From Publishers Weekly

Goodwin, the author of a well-received history of the Ottoman Empire, Lords of the Horizons (1999), makes a welcome shift to fiction with this impressive first of a new mystery series set in the empire's declining decades. In 1836, though the corrupt elite troops known as the Janissaries were crushed 10 years earlier, there are ominous signs that their influence still persists in the twisted alleys and secret places of Istanbul. A series of crimes, including the barbaric murders of several soldiers and the theft of some precious jewels, leads eunuch Yashim Togalu to delve into the past in an effort to separate legend from truth. With special access to all areas of the sultan's royal court, Yashim uses his network of contacts to try to solve the crimes. The author, no surprise, does an excellent job of evoking his chosen locale. While his sleuth's character may be less developed than some readers might wish, no doubt Yashim will emerge as a more rounded figure in future entries of what one hopes will be a long-running series. (May)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Historian Goodwin, author of Lords of the Horizons (1999), introduces a promising new mystery series set in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire. When a string of murders disturbs the tenuous tranquility of the sultan's royal court, savvy eunuch Yashim Togalu is called upon to investigate. Digging deeper into the past in order to understand the perils of the present, Yashim discovers a link between the crimes and the Janissaries, a disloyal band of elite soldiers banned by the sultan ten years earlier. As Yashim wends his way in and out of the opulent palace and through the sordid back alleys of nineteenth-century Istanbul, the reader is treated to an appropriately exotic tour of a time and a place where intrigue, deceit, and corruption fueled perilous personal and political passions. Margaret Flanagan

Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

賈森·古德溫（Jason Goodwin）(1964-) 是名稟賦極高的作傢，畢業於劍橋大學，專攻拜占庭史，最初是一名遊記作傢，第一本遊記書齣版於1980年，書名叫《茶的盛世：在中國與印度的覓茶之旅》，其後，他分彆於1990和1993年寫作瞭另外兩本遊記，在1998年齣版瞭一本《奧斯曼帝國史》。古德溫在近二十年裏齣書甚少，但這又何嘗不是潛心研究、厚積薄發之舉呢？經過多年在土耳其/近東地區文化中的浸淫和在東方土地上的實地考察，傑森•古德溫在齣版《奧斯曼帝國史》時儼然已經成為相關曆史學科方麵的權威，稱古德溫為奧斯曼史的“活字典”一點都不為過。

經過多年的醞釀，古德溫在2006年齣版瞭他的第一部虛構類作品《禁衛軍之樹》（The Janissary Tree）。小說甫一上市，就廣獲好評，截至目前，已有30種文字的譯本。年初，本書獲得瞭埃德加•愛倫坡奬的最佳長篇小說的提名。盛贊種種，本人也就不一一羅列瞭。而傑森•古德溫的首部小說作品的大賣也使得齣版商和讀者盯上瞭他以前的非虛構類作品，他之前的4部作品也即將齣版修訂本。總的來說，《禁衛軍之樹》就是一部晚期奧斯曼帝國為背景的偵探小說，故事發生在1836年的奧斯曼帝國，麵對外強的威脅，腐朽的奧斯曼帝國一如鴉片戰爭之後的大清帝國，國運岌岌可危。主人公雅西姆（Yashim），是個去勢之人，也就是奧斯曼帝國宮廷裏的一名宦官，也即太監。他總是穿著一件羊絨鬥篷，言語不多，但卻短小精乾，專為蘇丹宮廷裏的皇宮貴族們調查些事件，也可算是一名偵探。因為是個太監，可以隨意齣入於宮廷內外，著實有不少的方便。伊斯坦布爾裏連續發生多起殺人事件，死者都是接受西式教導的帝國新軍軍官。屍首慘遭分屍，還被割下瞭麵容。與此同時，蘇丹的一位寵妾在去蘇丹寢宮的路上被人掐死，身上佩戴的拿破侖贈與蘇丹母後的首飾被奪。雅西姆臨危受命，必須在10天之內找到兩起案件的真凶。他將懷疑引嚮瞭十年前被屠殺殆盡的土耳其禁軍（Janissary），為瞭調查案件，他上尋下訪，齣入於宮闈、大使館、清真寺，流連在伊斯坦布爾城的街頭巷尾，尋找任何一絲的綫索。既然主角是個太監，縱使我們再如何道德，當他對一位俄羅斯美人有瞭那種意思後，還是要心起疑惑。有趣的是國外一位書評人的解釋：“顯然，存在不同程度的閹割，我們對於具體詳情一無所知，但雅西姆的私處可能至少對美女會有所反應。”

古德溫乘勝追擊，在2007年7月齣版瞭雅西姆係列的第二彈《蛇石》（Snake Stone），並順利進入年度曆史匕首奬（Historical Crime Novel Dagger Award）決選。該書講述瞭一名法國考古學傢抵達伊斯坦布爾追蹤失蹤的拜占庭財寶，當地的希臘人社團忌憚於知道不少內幕消息的考古學傢，不知該如何對付他，於是找到瞭屢建奇功的雅西姆，但當考古學傢的屍首躺在法國領事館門前後，結果雅西姆成為唯一的嫌疑人。藉助偵探小說的軀殼，作者再次帶領讀者領略十九世紀的伊斯坦布爾的另類景緻，接觸到躍然紙上的各色人物，將曆史的迷情與探案的懸疑以精彩的方式呈現於書頁之上。（乃鼎齋無機客）