Detective.  Polyglot.  Chef.  Eunuch.

Investigator Yashim Returns in this Edgar® Award-Winning Series

Istanbul, 1840: the young sultan Abdülmecid believes that Gentile Bellini's vanished masterpiece, a portrait of Mehmet the Conqueror, may have resurfaced in Venice. But it's not Yashim, our eunuch detective, who takes a ship across the Mediterranean. Instead, it's his Polish ambassador friend, Palewski, disguised as an American art dealer.

What begins as a simple inquiry soon turns into a murderous game of deception and suspense, played out among the faded palazzi and sluggish canals of the decaying city. Dealers, forgers, and aristocrats become fatally involved, as the search for the Bellini portrait uncovers a threat to the stability of the Ottoman throne, and the peace of Europe. 

The Paperback Edition Includes an Author Interview, Bonus Inspector Yashim Recipe, and an Excerpt from the Next Inspector Yashim Mystery, An Evil Eye

""As much a literary novel and historical fiction as it is a mystery...The investigation takes these clever, endearing detectives to Venice, where lucky readers are transported to a fascinating period in Venetian history.""---USA Today

""A toothsome, wryly humorous, and historically accurate view of La Serenissima...Goodwin vividly evokes Istanbul embroiled in change.""--Booklist

""In The Bellini Card, Goodwin and Yashim really hit their stride.... If you want to completely escape the chilly, dreary modern world, this is the book to take you away.""--The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

""As labyrinthine as the watery thoroughfares of Venice. Beautifully evocative...Series fans will not be disappointed, and new readers will find themselves seeing out Goodwin’s earlier works.""--Library Journal

""Escapist fiction at its most seductive.""--The Times Literary Supplement (UK)