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The Snake Stone: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.01) - 712 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Istanbul, 1838. In his palace on the Bosphorus, Sultan Mahmud II is dying, and the city swirls with rumors and alarms. The unexpected arrival of a French archaeologist determined to track down lost Byzantine treasures throws the Greek community into confusion. Yashim Togalu is once again enlisted to investigate. But when the archaeologist's mutilated body is discovered outside the French embassy, it turns out there is only one suspect: Yashim himself. As the body count starts to rise, Yashim must uncover the startling truth behind a shadowy society dedicated to the revival of the Byzantine Empire, encountering along the way such vibrant characters as Lord Byron's doctor and the Sultan's West Indies–born mother, the Valide. With striking wit and irresistible flair, Jason Goodwin takes us into a world where the stakes are high, betrayal is death—and the pleasure to the listener is immense.
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"What I like about this series is that the mystery is nicely written. Its not so obvious and you can certainly piece together the evidence as Yashim does. You have all the pieces, but they don't quite fit right. As Yashim says in this book: you're trying to remember an old recipe just by taste, you have all the ingredients in front of you but something doesn't quite taste right. And that's what I love about this series. It keeps you thinking. Not to mention Yashim is a great narrator. He is a lala in the community, a guardian, a man of honesty and trust. People trust him and that makes him damn near invisible (perfect for an investigator). The only thing I wish this book had was more Preen. Her story intrigues me and I hope Goodwin develops her story a bit in the next book."
— Jen (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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A magic carpet ride to the most exotic place on earth.
— The New York Times Book Review
The Snake Stone Listener Reviews
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" The Ottoman Empire feels like a great gap in my understanding of the history of the world, which I've tried to fix over the past decade. Jason Goodwin's Lords of the Horizon was one of non-fiction histories I read and I've enjoyed his move into fictionalizing the declining days of the Empire. Set in 1830's Istanbul, The Snake Stone, like The Janissary Tree before it, explores not only the solutions to crimes, but the culture and politics of the moment, from the perspective of eternal outsider Yashim, a eunuch of the city. His tastes--from the beautiful food that he makes using simple tools, to his weakness for French women--and his friends in places high and low allow the reader a sense of what life was like in a time and place very different from our own. "
— Elizabeth, 2/15/2014 -
" Jason Goodwin certainly makes me want to go to Istanbul, but I'm not convinced he's all that good at writing mysteries. Overly-complicated. "
— Tiffany, 2/14/2014 -
" Yashim is an unwilling detective in the Ottoman Empire, as the sultan is on his death bed. This mystery centers on the events of the battle in Greece where Byron died, and lost Byzantine treasures. "
— Carolyn, 1/26/2014 -
" Love this character, love this series of book. The author loves and respects language, history and culture. He weaves a good tale! "
— Becky, 12/21/2013 -
" Very interesting period of history, and Yashim is a very likeable character! "
— Sylvie, 12/14/2013 -
" The first book I read in this series was the Janissary Tree. I enjoyed it more than this one. This novel felt disjointed. There were too many asides that diverted and distracted me. For example, Goodwin clearly enjoys supplying the reader with detailed descriptions of food preparation. Sounded yummy, but I'll read a cookbook if that's what I'm in the mood for. I never felt that the characters were more than props, so I never connected to the characters--even Yashim was much more shallow than in the first. All in all, this tale was a disappointment. I'll give the series another try, but it will be based on my experience with the Janissary Tree rather than the Snake Stone. "
— Scott, 11/24/2013 -
" A fun mystery set in Istanbul a few centuries back. Very atmospheric "
— Jeremiah, 11/24/2013 -
" Another very good outing for yashim "
— Jacky, 10/21/2013 -
" Like the last one, the "mystery" is not the reason to read this - although I thought this one was better crafted than the last, in that regard. But for the history and ambiance, it's worth reading anyway, and I still like Yashim. "
— Deena, 10/3/2013 -
" These mysteries with Yashim, the Eunuch, place you right in 19th century Istanbul with all its complexities and conspiries. Perfect vacation reading. "
— Ma'lis, 7/30/2013 -
" I enjoyed this companion to The Janissary Tree. "
— Chip, 7/24/2013 -
" Yashim is, again, wonderful. Nother great adventure in 1830's Istambul. "
— Rita, 7/24/2013 -
" Great way to learn about Istanbul history. The characters and rich and fun. "
— Kelli, 4/6/2013 -
" If you are interested in a bizarre mystery set in istanbul with many ancient historical reference, then this is a good book. I read the book with wikipedia open and learned quite a bit about Constantinople. "
— Amanda, 2/1/2013 -
" Heard about this book from NPR's Mystery in the City series. Beautiful book, lets the mind travel Lots of sensory detail but not ponderous or contrived. "
— Kristen, 12/9/2012 -
" Loved this hsitorical mystery that takes place in Ottoman Istanbul. I must if you are going. "
— Niki, 9/3/2012 -
" The setting, characters, time period, and plot made this an exotic read. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the mystery, though the author was heavy handed in references to the history of Istanbul. "
— Terry, 7/12/2012 -
" A very interesting glimpse of a time and place in the past, placed in Istanbul, and area that was the center of Western culture for centuries... "
— Betty, 4/2/2012 -
" His first book was better. I like Yashim and all the interesting things that happen in Istanbul, but the mystery itself was a little confusing. "
— Cyd, 3/6/2012 -
" I've read 3 books from this series and I just cannot get into the main character nor the settings. Not badly written but just not that interesting for me when there are so many other books out there. "
— Brenda, 6/10/2011 -
" I so wanted to like this book but couldn't get into it. Stopped reading about half way through. "
— Wog, 5/19/2011 -
" This was my intro to this series set in the Ottoman Empire in the 1840s featuring an eunuch problem solver. Looking forward to the rest of the series. "
— Kathleen, 5/18/2011 -
" Istanbul mystery. Part of the "Investigator Yashim" series. "
— Cathy, 5/17/2011 -
" This was my intro to this series set in the Ottoman Empire in the 1840s featuring an eunuch problem solver. Looking forward to the rest of the series. "
— Kathleen, 4/26/2011 -
" I was really looking forward to this as I loved The Jannissary Tree. I still enjoyed Yashim and the cooking but the mystery part was very disjointed and the resolution was disappointing. "
— HKd, 3/31/2011 -
" Evocative, with one of the most wonderful protagonists in ages. "
— Sidney, 3/26/2011 -
" This book didn't engage me quite as thoroughly as the previous one, The Janissary Tree. "
— Phyllis, 1/26/2011 -
" Terrific sequel to The Janissary Tree. "
— Jennifer, 1/25/2011 -
" Equally delightful as The Janissary Tree, largely set in the underground cisterns beneath the city, cisterns I've toured. Very cool. Inspector Yahim is a great detective, oh, and he's a eunuch. :) "
— Dan, 11/10/2010 -
" This is just fun. <br/>I have never seen Istanbul, now I feel like I would enjoy a trip..and the food. <br/>Jason Goodwin has a very entertaining style, an ease with telling a fast paced story. "
— Joe, 8/21/2010 -
" An entertaining new venue (Istanbul in the 1860's) with lots of opportunity for convoluted plot and a very sympathetic protagonist. Looking forward to more of these. "
— Willowwind, 5/12/2010 -
" These mysteries with Yashim, the Eunuch, place you right in 19th century Istanbul with all its complexities and conspiries. Perfect vacation reading. "
— Ma'lis, 4/22/2010 -
" Yashim is, again, wonderful. Nother great adventure in 1830's Istambul. "
— Rita, 2/13/2010 -
" It was ok, but very confusing. I never fully understand what was happening throughout the book "
— Emily, 2/11/2010 -
" A fun introduction to Constantinople in Bzyantine times.... "
— Dildar, 11/11/2009
About Jason Goodwin
Jason Goodwin is the author of Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire, A Time for Tea: Through China and India in Search of Tea, and On Foot to the Golden Horn, among others. He lives in Sussex, England, with his wife and four children.
About Stephen Hoye
Stephen Hoye has worked as a professional actor in London and Los Angeles for more than thirty years. Trained at Boston University and the Guildhall in London, he has acted in television series and six feature films and has appeared in London’s West End. His audiobook narration has won him fifteen AudioFile Earphones Awards.