The Snake Stone (Investigator Yashim) Paperback – September 30, 2008

Great tale. I have read of the ancient Constantinople and Istanbul histories but not much on recent history. To tie the old with the events that occurred when Turkey underwent their next evolution in the early 1900's has made me curious of the reason for the changes that occurred. I have read other Jason Goodwin books and enjoyed them tremendously. I recommend any of his books.

As posted in another review of this series about Hashim, a sort of Turkish detective of the last century, I love this series! Hashim is a wonderful character, a great mystery and problem solver, and an ex-advisor to the Sultan who calls him in from time to time for help. The stories are really interesting, particularly because you learn a great deal about the Ottoman Empire, the magnificent city of Istanbul, Topkapi Palace, etc. Jason Goodwin is a scholar who has written a wonderful history of the Ottomans, and he's a great story teller, too. I go to Istanbul quite frequently, and I have learned so much from these books, and have found out that what I did know is much more interesting than even I thought it was. Fun reading!

The Snake Stone is Jason Goodwin's second novel in his Ottoman series featuring Yashim Togalu, the Ottoman court investigator, who becomes involved in a complicated set of intrigues in Istanbul, into which is woven a fascinating historical pattern of events involving the Ottoman Empire in the first part of the 19th Century. Goodwin is a master story teller with a classical prose style that is a refreshing change from the crude and often ungrammatical offerings of many modern popular fiction writers. Of particular interest is Yashim's relationship with the Polish ambassador Palewski, an Ottoman supported relic of a country that no longer exists in this époque, and whom we met in the preceding novel, The Jannisary Tree. Together, they form an odd, but infinitely interesting interactive couple as Yashim pursues his investigations.This novel, as well as its preceding book, the Janissary tree, which introduces us to Yashim and the Ottoman world, are must reads for the ardent devotees of historical mystery fiction. The book is sophisticated, compelling, and holds the reader enthralled to the last. The historical detail is wonderful and plunges us into a world from which it is difficult to extract ourselves. I can't wait to read the next installment in the saga of Yashim.

I love Inspector Yashim. I love the atmosphere of Istanbul in the waning light of the Ottoman Empire. Though I don't know enough about the history of this epoch to judge the background of the work, I sense that I'm coming to understand a culture that was both beautiful and terrible in its unique way, as every major culture is. The mysteries are so complex and I must work hard to understand them and the motivations. A previous reviewer denigrated as unnecessary the discussion of history among three characters. I found that conversation central to my understanding of the character who tells that history, because he reveals his character flaws in the way that he speaks about it. The history itself helped me think about the context of the present being explored in the book as well.

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

The second 'Yashim' I read - as interesting as its predecessor 'The Janissary Tree' and even more fun to read. This highly original series is set in the Istanbul of the late 1830s, with the Ottoman Empire under great pressure to change and adapt - reluctantly and unwillingly - to the modern times. This being a detective story I better refrain from giving anything away - suffice it to say that the writer a) really knows his Istanbul and his Ottomans b) writes very well & knows how to make up a good story. I think that is all you need to know. Good buy.

This was a good story, I enjoyed it and wanted to finish it.However, it felt a little over-long. I thought it had finished a number of times before I actually reached the end. The final chapters did explain what and why, but it felt a bit wrong. One aspect of the solution had occurred to me early on, but the final twist was a surprise. This was not in a good way, in that there was no reason given for why Yashim suddenly realised what was going on. It was as if he was going down the wrong turn but suddenly arrived at the right destination for no reason. The final chapter had great charm because of the interaction between two main characters, but it nevertheless felt clichéd and the final surprise had no "Wow" factor for me. Without spoiling anything the final reveal felt unlikely and unhistorical.There are other problems. No one seems to be worried that a dead body is floating in the city's water supply - no concern over the physical consequences and absolutely no worries over the medical implications - even in 1839 people knew that dead bodies were not exactly a healthy item to add to water.I realise that historical novels require some alteration of history, the creation of people and places to make the plot flow. However, it is somewhat less acceptable when the identity and details of the life of a historical person are altered simply in order to provide narrative ammunition. Nevertheless, it makes some sense when it is central to the plot. What is much more unacceptable is historical inaccuracy that does nothing to drive the plot and which is entirely unnecessary and avoidable. The Battle of Navarino is mentioned in passing, but the author misdates it to 1828 rather than 1827. This makes absolutely no difference to the story and seems to show poor research or editing. I was able to check the date from a number of sources online within a few minutes. The ancient Hippodrome of Constantinople is a character in this story and the author provides a description of the Serpent Pillar, an obelisk and "Trajan's Column" - the only problem is that the area contains another obelisk, but Trajan's Column is in Rome! It was never ever in Constantinople/Byzantium/Istanbul and its inclusion here is utterly unnecessary and misleading. The author says "... fiction" is no respecter of fact." But this is not good enough. Historical fiction relies on a background of real people and events and these ought to be treated with respect or - when really necessary to the plot - noted as departing from their historical originals. Adding a fictional address for the hero is one thing, moving major historical artefacts across continents is another.Of course, it is possible to write various forms of alternate history, from altered timelines to Steampunk and SF or Fantasy, and I have no problem with those genres. When an author sets his novel in real history he has, I believe, a responsibility to respect persons, events, chronology and geography as much as possible. (We all suspend disbelief to some extent when ancient characters act and think and speak as if they are moderns, but this has to be handled carefully. If the author doesn't care about the actual events, nor what was possible or likely, then the reader won't either.)I am not a linguist, but other reviewers have said that the author takes some liberties with the Turkish language. If this is so, it only reinforces my sense of a book that was rushed and not properly researched or written.I love food and cooking and in the first book I defended the cooking scenes as adding realism and interest. Here, I have to agree that they sometimes feel like filler. Although there is one important scene set during the making of a roux, it often feels as if the food scenes are just there to take up space. Also, the balance is wrong, sometimes there is more detail given to the incidentals of food prep than to some of the main action. It seems like a Jewish riddle or a Zen Koan, but how does a man enter a house through a coal cellar and manage to keep himself and his hands clean? There is a feeling that the author came up with a solution: - How does someone get into a house that is locked and unattended? Through the coal cellar - but without clearly thinking through the implications or consequences. A major aspect of the plot simply disappears, but the author doesn't work it through - the potentially disastrous fallout from an event just doesn't happen, but this is never dealt with.I know that Yashim is supposed to feel excluded from his own city and culture, but the overall effect of this book is to feel that he is disconnected at a more basic level, as if he is unreal. He has no source of income as far as we can tell, but he always has money and he seems to possess more clothes and esp. cloaks than his humble circumstances might indicate. Like any P.I. he knows everyone, but belongs nowhere - except this detachment is not due to cynicism but to a feeling of unreality - he seems to be unaffected by near death experiences and injuries and despite the author's insistence that Yashim is deeply affected by having become a eunuch (of course!) it never feels quite real. It does not affect his behaviour, his psyche nor even his physique in any major way. He seems utterly unlike the other eunuchs, who come across as quite camp and incapable of being true guardians of the harem. These things were (minor) issues in the first book, but the narrative kept them at bay. This book made me feel more distanced and less accepting of the character, esp. as he seems to repeat behaviours from the previous novel. I am unsure whether I want to read the next book, let alone finish the series.

Yashim is an amazing creation; castrated in a family vendetta he is attracted to and by gorgeous and unlikely women, and, other less fortunate, eunuchs! His skills are ninja like as he merges unnoticed into the background and manages to defeat the most fiendish of opponents. Against a cleverly reconstructed, fading Ottoman Empire, he finds his away among every quarter of the once glamours city,In addition the elegant writing, reconstruction of political and religious arguments, his relationship with his Polish side-kick (or co star?) gives a further depth of delight.

As a Turk who has lived in Istanbul for many years, I am perhaps one of the harder readers to please for a foreign author writing about Ottoman Istanbul, but I thoroughly enjoyed The Snake Stone. This is a beautifully written novel full of incredible historical detail, which paints a city of a hundred nationalities existing side by side in a mesmerizing kaleidoscope. My only criticism would be that it tries to be Da Vinci Code towards the end and this subtracts from the charm of The Snake Stone.The Snake Stone is similar to its predecessor, The Janissary Tree, in many ways but has a better story and is more readable. However, the annoying misspellings and creative use of the Turkish language is still there: Hippodrome is "Atmeydan" on pg 23 but then becomes "Atmeidan" on pg 25, although the correct spelling would be "At meydani". "Aya Sofya" (Turkish spelling) is used a few times but then turns into "Aya Sofia" which must be the editor's personal understanding of the correct English spelling of "Hagia Sophia". One of Istanbul's districts is called "Beyazit", not "Bayezit". "Water" is "su" in Turkish and not "sou", so "water inspector" is "su naziri" and not "sou naziry", while "the inspector" would be "the nazir" and not "the naziry" as that last letter (which should have been 'i') means "of" as in "inspector of water". Even the French phrases could use editing: "Ils me connaissent", not "Ils me connaient" like on pg 46.It seems to me that Jason Goodwin needs a new editor or at least a friendly reader to take a look at the final copy of his books before publishing. I humbly offer my services :-)

'The Snake Stone' is the second novel featuring Yashim the Eunuch, one of recent crime fiction's more interesting creations. Set in Istanbul against a backdrop of a crumbling Ottoman empire, Goodwin's novels are both tightly plotted and full of sumptuous description.Yashim finds himself, an anachronism in a rapidly modernising city. With the Sultan on his deathbed, he is unsure of his continuing role and as a eunuch, is uncomfortable with his asexual persona. This makes Yashim both engaging and vulnerable, without the author having to resort to alcohol abuse and divorce; a welcome respite from two of crime fiction's most overused clichés.Goodwin's writing is descriptive yet easy to read, his portrayal of Istanbul is rich and varied; you can almost smell the city. You can certainly taste Yashim's wonderful culinary concoctions; food and taste are at the heart of any culture, which is why many a foreign detective is a whizz in the kitchen; Yashim's tasty meals add authenticity to the author's excellent depiction of the city.Some other reviews complain about historical inaccuracies and I confess to not having a enough knowledge to support or refute these claims. I would however, suggest that it probably doesn't matter, this is a work of fiction after all. Goodwin's novels ooze authenticity and his characters are well rounded and entertaining, in particular the brandy-loving Polish ambassador.The plot of 'The Snake Stone', is exciting and believable, although I did feel that everything fell into place a little too conveniently. There is also a nice little sting in the final paragraphs, which I certainly didn't see coming. I have thoroughly enjoyed the two Yashim novels that I have read so far; they were both high quality crime-writing with an exotic garnish; I look forward to the next instalment.