The cover of my edition, and the blurb on the cover do not do the book any favors. When I picked it up at the library, I was expecting something pretty silly.

Then I saw that the author's academic background and personal history make it likely that he really knows his stuff when it comes to life in 19th century Istanbul.

In the end it turned out to be a fun Agatha Christie style mystery with a main protagonist who's as laid back as Hercule Poirot, a very well created setting and ... recipes. I thought the recipes were a bit of a gimmick at first, but some of them sounded really tasty and after all, why not?

It's a good mystery in an unusual setting (Istanbul in the 1830s), with clever twists and turns and occasional flashes of brilliance in the writing. Perhaps a few too many twists, in truth, but on the whole, well worth the read.

I'm not completely familiar with Turkey or the Ottoman Empire or books about one of them. Still, I picked this book at a bookshop, and liked the blurb. I didn't really know what to expect though...

 

But I thought it was an interesting book, I don't know how accurate the book was exactly in the way it described it, but I feel like I've found out several new things. Something I always liked. Set back in the 19th century, it of course it slightly different from the thrillers that are most common, but I really liked this for a change. Still planning on reading the second book as will, but still so many other books to read, so it is possible it will take some more time...

 

Note: I read a Dutch translation of this book.

This was in the unread pile like forever and it wasn't worth waiting for. Setting the scene is one thing, but so much time is spent on details and surroundings that the plot gets bogged down and moves at a snail's pace. By the time it got to the unnecessarily convoluted end, I cared more about the book being over than who done it. Honorable mention for originality as it's not every day you read a book with a eunuch as a lead character.

Janissary Tree A detective novel where the investigator is a Eunuch, Yashim, who is investigating a murder in the Harem and four young cadets in the new army who have replaced the Janissaries. When the Janissaries were disbanded they weren't unsatisfied by the situation. All clues point at their involvement. However as he digs into the mystery he finds more questions than answers. It's an interesting look at Istanbul in 1836, a time of great change and social upheaval all throughout the western world. Istanbul continues to straddle the world of the West and the Middle East. I felt that the ending was a little rushed and really left me somewhat unsatisfied. However it was an interesting read and I look forward to reading more from this series.