Customer Reviews

An Evil Eye: A Novel

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I can give this book only 3 stars, and then only because we are treated to Goodwin's usual, dandy looks into how things worked (this time, inside the harem) during the late Ottoman Empire. Without that, however, I would rate this newest Yashim tale as only fair - certainly not close to the quality of either "The Janissary Tree" or "The Snake Stone."

There is a slap-dash, first draft feel to this book. Back in "The Olden Days," when publishers could afford to hire and empower top notch editors, Mr. Goodwin would surely have been told that he has too many characters here, way too many plot lines (some of which are never fully or cogently developed), far too many truly implausible coincidences, and an incredible amount of just plain bad writing, especially toward the end of the book. Mr. Goodwin's "Explain All This Complexity To The Dear Reader In Phony Dialogue In The Last Twenty Pages" went out of style after very early, ham-handed Agatha Christie novels. Some parts of this book are so bad, they could have been written by an adolescent for a high school Creative Writing class. By the time the reader gets to the end, in fact, his or her willingness to suspend disbelief has been exhausted, and he or she no longer cares what happened or why Mr. Goodwin wants us to think so.

I suspect that both Mr. Goodwin and his publishers may have pushed hard to rush this book into print. That's a shame, because the death of Sultan Mahmut and the coming to power of the young Abdulmecid should have offered Mr. Goodwin enough material for at least two books - one about what took place inside the harems when there was a change of sultan, and another about what went on politically and socially, mostly among men, as a new reign began. Sadly, "An Evil Eye" tries to compress both stories into one book, which means that Goodwin fails to give us either story at all well. Too bad that "An Evil Eye" didn't undergo a good deal of serious editing and rewriting. Those of us who love Yashim can only feel frustration that Mr. Goodwin did not take the time to craft these stories better and make them thoroughly convincing.

Just finished Evil Eye. Three stars for atmospherics but no way up to Janissary Tree or Snake Stone (or Bellini Card which I enjoyed but wanted more of Yashim and less of Venice). In fact about 70 pages into Evil Eye, I got annoyed and abandoned the book. Picked it up later and finished it. It did get somewhat more focused but still had too many extraneous characters, unsupported suspense and slapdash writing - all surprising and disappointing from Goodwin. And again, this one needed more of Yashim. Pretty diagnostic that Palewsky has been the best-drawn character in the last two books. Bring back Yashim; I want to know more about him and see more of him in action. I hope Goodwin will try again.

In 1839 the long reign of Sultan Mahmut II ends with his death. Abdulmecid now sits on the Osman Throne of the shrunken Ottoman Empire as his predecessor lost the Crimea, Greece and Egypt. The latter hurts the most as some upstart Mehmet Ali Pasha took the North African country from the Turks due in part to the Admiral of the fleet Fevzi Ahmet defecting.

Yashim the eunuch is assigned to investigate why a hero turned traitor. The case is much harder than his previous inquiries as those were potentially lethal while this case looks into the activity of Yashmin's mentor and teacher, a vicious man willing to die for the late Sultan. As he begins his search for motives, women under the Sultan's protection begin to die from a strange illness. The intrepid sleuth wonders whether the deaths of females under the Sultan's protection are tied to the defection of the most loyal supporter of the Sultan.

The latest Yashim historical mystery (see The Bellini Card, The Janissary tree and The Snake Stone) is a great tale that looks deep into the corrupt rot at the core of the Ottoman Empire. Yashmin is terrific whether he is making inquiries or just making dinner as he holds the strong why he done it story line focused. Fans of the series will relish this terrific entry in which Jason Goodwin shines a deep cause and effect spotlight on what the corruption at the highest levels is doing to a crumbling giant within a powerful mystery.

Harriet Klausner

I enjoyed this book both for the wonderful depth of history that Jason Goodwin gives and the sense of change reflected in this pivotal moment in the Ottoman empire. Some may have been disappointed by the change of tone but indeed this is a reflection of grief and the hush of an aging empire on the brink. A more pensive history mystery. But have a good time with the recipes (literate descriptions of preparing meals with thought and meaning)-our heroe's therapy is good eating as well as a good meditation. I look forward to the next one.

I've been a fan of Jason Goodwin's Turkish detective Yashim books since 'The Janissary Tree' came out in 2007 but I have to admit I was a bit thrown off by 'An Evil Eye' at first. The pacing is faster, the side-characters are numerous and the plot has more last-minute twists than an Agatha Christie mystery. In any other hands this would be a bit of a mess but Goodwin manages to not only bring it all together, he creates one of the most engaging Yashim stories to date!

With the exception of the last book 'The Bellini Card' the Yashim stories have always started with a leisurely introduction of mid-1800's Istanbul and perhaps a slice-of-life moment with Yashim buying a book or having a meal with his friend, the Polish Ambassador Palewski. Taking place the year before the events of 'The Bellini Card', 'An Evil Eye' starts off with a bang (or BOOM of cannon fire) with Yashim rushing to help clear the late Sultan's harem as the new Sultan's women arrive. He's then immediately thrown onto a murder investigation by the grand vizier involving a body found near a christian monastery and a flap of human skin with a strange marking. If that wasn't enough Yashim's investigations lead him on the trail of Fevzi Ahmet, the Kapudan pasha on the island of Chalki....and the person who trained Yashim to be a detective!

Obviously there's a lot going on in 'The Evil Eye', as Palewski says: "Yashim, you seem to have prevented a sectarian riot, identified a corpse and thrown suspicion on the Russians, all the while I was drinking my pear syrup. Incredible." Jason Goodwin's wry-humor and fast pacing manage to keep the plot engaging even as the story whimsically shifts around to different characters. Palewski and the lady Valide continue to be the series' best-written personalities (and both are given some great moments in the story) but it's the newer characters, particularly the women and eunuchs of the sultan's harem that provide the freshest and most fascinating perspectives.

In the first two books Yashim was fun and charming but kind of a blank-slate and his underdeveloped characterization made him come off as mysterious and fascinating as the Ottoman Empire itself. In 'The Bellini Card' and especially this new book 'An Evil Eye' we're not only see a more daring and cynical Yashim, we actually get some brief insights into his past and interactions with his former instructor. I was a bit put off by this change at first, but I've grown to like this more direct Yashim and I even liked how his being a eunuch starts to weigh on him a bit. His brief, mentor-like connection with the runaway Kadri was a bit obvious but an enjoyable contrast to Yashim's other relationships.

'An Evil Eye' may be different in tone than the previous Yashim books and the resolution is a bit untidy (or too tidy depending how you look at it). However with a more fleshed-out Yashim, a refreshing look at the harems of the Ottoman Empire and the usual colorful characters and delicious scenes of cooking (I was craving mackerel long after I finished the book!) make this my favorite Yashim adventure to date! A great selection for historical/mystery fans as well as people interested in 1800's Istanbul.

I loved the fourth installment in this series. I've loved all four books. Yashim is one of the most likable and well drawn characters ever. I've been to Istanbul and it is a wonderful city. Jason makes the city and the history come to life. It's like being there 150 years ago. In this fourth installment the reader gets new insights into Yashim and he is better than ever. The supporting characters and Yashim have become friends. I highly recommend this novel.

Jason Goodwin continues the adventures of one of the more unique detectives in fiction today; Yashim the former harem eunuch. The fourth book in this series centers on Istanbul in the mid 1800's with the change of power following the death of the Sultan. There are implications for Yashim both professionally & personally as his world intersects with the conflicts facing the declining Ottoman Empire & her numerous foes. Goodwins is a master in describing harem politics as well as the international intrigues of 19th century Istanbul. Readers new to this series should not be handicapped by not having read the prior novels. Long time fans will again enjoy the trials and tribulations of Yashim with the occasional detour into the preparation and enjoyment of the local cuisine ( a nod to Robert Parker's Spenser novels perhaps?)l

Edgar-winner Goodwin's Istanbul investigator, the sultan's eunuch Yashim, navigates the backrooms and intrigues of the sultan's harem as adroitly as he does the docks and alleyways of 1839 Istanbul in a case that threatens the peace of the Ottoman Empire.

The book opens in uproar in the aftermath of the old sultan's death. As the old sultan's harem slowly removes itself to the Palace of Tears, the traditional home of widowed harems, the new harem pushes its way in, jeering at the outgoing women.

Meanwhile, Yashim is called to investigate a body found in the local Christian monastery's cistern. Yashim takes his good friend Stanislaw Palewski, ambassador from Poland, a country no longer recognized in Europe (which has swallowed it up), and finds the monastery threatened by angry locals who believe the monks are defiling a Muslim body.

But Palewski recognizes a brand marking the dead man as a member of a secret Russian military cadre, which is particularly alarming as the Russians are pressing the Empire more and more closely. And then Yashim's nemesis and mentor the ruthless Fevzi Ahmet defects to another potential threat, the Egyptians, with the Ottoman fleet. Not much of a fleet, to be sure, but still.

Goodwin, a historian of the Ottoman Empire (Lords of the Horizons), fills us in on the complex and confusing pressures the Empire faces from Russia, Egypt and Europe - not enough to really understand it, but enough to steep the reader in the intrigue, corruption and political footwork that drive the plot.

Back in the harem, a place where the women's skills include orchestral music and poetry, but the height of ambition is to achieve the sultan's bed and bear a son, the squabbling turns deadly. The most powerful, the old sultan's mother and sister, rule their separate domains with imperious guile honed over years of experience. Would they kill? Probably only if they really had to.

Goodwin's Istanbul is a diverse and fascinating place, teeming with Greek fishermen, cooking fish and sharing ouzo on the waterfront, kebab peddlers and grilled mackerel sellers perfuming the bustling streets, elegant European shops along the thoroughfares and herbalists and charm sellers tucked away in warrens of tiny streets.

The plot is complex and builds to a satisfyingly tense and dangerous conclusion, but the real pull of these novels is character and atmosphere. And food. Yashim is a man defined by his time and place and circumstances, who has carved out a precarious niche, which gives him the independence he requires, while allowing him to maintain his loyalties to the sultan.

He's also a fine cook, who usually has to dash off somewhere before sitting down to enjoy the fruits of his mouth-watering labors. Goodwin has produced a free eBook with Yashim's recipes, but it's apparently available only to kindle or iTunes users.

Fans and newcomers alike will enjoy Yashim's fourth outing and this lively sojourn in the exotic world of the Ottoman Turks.

--Portsmouth Herald

Once again the masterful style of Jason Goodwin is a delight. Yashim and his gang create a delicate denouement in 19th Century Istanbul.

I am thoroughly disappointed with Jason Goodwin's latest book. Not only is it a long and tedious read but I have no clue what Yashim is investigating and I am more than halfway through the book. I have roughly 70 pages remaining to be read in a 289 page book and I am just beginning to some resemblance of investigation and intrigue showing up.

What this book could be labeled is a Turkish cookbook or a travel book for Istanbul!! Kudos for Mr. Goodwin for giving us the great detail.

A mystery book....NOT!!!!

As other reviewers have mentioned, it seems Mr. Goodwin has strayed from the excellent writing style he showed in the ""Janissary Tree" and is giving the readers the all to familiar writing style that goes with books that are hurriedly written for the publisher. Shame on him!!!

I will not go into any of the plot because I have yet to see a plot through the first 190 pages. I have a great sense of the Istanbul landscape around 1840 and I feel I can now prepare a tasty dish for dinner but there is no way I can give a plot description because it seems Mr. Goodwin is just having Yashim go here and go there with no real purpose. Yes, we do get a good sense of the inner workings of a harem back in those days but I bought the book on the premise that there would be some kind of mystery to solve. Hmmmm......maybe the mystery is to determine just where the heck he is going with all of his ramblings.

If you must read the book, wait to purchase it as a paperback on the 2nd hand market. DO NOT spend over $6 or $7 on this book.