We’re going to take a look at the first books in two historical mystery series- perhaps they will get me back into mystery after my self-imposed exile from the genre?

The Sultan’s Seal by Jenny White

A stunningly lyrical debut novel about faith and desire, set within a gripping tale of murder in nineteenth-century Istanbul.

Rich in sensuous detail, this first novel brilliantly captures the political and social upheavals of the waning Ottoman Empire. The naked body of a young Englishwoman washes up in Istanbul wearing a pendant inscribed with the seal of the deposed sultan. The death resembles the murder by strangulation of another English governess, a crime that was never solved. Kamil Pasha, a magistrate in the new secular courts, sets out to find the killer, but his dispassionate belief in science and modernity is shaken by betrayal and widening danger. In a lush, mystical voice, a young Muslim woman, Jaanan, recounts her own relationships with one of the dead women and her suspected killer. Were these political murders involving the palace or crimes of personal passion? An absorbing tale that transports the reader to nineteenth-century Turkey, this novel is also a lyrical meditation on the contradictory desires of the human soul.

via Amazon

The Ottoman Empire is a fairly rare setting for novels, I have to say- I’m actually deliriously looking forward to Behemoth, as it’s the only time I’ve seen the Ottoman Empire be involved with science fiction. The setting is rife with delicious conflict and class issues that could complicate a murder investigation. The Sultan’s Seal sounds very intriguing, since it adds gender issues on top. Oh, history!

I’m trying more and more to use fellow book bloggers’ reviews on The Literary Horizon, and I found one for The Sultan’s Seal by Samantha of Book Worms and Tea Lovers. She quite likes the book, but it took her a little while to get used to the style. Reviews on Amazon are warm, but note an unevenness to the story. However, the character of Jaanan, an educated and bright Muslim woman who helps Pasha, intrigues me enough to check it out.

The Sultan’s Seal was released on February 17, 2007.

Napoleon’s Pyramids by William Dietrich

What mystical secrets lie beneath the Great Pyramids? Traveling with Napoleon’s ambitious expedition, American adventurer Ethan Gage solves a five-thousand-year-old riddle with the help of a mysterious medallion.

Moving from the lascivious salons of post-revolutionary Paris to the Mediterranean’s high seas to the treacherous sands of Egypt, Napoleon’s Pyramids is a riveting, action-packed thriller that will captivate readers and introduce them to this supremely talented author.

William Dietrich’s books have been hailed for their vivid imagery, evocative atmospheres, impeccable historical accuracy, and ambitious plots. Now, in the breakout novel of his career, he delivers an enthralling story of intrigue, greed, and danger.

Ethan Gage, assistant to Ben Franklin and expatriate American in post-revolutionary France, wins an ancient—and possibly cursed—medallion in a card game one night. It turns out that the medallion, covered in seemingly indecipherable symbols, may be linked to a Masonic mystery. That same night, however, Ethan is framed for a prostitute’s murder and barely escapes France with his life.

Faced with either prison or death, Gage is offered a third choice: to accompany the new emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, as France sails to conquer Egypt—with Lord Nelson’s fleet following close behind. Once Gage arrives, he encounters incredible surprises: one in the form of a beautiful Macedonian slave and another in the dawning knowledge that the medallion may solve one of the greatest riddles of history—who built the Great Pyramids, and why. What is revealed to Gage is more shocking than anyone could ever have imagined.

via Amazon

I love the Napoleonic era of history. As I have said to virtually everyone who looks down upon France’s military prowess, “Oh, sorry, we put all our military awesome into this one guy“. (I’m fairly sure my brother once delivered an impromptu lecture about Napoleon in college. Yeah, it’s like that.) But it’s not just my weird sense of pride, but also just an era of strange possibilities, with America a fledgling nation and one man attempting to change the face of the earth. Involve ancient Egyptian mysteries and an Indiana Jones type, and I do believe we are in business.

Reviews are fairly unified about Napoleon’s Pyramids. Historia of BiblioHistoria describes as a fun, Indiana Jones-esque romp, and Bill Bennett at the Bookshelf Reviews loves it. It sounds exactly as advertised, to be quite frank. I look forward to it.

Napoleon’s Pyramids was released on December 26, 2007.

Just as the golden city astride the Bosphorus has lured a string of conquerors – Greeks, Romans, and Ottomans most notable – Constantinople lures writers of mysteries.  Cultural crossroads, repurposed houses of worship and sects with more in common than they might care to admit, ancient tunnels and ruins, maze-like markets … people must get murdered in a place like that every day!

Setting a murder mystery in Constantinople seems like the equivalent of setting a slasher movie in a sorority house.  Fortunately for the reading audience, authors of such mysteries seem to savor the challenge of understanding the history, culture, and presence of the place.  I’ve yet to read such a novel that hasn’t been painstakingly researched and thoroughly enjoyable.

Jenny White’s The Abyssinian Proof chronicles a momentous and harried week in the life of Kamil Pasha, an 18th-century magistrate tasked with solving a series of thefts of antiquities that have brought the city to the brink of bloody religious conflict.  As was the case historically, the religion behind the thefts turns out to be unchecked capitalism and unbridled colonialism  rather than any Christian or Muslim sect.  Current world leaders would do well to note that fact, but I digress.

Earlier in the summer, I plucked Jason Gould’s The Snake Stone from the shelf, attracted, I will admit, by its beautiful book jacket design.   Its hero, Yashim, was on the move in fictional Istanbul about a half-century earlier than Kamil Pasha, but both men seem remarkably modern compared to those you come across in 19th century American literature.  I believe this is because Istanbul, or Constantinople, is such an old city.   New York was still a churlish teenager in the 19th century.

The Abyssinian Proof places a literary proof of the existence of god as the central mystery of the story.  I expected that the story would revolve around never finding it, but at one key moment, a scholar gives a quick sight-translation, so the reader actually does get a glimpse of what a proof of such import might say.  The author proves her chops with this move – she presents an entirely realistic and plausible example of the sort of document Elaine Pagels would kill to find in a tarnished reliquary in a market stall.

Well, Elaine Pagles would probably not actually kill anyone, but I’m quite sure she’d be pretty revved up to get first crack  at the exegetical work around a document like this.

Some quick thoughts:

• Some fairly graphic violence in the novel might distract the squeamish, but it is all in service to the plot and never seems out of place.
• Fictional characters in 19th century Istanbul smoke like their lives depend upon it.
• bet you can take tours of the underground plumbing in Istanbul,  like you can tour  the catacombs in so many older cities.  Would you do it?

Bibliosurf.com (France)

11.02.2009

Dans l’Istanbul de la fin du xixe siècle,on retrouve, à huit ans d’intervalle, les corps de deux jeunes Anglaises sur les rives du Bosphore. Nues, les pupilles dilatées par le poison, elles portent à leur cou un médaillon où figure le sceau personnel du sultan. Qui sont ces femmes et quel est leur lien avec la maison du sultan ? C’est ce mystère que le magistrat Kamil Pacha est chargé d’élucider,avec l’aide de l’impétueuse filled e l’ambassadeur britannique, Sybil, dans un climat politique des plus délicats. Entre complots féminins et machinations en tout genre, Jenny White signe un roman lyrique et haletant, où la mort se tapit dans l’ombre des harems impériaux et où les sentiments semblent plus fragiles qu’une orchidée noire.

Jenny White, Livre de poche, JC Lattès, Collection : Policier / Thriller, 480 pages, ISBN 9782253125112

Sud Ouest Dimanche (France),

23 mars 2008

Polar historique. L’Américaine Jenny White s’introduit dans la société ottomane du XIXe siècle. L’histoire débute avec le meurtre d’une gouvernante anglaise. Kamil Pacha doit élucider ce crime, voué à la réussite en raison de l’échec de son prédécesseur sur une affaire similaire quelques années plus tôt. Une jeune fille surprenante va l’aider. Cette enquête dans une Istanbul lumineuse est aussi une incursion superbe dans une société métissée d’une grande diversité culturelle. (I. M.-C.)

« Le Sceau du sultan », de Jenny White, traduction Alexandre Bodini, Lattès, 350 p., 22,50 €