Short Synopsis
In his third mystery featuring the eunuch detective Yashim, Jason Goodwin takes us back into a world that is as dazzling as a hall of mirrors and utterly compelling.

Full Synopsis
Istanbul, 1840: the new sultan, Abdulmecid, has heard a rumor that Bellini's vanished masterpiece—a portrait of Mehmed the Conqueror—may have resurfaced in Venice. Yashim, our eunuch detective, is promptly sent to investigate, but—aware that the sultan's advisers are against any extravagant repurchase of the painting—decides to deploy his disempowered Polish ambassador friend, Palewski, to visit Venice in his stead. Palewski arrives in disguise in down-at-the-heel Venice, where a killer is at large, as dealers, faded aristocrats, and other unknown factions seek to uncover the whereabouts of the missing Bellini.

But is it the Bellini itself that endangers all or something associated with its original loss? And how is it that all of the killer's victims are somehow tied to the alluring Contessa d'Aspi d'Istria? Will the Austrians unmask Palewski, or will the killer find him first? Only Yashim can uncover the truth to the manifold mysteries.

"Audie Award winner Stephen Hoye handles the multiple accents and voices with ease. Fans of Jenny White's Kamil Pasha mysteries...will love this superb foray into another time and place." ---Library Journal Starred Audio Review

"A toothsome, wryly humorous, and historically accurate view of La Serenissima, seen through the eyes of a very unusual man." ---Booklist Starred Review

"Beautifully evocative...this is a book to be savored." ---Library Journal

"Goodwin skillfully blends deduction, action sequences and period color." ---Publishers Weekly

"Stephen Hoye's narration is superb---his pacing and accents are wonderfully executed. His creation of distinctive, memorable characters is further enhanced by his seemingly effortless transitions between voices." ---AudioFile

Library Journal Audio

Booklist Review