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.

贾森·古德温（Jason Goodwin）(1964-) 是名禀赋极高的作家，毕业于剑桥大学，专攻拜占庭史，最初是一名游记作家，第一本游记书出版于1980年，书名叫《茶的盛世：在中国与印度的觅茶之旅》，其后，他分别于1990和1993年写作了另外两本游记，在1998年出版了一本《奥斯曼帝国史》。古德温在近二十年里出书甚少，但这又何尝不是潜心研究、厚积薄发之举呢？经过多年在土耳其/近东地区文化中的浸淫和在东方土地上的实地考察，杰森•古德温在出版《奥斯曼帝国史》时俨然已经成为相关历史学科方面的权威，称古德温为奥斯曼史的“活字典”一点都不为过。

经过多年的酝酿，古德温在2006年出版了他的第一部虚构类作品《禁卫军之树》（The Janissary Tree）。小说甫一上市，就广获好评，截至目前，已有30种文字的译本。年初，本书获得了埃德加•爱伦坡奖的最佳长篇小说的提名。盛赞种种，本人也就不一一罗列了。而杰森•古德温的首部小说作品的大卖也使得出版商和读者盯上了他以前的非虚构类作品，他之前的4部作品也即将出版修订本。总的来说，《禁卫军之树》就是一部晚期奥斯曼帝国为背景的侦探小说，故事发生在1836年的奥斯曼帝国，面对外强的威胁，腐朽的奥斯曼帝国一如鸦片战争之后的大清帝国，国运岌岌可危。主人公雅西姆（Yashim），是个去势之人，也就是奥斯曼帝国宫廷里的一名宦官，也即太监。他总是穿着一件羊绒斗篷，言语不多，但却短小精干，专为苏丹宫廷里的皇宫贵族们调查些事件，也可算是一名侦探。因为是个太监，可以随意出入于宫廷内外，着实有不少的方便。伊斯坦布尔里连续发生多起杀人事件，死者都是接受西式教导的帝国新军军官。尸首惨遭分尸，还被割下了面容。与此同时，苏丹的一位宠妾在去苏丹寝宫的路上被人掐死，身上佩戴的拿破仑赠与苏丹母后的首饰被夺。雅西姆临危受命，必须在10天之内找到两起案件的真凶。他将怀疑引向了十年前被屠杀殆尽的土耳其禁军（Janissary），为了调查案件，他上寻下访，出入于宫闱、大使馆、清真寺，流连在伊斯坦布尔城的街头巷尾，寻找任何一丝的线索。既然主角是个太监，纵使我们再如何道德，当他对一位俄罗斯美人有了那种意思后，还是要心起疑惑。有趣的是国外一位书评人的解释：“显然，存在不同程度的阉割，我们对于具体详情一无所知，但雅西姆的私处可能至少对美女会有所反应。”

古德温乘胜追击，在2007年7月出版了雅西姆系列的第二弹《蛇石》（Snake Stone），并顺利进入年度历史匕首奖（Historical Crime Novel Dagger Award）决选。该书讲述了一名法国考古学家抵达伊斯坦布尔追踪失踪的拜占庭财宝，当地的希腊人社团忌惮于知道不少内幕消息的考古学家，不知该如何对付他，于是找到了屡建奇功的雅西姆，但当考古学家的尸首躺在法国领事馆门前后，结果雅西姆成为唯一的嫌疑人。借助侦探小说的躯壳，作者再次带领读者领略十九世纪的伊斯坦布尔的另类景致，接触到跃然纸上的各色人物，将历史的迷情与探案的悬疑以精彩的方式呈现于书页之上。（乃鼎斋无机客）