The Snake Stone: A Novel [Paperback]

Jason Goodwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2008

Detective, polyglot, chef, eunuch--Investigator Yashim returns in this evocative Edgar® Award–winning series set in Istanbul at the end of the Ottoman Empire

Istanbul, 1838. In his palace on the Bosphorus, Sultan Mahmud II is dying and the city swirls with rumors and alarms. The unexpected arrival of a French archaeologist determined to track down lost Byzantine treasures throws the Greek community into confusion. Yashim Togalu is once again enlisted to investigate. But when the archaeologist’s mutilated body is discovered outside the French embassy, it turns out there is only one suspect: Yashim himself. As the body count starts to rise, Yashim must uncover the startling truth behind a shadowy society dedicated to the revival of the Byzantine Empire, encountering along the way such vibrant characters as Lord Byron's doctor and the Sultan's West Indies–born mother, the Valide. With striking wit and irresistible flair, Jason Goodwin takes us into a world where the stakes are high, betrayal is death--and the pleasure to the reader is immense.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Early 19th-century Istanbul's teeming mix of nationalities, religions and cultures comes alive in this vibrant sequel to the Edgar-winning The Janissary Tree (2006). When French archeologist Maximilien Lefèvre begins asking very pointed, well-informed questions about long-lost Greek artifacts and then is found dead outside the French embassy, series hero Yashim, a Turkish eunuch, finds himself suspected of the murder. His efforts to clear his name take him from markets and wharves to palaces and underground tunnels as he uncovers a secret society, unearths sacred relics and hunts the murderer. Goodwin's secondary characters, particularly Yashim's close friend Stanislaw Palewski, the world-weary Polish ambassador, are distinct and memorable, and the mystery presents an entertaining challenge to the reader as well as to charming, determined Yashim. With his second effort as intricate and delightful as the first, Goodwin takes his rightful place among such distinguished British historical mystery writers as Lindsay Davis and the late Edith Pargeter. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"When you read a historical mystery by Jason Goodwin, you take a magic carpet ride to the most exotic place on earth."--Marilyn Stasio, The new York Times Book Review

"Wonderfully entertaining . . . [Goodwin] uses short, punchy chapters and vibrant, atmospheric prose to bring the glory days of the Ottoman capital to life.”--Adam Woog, The Seattle Times

"A sinuous novel . . . Mr. Goodwin uses rich historical detail to elevate the books in this series far above the realm of everyday sleuthing. . . . Yashim moves charmingly across the book's complicated landscape. Whether he is stopping to cook, chat, cogitate, interrogate, or renew old acquaintances at the harem, he is a detective with a difference . . . a warmly appealing character."--Janet Maslin, The New York Times

"The real pleasure of The Snake Stone lies in its powerful evocation of the cultural melting pot that was nineteenth-century Istanbul. . . . Goodwin's sharp eye combines with a poetic style to bring the city vividly to lief."--Clare Clark, The Washington Post

"Beguiling . . . You will blissfully lose yourself in Istanbul's winding back alleys and linger awhile in the city's bustling fleshpots and meet Lord Byron's physician as you watch the serenely intelligent and intuitive Yashim investigate."--Rod Cockshutt, The News & Observer                                                                  

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Picador; First Edition edition (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312428022
• ISBN-13: 978-0312428020
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #133,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

If you wish, please check it out on www.jasongoodwin.net

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspector Yashim, the Turkish impotentate, returns, October 30, 2007

By 

Leonard Fleisig "Len" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Snake Stone: A Novel (Hardcover)

Jason Goodwin's second book "The Snake Stone" sees the return of the Turkish, crime-solving eunuch Yashim Togalu. I'm pleased to report that Goodwin's second book was as fun to read as his first, The Janissary Tree: A Novel".

As befits a mystery set in Istanbul the plot of "The Snake Stone" is moderately Byzantine but not so complex that the reader gets lost. Yashim is approached by a French archeologist (of the plundering sort) who tells Yashim a story about some priceless antiquities. Shortly thereafter the man is found dead and since Yashim is the last man to see him alive he finds himself faced with the prospect of being a suspect in the murder. Yashim has no choice but to try to unravel the mystery.

Two aspects of the book deserve special praise. As noted, the plot revolves around the possible discovery of priceless antiquities and this is a perfect device for a book set in a city such as Istanbul one of the world's historic cross-roads. The plot gives Goodwin a great opportunity to `explore' Istanbul's rich and diverse history both archeologically and socially. Goodwin studied Byzantine history at Cambridge and has written books on the history of the Ottoman Empire (Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire and his writing evidences that knowledge. Goodwin puts his knowledge to good use as he paints a very readable picture of Istanbul that captures (for me at least) the sights, sounds, and smells of Istanbul's streets and alleys while also conveying a sense of the political and social backdrop that drove the characters in the book. Anytime a writer gives you the sense that you can almost get a visceral feel for the sights and sounds of a city that writer has done a good job.

Second, Goodwin has done an excellent job in developing the character of Yashim. Yashim is now, in the second book, a fully formed and very endearing character. The minor recurring characters are equally engaging. Last, Yashim isn't the first detective to be a gourmet cook but I have to say the descriptions of Yashim's recipes were very enticing.

In my review of "The Janissary Tree" I mentioned that Goodwin's Yashim reminded me of Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin novels (late 19th-century Russia such as The Winter Queen: A Novel (Erast Fandorin Mysteries)) and Arturo Perez-Reverte's Captain Alatriste stories such as Captain Alatriste (17th-century Spain). They all take the standard detective or mystery story and transport the reader to a different time and place. "The Snake Stone" confirms my original impression that Goodwin's books belong in that good company. "The Snake Stone" was an excellent story and anyone who likes a good detective story with a bit of an exotic twist should enjoy it. L. Fleisig

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Byzantine Treat, November 30, 2007

By 

Douglas S. Wood "Vicarious Life" (Monona, WI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Snake Stone: A Novel (Hardcover)

As the subtitle says, 'Investigator Yashim Returns' to solve another mystery in the Istanbul of the 1830's. Historian-turned-novelist Jason Goodwin concocts another intriguing tale based on the sound footing he established last year in The Janissary Tree: A Novel.

Yashim Togalu, the eunuch detective, is forced into the investigation of the brutal murder of a French archaeologist when suspicion turns on Yashim, the last person known to have seen the man Lefevre alive.

As he did in The Janissary Tree, Goodwin again entwines his story around the history of the era. But Goodwin's strongest suit may be his ability to surround the reader with sensory experiences of the streets of Istanbul; the sights, the sounds, the smells and tastes. The varied peoples and their styles come alive. And not only on the streets, but also under the streets - the meticulously maintained and ancient waterworks of Istanbul (and their Albanian maintainers) play a large part in this story.

Moreover, the mystery that Goodwin unravels for the reader is quite appropriately byzantine with several dead alleys and an ending that...well, I go too far. Another enjoyable and slightly offbeat treat. Highly recommended.

[Postscript: I see that Len Flesig beat me to the review here and was tempted to simply say "read Len's review" as they are always excellent. I offer my own comments out of a habit that approaches compulsion, albeit an enjoyable one.]

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Eunuch Detective with the Modern Sensibility, December 1, 2007

By 

Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Snake Stone: A Novel (Hardcover)

It is the Summer of 1839 and the Ottoman Sultan lays dying in his palace. In the ten years since the Greeks have won their independence, Ottoman Turkey has become known as the "Sick Man of Europe". Its European neighbors are contemplating the Empire's dismemberment and nationalist feelings are awakening in the Balkans. It is a time of great political and economic uncertainty. Into this tense situation enters a French archaeologist searching for Byzantine treasures that hold great symbolic meaning to the Greek subjects of the Ottoman Empire. Yashim Togalu, a eunuch who conducts discreet investigations for the powerful is put on the archaeologist's trail. Thus begins Jason Goodwin's sequel to the Edgar Award wining, "Janissary Tree".

The Investigator Yashim Series has a lot going for it. Instanbul and its world of royal intrigue, harems and political uncertainty is as exotic a setting as any mystery series has ever had. It is a real pleasure to follow Yashim as he navigates the inner court yards of the Royal Palace and the mean streets of Instanbul's toughest neighborhoods. Jason Goodwin's ably opens a window into an interesting time and place.

Alas, I can only give this book four stars. One would think that a Nineteenth Century, Ottoman eunuch would be as alien as any person from the distant past could be. Yet, Goodwin has created a detective hero with a Twenty First Century sensibility. Not only is Yashim a Stendhal reading gourmand, he has great multicultural and transgender sensitivity credentials. European beauties find him irresistable and older powerful women find him to be a sensitive friend. Dare say, there is something metrosexual about Yashim Togalu. When I read a great detective series, I want to lose myself in the time and place. Unfortunately, Yashim's modern sensibilities keep me from losing myself.