Jason Goodwin

Il Ritratto Bellini (2009)

The strengths of The Bellini Card are the sense of place, characterisation, and historical detail. Goodwin places the reader in both Istanbul and Venice -- the landscape and architecture, the sights, sounds and smells, and the social strata and living conditions. The descriptions are wonderfull...

The Janissary Tree (2007)

“The Janissary Tree” is an Ottoman detective thriller reminiscent of Orhan Pamuk’s wonderful “My Name Is Red,” though Pamuk’s novel is far more complex. This novel is set in early 19th century Istanbul, ruled by Sultan Mahmut II. It is 1836 in Istanbul and Investigator Yashim Togalu, a eunuch i...

The Snake Stone (2007)