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The Snake Stone ('Yashim the Eunuch' Mystery)
by: Jason Goodwin

List Price: £7.99

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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Binding: Paperback
EAN: 9780571236473
ISBN: 0571236472
Label: Faber and Faber
Manufacturer: Faber and Faber
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Date: May 01, 2008
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Studio: Faber and Faber
Sales Rank: 13068

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Crime Writing with an Exotic Flourish
'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 ... Read More:

Rating:

- Formulaic let-down
As a mystery writer Goodwin needs to realise that complexity is neither necessary nor sufficient and that there is a difference between a twist and 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 and if you are going to use them then you have to do more than offer a description and 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' and the setting of a murder mystery around the supply of water to an ancient city would be new to those who haven't read ... Read More:

Rating:

- A strong example of the genre
Historical detective novels tend to suffer from the same concern. The setting is superficially historical, often with lavish physical descriptions, historical and cultural infodumping and one of two token quirks in the character and 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 and justify his very modern sensibilities. Others attempt to maintiain the illusian of an archaic sensibility. Some appear entirely unaware of the challenge.

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 ... Read More:

Rating:

- Comparing to Prophet Murders Goodwin's knowledge of Istanbul gets only a D
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 socalled 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 and lives in Istanbul. Fun and perfect for summer as well. Sorry Goodwin, you need to study harder to compete with the "girls"...

Rating:

- another breath of fresh oriental air
Well, what can I say? Having read 'The Janissary Tree' a while ago and 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 and stealthy. There's nothing hard-boiled about Yashim, he blends in with his surroundings, observes in silence the comings and goings, and 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 ... Read More:

Books : The Snake Stone ('Yashim the Eunuch' Mystery)