Customer Reviews
Formulaic let-down - By: Graham R. Hill, 04 Oct 2008 
As a mystery writer Goodwin needs to realise that complexity is neither necessary nor sufficient & that there is a difference between a twist & a completely unexpained (and perhaps inexplicable) piece of action towards the end of a book.
As a historical genre writer he needs to undertand that a lot of - indeed most - locations are no longer exotic & if you are going to use them then you have to do more than offer a description & expect the reader to be astonished. The extensive chambers that exist underneath Istanbul will presumably only come as a surprise to anyone who hasn't seen 'From Russia With Love' & the setting of a murder mystery around the supply of water to an ancient city would be new to those who haven't read 'Three Hands in the Fountain' by Lindsey Davis.
He also needs to invest in a thesaurus; I am sure it is possible for a pain to be other than 'searing'.
A strong example of the genre - By: Thomas Foster, 25 Jun 2008 
Historical detective novels tend to suffer from the same concern. The setting is superficiallly historical, often with lavish physical descriptions, historical & cultural infodumping & one of two token quirks in the character & plot. The sensibilities tend to be perfectly contemporary. Some authors, such as Stephen Saylor, structure their initial premise is such a way as to alienate their protagonist from their peer culture & justify his very modern sensibilities. Others attempt to maintiain the illusian of an archaic sensibility. Some appear entirely unaware of the challlenge.
Jason Goodwin is a rare example of an author who successfully treads the line. His protagonist, a eunuch who earns his living as a private "problem solver", rather than a palace employee, has the typical outsider's profile. With an interest in French literature & European culture, & a passion for Ottoman style cooking he has both a frame of reference for modern readers & suitably archaic quirk. The novel never quite reaches the peak of, say, the Unburied, by Charles Pallliser, which presents it historical setting straight & alllows the reader to sink or swim, but by dint of effort Goodwin raises his head above the churning surf of the genre.
Comparing to Prophet Murders Goodwin's knowledge of Istanbul gets only a D - By: the reader, 28 May 2008 Just read two different thrillers on Istanbul with two similar heros. One the Snake Stone the other Prophet Murders. The Snake Stone takes Istanbul as a souvenir backstage as flat as a Hollywood movie made in 1930's when nobody had a knowledge of socallled exotic places. Whereas Prophet Murders, featuring a cool, elegant, Audrey Hepburn fan, classical music critic, aikido master transvestite night club owner turned detective in Istanbul is completely different; the city lives in the pages as vivid as pictures taken moment by moment. The difference is so clear; the writer of Prophet Murders is Turkish & lives in Istanbul. Fun & perfect for summer as well. Sorry Goodwin, you need to study harder to compete with the "girls"...
another breath of fresh oriental air - By: Didier, 27 May 2008 
Well, what can I say? Having read 'The Janissary Tree' a while ago & having found it a very enjoyable novel, I'm glad to say this second novel featuring Yashim is as good if not better. Yashim is an unlikely kind of detective, not so much because he is eunuch (although I'll grant there's probably precious few other eunuch detectives out there) but because his approach is so very subtle & stealthy. There's nothing hard-boiled about Yashim, he blends in with his surroundings, observes in silence the comings & goings, & then lets his formidable intelligence do the rest. This is not to say that every case is a breeze for Yashim, on the contrary. In 'The snake stone' as in 'The Janissary tree' he has to deal with formidable opponents who do not shy away from physical violence & the occasional gruesome murder.
Add to this the unusual setting of Istanbul in the 1830s (I was there a couple of years ago & oddly enough the descriptions given in this book instantly reminded me of the 21st century atmosphere of that city, no doubt much has changed but much has remained the same also), the colourful characters (the Polish ambassador Palewski!) & the subtle language in which this whole tale is told & what you end up with is a delightful detective novel, & one which I can heartily recommend.
Journey to Ottoman Istanbul... - By: Ibrahim Ali, 20 Jan 2008 Our favourite eunuch makes his next outing in declining Istanbul. This time it's a secret Hellanistic cult that needs thwarting. It's more of the same as the last book, intriguing mystery, another beautiful woman that causes emotional turmoil, various culinary experiences & another slightly fudged ending & alll is well at the end. Of course the storyline is hardly paramount in the book, one reads this for the journey through Ottoman Istanbul, the experience the smells & sights & to learn its history. The atmosphere & background is beautifully described, one can reallly get the sense of the authors historical expertise coming in to play. The plot fades from memory almost instantly on completion, but the sense of old Istanbul lingers in the memory long after the books completion.
