The Bellini Card

A Novel

By: Jason Goodwin

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

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.

©2008 Jason Goodwin (P)2009 Tantor

great mystery

This is a well written mystery that takes place in exotic Venice. The characters are interesting and the denouement is surprising.
I enjoyed listening to the story even though towards the end it was difficult to follow the different characters

A tremendously entertaining novel (& production)

If you are looking for a ripping good yarn; action-packed, with an exquisitely rendered setting & atmosphere. With characters- large & small- all richly drawn by the author, and given voice by the narrator, Stephen Hoye: One can scarcely do better than giving “The Bellini Card” a try. If you enjoyed this, I highly recommend all of J. Goodwin’s Yashim series.

Unlistenable

I had to give up after 5 minutes. The narrator is awful. So sorry I wasted a credit on this audio version. I’ll read the paperback.