The Abyssinian Proof: A Kamil Pasha Novel (Kamil Pasha Novels) [Hardcover]

Jenny White (Author)

Book Description

Series: Kamil Pasha Novels | Publication Date: February 17, 2008

Nineteenth-century Istanbul thrills in this page-turner about a conspiracy to steal an ancient reliquary whose secret could change the world.

The Ottoman Empire is plagued by thefts of antiquities from mosques and churches that, within days, appear for sale in Europe. Among them is a reliquary, presumed lost for four hundred years and around which an elaborate and mysterious sect has grown. In Istanbul, magistrate Kamil Pasha is under pressure to break the smuggling ring amid rising tensions between Christians and Muslims. He confronts a mysterious adversary who will stop at nothing to get the reliquary first. With the Balkans aflame and Kamil’s personal life in upheaval, the search into the old neighborhoods where Istanbul’s crime rings reside may cost Kamil not only his position but also his life. Jenny White enters this time of distrust and turmoil, re-creating the gritty underworld of a dying empire.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A mysterious, holy grail–like object, a document with the potential to bring about peace between the different peoples of the world, is at the center of White's erudite second novel set in late 19th-century Istanbul and featuring city magistrate Kamil Pasha (after The Sultan's Seal). The minister of justice, Kamil's boss, orders him to find the thieves who are looting Istanbul of its religious relics and selling them to unscrupulous dealers in London. Kamil's friend Malik, the caretaker of a local mosque, has a specific task for him—locating a stolen reliquary, a silver box that contains a secret message known as the Proof of God. Kamil—smart, brave and compassionate—proves an appealing sleuth. Intriguing love interests include the daughter of the leader of the strange Abyssinian sect to which the reliquary belongs. White, a professor of anthropology, clearly knows her period and place, though some readers may wish that she had toned down the esoteric knowledge and upped the thriller quotient. Author tour. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

Turkish magistrate Kamil Pasha, featured in anthropologist White’s fictional debut, The Sultan’s Seal (2006), returns in another whodunit set in late-nineteenth-century Istanbul. When thieves zero in on valuable religious relics, Pasha is commissioned to expose and break up the smuggling ring before another extremely valuable reliquary is sold on the lucrative European market. As he searches for a mysterious silver box revered by an unique Abyssinian sect, he gets more than he bargained for as he trolls the backstreets of Istanbul in search of a holy object purported to contain a secret message known as the “Proof of God.” White infuses this mystery with both historical detail and suspense, artfully conjuring up an irresistible adventure set in an exotic time and place. --Margaret Flanagan

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (February 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393062058
• ISBN-13: 978-0393062052
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,105,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspector Morse, January 13, 2009

By 

Rod M. Holland "rodholland" (Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Abyssinian Proof: A Kamil Pasha Novel (Kamil Pasha Novels) (Hardcover)

Its a different time and a different place, but I get that "Inspector Morse" (BBC) feeling from the main character (Kamil Pasha). White displays the ability to put the reader suitably in the time period and place.

Pros: Read this if you like period mysteries in exotic settings without tons of gadgetry. A straight forward whodunnit when you're looking for one. I believe the "life" details from that time period are accurate, which I appreciate.

Cons: Kamil Pasha is still a little flat as a character and I look forward to seeing him develop through continuing novels. Sometimes the writing doesn't flow as well as I would like from scene to scene, but its not debilitating.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "What was the difference between atrocity and vengeance?", February 7, 2008

By 

Luan Gaines "luansos" (Dana Point, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Abyssinian Proof: A Kamil Pasha Novel (Kamil Pasha Novels) (Hardcover)

In 1453, Christians and Muslims clash in an age old struggle for a land that has been inhabited over the years by both. The Melisites, a secret sect, are forced to protect sacred artifacts, hiding a reliquary, a "container that holds the uncontainable", the Proof of God. Just before an assault by warring forces that will retake the Byzantine prize, the Proof is secreted in the antiquities-rich Sunken Village in the Ottoman Empire. The reliquary is to be passed from one set of guardians and priestesses to another, through the generations, linking all in common purpose. Years later, in 1887, a returning character, Kamil Pasha (The Sultan's Seal), magistrate in the new secular courts who investigates and prosecutes crimes in Istanbul, is troubled by the theft of precious artifacts from the area. More comfortable when dealing with science and rational fact, Kamil walks a delicate balance, adjudicating fairly in a place where emotions run high.

Kamil Pasha is a reasonable man who understands "the British want a strong Ottoman Empire to stand between themselves and the Russians". But the increasing demand for precious artifacts by European collectors has stimulated a black market trade that is leaving a trail of dead men in its wake. Thirty-one and unmarried, Kamil's personal life is devoted to work and his hothouse orchids, a dedicated civil servant determined to stop the thefts and find the killers of innocents. At the heart of the problem are a ruthless businessman and the current priestess of the sect, Balkis, whose brother, Malik, is one of Kamil's valued friends. Her son and daughter, Amida and Saba are in line to become the next guardian and priestess; but when Malik is brutally murdered, the crimes take on a more ominous cast in a case that reaches from the Sunken Village to England and the resources of Scotland Yard.

The author depicts a fascinating Istanbul, the Sunken Village with its Byzantine tunnels and enormous treasure, jewel-encrusted chalices and priceless antiquities, the unprepossessing reliquary most fought over for the secret it holds. Science and police procedure clash with barbaric rituals and ancient customs, Kamil torn between a profound respect for men's differences and the necessity of stopping the killings. In the midst of chaos, Kamil is tempted by the charms of the exotic Saba and a recent refugee who resides in his sister's house, Elia. An artist trained in Paris, Elia has suffered a terrible loss, unprepared to face Kamil's interest, yet not unaware of the man's charm. Perhaps at another time. Forced to deal with the violence around him, Kamil faces love, danger and a painful betrayal, a man of science in a place of fervent beliefs, where the Proof of God promises an end to mankind's quest.

The author meticulously recreates time and place in the 19th century Ottoman Empire, the sights and sounds of the Sunken Village, repository of history, the twisted tunnels of sacred relics and treasures eerily echoing centuries of civilization where men die for precious secrets, committing blind acts of faith and violence in service to their God. Yet, the Proof remains hidden: "It won't settle and reveal itself until humanity is ready to hear its message." Luan Gaines/2008.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another different walk of life for a detective, February 2, 2008

By 

David W. Nicholas (Van Nuys, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Abyssinian Proof: A Kamil Pasha Novel (Kamil Pasha Novels) (Hardcover)

These days, detectives in mystery novels come in all shapes and sizes. You find characters from each continent and walk of life. In the spirit of this, the current entry has as its main character a magistrate during the last years of the Ottoman Empire. Kamil Pasha is trying to hold the country together or a small part of it anyway, as well as he can. As this book starts, he intervenes in a confrontation between Ottoman soldiers and a young rebel, with disastrous results. In retaliation, his superiors give him an essentially impossible task: discover who's looting various religious sites and selling the items taken from them to European collectors. Since much of the items are from churches or synagogues, the religious minorities involved are very upset that the Muslim authorities haven't done anything to protect the religious heritage of the religious minorities in their country. There has already been some rioting, and if Kamil Pasha doesn't act quickly, the whole country could explode.

This is a reasonably good novel. It's a bit slow, at times, and has a rather confusing changing-point-of-view style that's at times annoying. That aside, it's an interesting topic with some fascinating issues worked into the plot. I generally enjoyed this book and would recommend it.