THE JANISSARY TREE

After they grew too powerful, the Janissaries, an elite palace guard and "the soul of the Empire," were crushed by the Ottoman sultan in 1826. Ten years later they seem to be reemerging, vengeful and dangerous. First, a harem girl is found strangled. Then, men in the sultan's new guard are horribly murdered. The clever eunuch, Yashim, uses his wit and wile to investigate. Stephen Hoye is energetic when interpreting the assortment of eccentric characters, but his overall narration doesn't balance the well-researched historical mystery. When not doing character voices, Hoye's reading is frequently flat, humorless, even ominous when situations don't call for menace. Still, Goodwin offers a vivid conjuring of exotic Turkey and, in Yashim, an original addition to the annals of sleuthing. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 08]