Synopses & Reviews
From the Edgar® Award-winning author of The Janissary Tree comes the fourth and most captivating Investigator Yashim mystery yet! It takes a writer of prodigious talents to conjure the Istanbul of the Ottoman Empire in all its
majesty. In three previous novels, Jason Goodwin has taken us on stylish, suspenseful, and vibrant excursions into its exotic territory. Now, in An Evil Eye, the mystery of Istanbul runs deeper than ever before. Its 1839, and the admiral of the Ottoman fleet has defected to the Egyptians. Its up to the intrepid Investigator Yashim to uncover the mans motives. Of course, Fevzi Ahmet is no stranger to Yashim—it was Fevzi who taught the investigator his craft years ago. Hes the only man whom Yashim has ever truly feared: ruthless, cruel, and unswervingly loyal to the sultan. So what could have led Yashims former mentor to betray the Ottoman Empire? Yashims search draws him into the sultans seraglio, a well-appointed world with an undercurrent of fear, ambition, and deep-seated superstition. When the women of the sultans orchestra begin inexplicably to grow ill and die, Yashim discovers that the admirals defection may be rooted somewhere in the torturous strictures of the sultans harem. No one knows more about the Ottoman Empire and Istanbul than Jason Goodwin, of whom Janet
Maslin wrote in The New York Times: “Mr. Goodwin uses rich historical detail to elevate the books in this series . . . far above the realm of everyday sleuthing.”
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
Synopsis
From the Edgar Award–winning author of The Janissary Tree, The Snake Stone, and The Bellini Card comes the fourth adventure of the famous investigator Yashim. When the admiral of the Ottoman fleet defects to the Egyptians, Yashim attempts to uncover the mans motives. But Fevzi Pasha is no stranger to Yashim: it was Pasha, in fact, who taught the investigator his craft years ago. He is the only man whom Yashim has ever truly feared: ruthless, cruel, and unswervingly loyal to the sultan. What dark secret has led his former mentor to betray the Ottoman Empire? While unraveling Pashas curious history, Yashim is drawn ever deeper into the closed world of the sultans seraglio, an intimate household populated by the young rulers women, children, slaves, and eunuchs. It is a well-appointed world dominated by fear, ambition, and deep-seated superstitionsa lap of luxury where talented girls hold sway in the ladies orchestra. But as the women of that orchestra inexplicably grow ill and die, Yashim discovers that his investigations into the admirals defection have their roots in the torturous strictures of the sultans harem, where every secret is sacred: a place where the normal rules are suspended and where women can simply disappear.
Synopsis
Sleuth. Cook. Ottoman. Lover. Have you met Yashim yet? Its Istanbul in 1839, and as the new sultan installs his harem in the palace, the intrepid investigator Yashim is set adrift on the swirling currents of loyalty and betrayal. The dramatic treachery of Fevzi Ahmet, the admiral of the fleet, brings Yashim up against the one man he has ever hated…the only man he has ever feared.
Drawn ever deeper into the closed and mysterious world of the Sultans harem, Yashim must search for a secret that could save a life or destroy an empire. An Evil Eye is a heart-pounding mystery of exotic Istanbul and a riveting journey into a veiled realm.
About the Author
Jason Goodwin is the bestselling author of The Janissary Tree, The Snake Stone, and The Bellini Card, the first three books in his series of novels featuring Yashim. Goodwin studied Byzantine history at Cambridge and is the author of Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire, among other award-winning nonfiction. He lives with his wife and their four children in England.