Janissary Tree, The (Book 1 Of Yashim The Eunuch Mystery)

Description: A concubine is strangled in the Sultan's palace harem, and a young cadet is found butchered in the streets of Istanbul. Delving deep into the city's crooked alleyways, and deeper still into its tumultuous past, the eunuch Yashim discovers that some people will go to any lengths to preserve the traditions of the Ottoman Empire. Brilliantly evoking Istanbul in the 1830s, 'The Janissary Tree' is a bloody, witty and fast-paced literary thriller with a spectacular cast.

Review: ''Everything you could want from a novel.' Kate Mosse, author of Labyrinth'

Author Biography: Jason Goodwin studied Byzantine history at Cambridge University and is the author of Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire. He lives in Sussex, England, is married with four children, speaks French and German and once walked to Istanbul from Poland. This is the first of a series of novels featuring Yashim.

Literary Awards: Macavity Award Nominee for Best Mystery Novel (2007), Edgar Award for Best Novel (2007)