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AudibleInk - The Snake Stone: A Novel
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List Price: $14.00
Our Price: $11.20
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Manufacturer: Picador
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FREE SHIPPING on Orders over $25!
Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780312428020
ISBN: 0312428022
Label: Picador
Manufacturer: Picador
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Date: 2008-09-30
Publisher: Picador
Release Date: 2008-09-30
Studio: Picador
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Editorial Reviews:
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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.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Another fun read, but what's the connection with Jenny White?
Comment: "The Snake Stone" was another good read by Jason Goodwin, but not quite as gripping as the "Janissary Tree". There were a few jumps of logic that were straight out of a television crime drama; we're just supposed to take these logical leaps for granted, rather than build a conclusion along with Yashim Effendi. However, the constantly twisting plot was a fun read, and I plan to keep up with Yashim's adventures.
I was intrigued, and a bit disturbed, however, by the parallels between Goodwin's "Snake Stone" and Jenny White's 2008 Kamil Pasha offering, "The Abysinninan Proof". No problem with two, well-connected 19th century Turkish detectives, but elements in both novels, underground resevoirs, slimy sewer chases in the dark, Christian religious relics hidden during the Ottoman takeover of Istanbul, seemed eerily similar. What connection is there between Goodwin and White? I'm sure that Yashim and Kamil would want to get to the bottom of it all...
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great service
Comment: The price was good and the service was great. The book arrived in the time period specified; it was securely packed -- no dings or damage. I would order from this source again.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Impressive
Comment: I liked it very much, very well crafted and beautifully written, Goodwin was able to bring Istanbul of 1830s into one's mind with amazing clarity. To me it is a cross between "The Name of the Rose" by Eco Umberto and "My Name is Red" by Orhan Pamuk. Ordered The Janissary Tree. Only complaint is that the book is too short.
Customer Rating:
Summary: "God gave the land to the Turks, and to the Greeks he gave the sea."
Comment:
Eunuch detective Yashim Togalu makes his second appearance since The Janissary Tree in 1830s Istanbul. It is now two years after his first convoluted adventure, Yashim about to embark on yet another bizarre series of events where murder obfuscates a secret at the heart of the novel. A man of modest appetite, a connoisseur of humanity, the gregarious eunuch has many friends in the international landscape that is Istanbul. While Sultan Mahmud II lies dying in his elaborate palace on the Bosporus, Yashim goes about his business, cultivating the many friendships that allow him access to the innermost secrets of a diverse population. But when a series of violent murders occurs, Yashim is drawn into the vortex of the crimes, much closer to the action than makes him comfortable.
The first murder is of a book merchant at the bazaar, the corpse discovered the morning after the crime, his body the object of an obscure ritual that brings up the name, Hetira, albeit only in whispers. Soon after, Yashim's friend, George, is found beaten, near death. But most disturbing is the presence of a foreigner, Maximilien Lefevre, a supposed archeologist, who arrives late one night at Yashim's rooms, begging a place to stay where he will not be discovered by those following him. Truly catholic in his sensibilities, it is Yashim's habit to help those in distress, preferring the simple explanation for the man's fear while ignoring the danger looming in an increasingly restless city. When the skittish Frenchman is killed, his mutilated body discarded near the French embassy, Yashim must sift through the events of recent days, uncovering the dark deeds that jeopardize his own safety. The colorful, vital streets of Istanbul are suddenly teeming with menace, everyone's motives suspect, the cause of the killings evading a diligent Yashim.
Peopled with the unusual characters of this exotic locale, Goodwin has a particular gift for detail, whether in Yashim's friends and acquaintances, including the sultan's mother, the Valide, and the engaging widow of the mysterious Frenchman, not to mention the poet Byron, and a valuable book. Each chapter contains hidden gems of historical fact, the heady brew of Istanbul, Greeks, Turks, Christians, Jews and the ornate patchwork of their homes in the old city, their native foods and their private associations in a place that mixes criminals with learned men of property. Plunging into this tempestuous society, Goodwin's eunuch detective is our guide, slipping in and out of palace and twisting alleyway with ease, his thoughts constantly working through details like prayer beads. Yashim is an enterprising, sympathetic character who embraces this city of many faces with charm and intelligence. Like The Janissary Tree, this novel is an exotic adventure, a shadowy society of the Byzantine Empire lurking behind the siren call of an ancient city filled with secrets. Luan Gaines/ 2008.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Better Read
Comment: Jason Goodwin's characterization is improving and the general concept of the novel is definitely intriquing. I found this novel far more delightful than his first and enjoyed the characters, setting and Jason's incredible knowledge of history far more. I look forward to his continued efforts in this series.
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