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The Janissary Tree

A Novel

By Jason Goodwin

(21)

| Hardcover | 9780374178604

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Book Description

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 deliciouContinue

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 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.

Critics

  • The Janissary Tree By Jason Goodwin

    Try to think of someone in our culture who enjoys unquestioned access to both the highest chambers of power and the lowest regions of squalor; someone who is trusted by all because he poses no threat, and thus has in his keeping more information than ... (read full critics)

    bookpage published on Fri, 17 Sep 2010

  • The Janissary Tree

    The Janissary Tree Jason Goodwin Picador Paperback 336 pages May 2007 The time is 1836; the place is Istanbul. A series of bizarre grisly murders have thrown the city into a panic. The Sultan and his personal protector, the Seraskier, have ordered Ya ... (read full critics)

    curledup published on Tue, 7 Sep 2010

2 Reviews

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  • This is an unusual historical mystery set in Istanbul of the 1830's. Obviously written by a scholar of that time and place, the details of the city, surroundings and atmosphere are vivid and colorful. As I am not steeped in that area of history, the multiple layers of intrigues were difficult to fer ... (continue)

    This is an unusual historical mystery set in Istanbul of the 1830's. Obviously written by a scholar of that time and place, the details of the city, surroundings and atmosphere are vivid and colorful. As I am not steeped in that area of history, the multiple layers of intrigues were difficult to ferret out, but the author does an admirable job of sorting through the details and crystalizing the situations. I was drawn to the central character and his "side-Kick" friend....again, a most unusual duo and not at all the typical sleuth/companion pair! I really enjoyed the details of the life both inside and outside of the palace; the baths and market places were particularly delightful scenes. The central myteries were well intertwined and the descriptions of the demise of the victims most vivid. I'm sure the author drew details from his extensive knowledge of the time, but, to put it mildly, these were not the usual shoot-em, cut-em murders! Now that I know the style of writing and story telling, I'll continue with the next books in the series.

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    Kerry Jacobson said on Sep 6, 2010 | Add your feedback

  • A nice historical fiction/mystery about the Ottoman Empire in the 1830's. The pacing was relatively fast without skipping richness of description. The overall story worked very well, espeically for a first novel. I look forward to seeing how the main character, a eunuch named Yashim, develops over ... (continue)

    A nice historical fiction/mystery about the Ottoman Empire in the 1830's. The pacing was relatively fast without skipping richness of description. The overall story worked very well, espeically for a first novel. I look forward to seeing how the main character, a eunuch named Yashim, develops over the course of the series.

    Is this helpful?

    Braydin said on Apr 19, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

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