusion, the priest and the relics, rumored to be those used at the Last Supper, disappeared. Suddenly, people start turning up dead, and the archaeologist appears at our man Yashim's door, terrified, show more begging for help to leave the city at once. Yashim books passage for Dr. LeFevre on an Italian ship bound for Palermo, and sees him to the shuttle craft that will ferry him out to the ship. After the ship has sailed, however, a mutilated body identified as Dr. LeFevre, turns up, and Yashim is noted to have been the last person to see him alive. Long attached to the royal household, Yashim knows he can look for no help from that quarter; Sultan Mahmut lies dying, and the future is uncertain at best. Yashim realizes he must find out for himself what happened to LeFevre, before the official report of the investigation into his death leads to his own arrest. Yashim's inquiries take him to many parts of the city, across the Golden Horn into Greek and Jewish neighborhoods, and even underground into the maze of ancient tunnels and cisterns providing water to Topkapi palace and the surrounding area. These books are great escapes...an intriguing main character caught up in a nifty story, wrapped in painless history lessons about an endlessly fascinating time and place. show less

It may be that this book will appeal to only a certain sort of reader – but those readers who enjoy their mysteries with a whopping dose of history, travelogue, turn of the century politics, conspiracy theories, poetry, humor, action/suspense, and a few exotic recipes thrown in for good measure will absolutely LOVE Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin.

The novel is set in the Istanbul in the year 1836, a time when the Ottoman Empire (sultans, harems, guilds, koceks, mystical religions, etc.) is show more struggling to find its way in a world increasingly dominated by modern thinking, modern politics, and modern warfare. The protagonist, Yashim, epitomizes this conflict: as a eunuch, he represents a more barbaric, traditional time; but as the chief investigator to the royal court, he must employ modern methods of investigation and logic in order to untangle a potentially deadly conspiracy which – he comes to believe – may be spearheaded by the dissolved, discredited, but still-powerful Janissaries, an ancient warrior class dedicated to the protection of the sultan and the “old ways” (traditions).

But enough summarizing – let me skip to why I’ve given the book 4 stars, a ratingI reserve for books so good, I would read them again. Remember the list I cited in the first paragraph? It’s rare indeed to find a book that attempts so much, much less that excels at everything it attempts. This book works as a suspenseful page-turner of a mystery, yes – but also as a sensitive and astute introduction to a time/place/culture foreign to most people; as a thought-provoking study of a host of fascinating, complex, deeply conflicted characters; as a work of literature in which the author’s artful use of language, imagery, symbolism and poetry combine to create multiple levels of meaning; and even as a text for foodies wishing to understand not just ingredients and chemistry, but the deeper cultural and social significance of food.

Can’t believe the judges that awarded this an Edgar when it first came out had to think too hard about their selection. If they were as impressed by this novel as I was, they probably made their decision in the first 5 minutes, then went out for some lentil soup. (No cinnamon!) show less

This was a lively read in an absorbing setting, Istanbul in 1836. A world on the cusp of change. Yashim, a eunuch in the service of the sultan, is an investigator with a gift for not being noticed. Because of his status he can move quietly between the inside and outside of the palace and he is employed to investigate the disappearance of four young officers from the New Guard, which has replaced the Janissaries, the former entrenched and utterly corrupt soldiery that ten years earlier had show more been violently removed from power. The forces of "keep the old ways" versus the steady creep of new ideas of democracy and equality from the west, are about to clash and Yashim finds himself at the center of the plotting. You'll be looking things up and summoning maps of Istanbul as you read. By a fine coincidence I was also reading (months late) a New Yorker article on archaeological finds in Istanbul that held up the completion of a subway tunnel under the Bosphorus for a decade. If you like historical mysteries this is, apparently, the start of a series. Hooray! **** show less