Whole Story Audio Books

Price: £19.99

The Bellini Card is a thrilling adventure in which a quest for a lost painting turns into dangerous game of cat and mouse that threatens to destroy the Ottoman throne and overturn the balance of power in Europe.

Synopsis

The third book in Jason Goodwin's celebrated series takes Yashim from the winding alleyways of Istanbul to the decaying grandeur of Venice. Charged by the Sultan to find a stolen painting by Bellini, he enlists the help of his friend Palewski, the Polish Ambassador, and goes undercover. Venice in 1840 is a city of empty palazzos and silent canals, and Palewski starts to mingle with Venetian dealers - self-made men, faded aristocrats and the hedonistic Contessa.

But when two bodies turn up in the canal, he realises that art in Venice is a deadly business. And meanwhile, what has happened to Yashim?

About The Author

Jason Goodwin studied Byzantine History at Cambridge University and lives in Sussex with his family. The first in the Yashim series, The Janissary Tree, has been translated into thirty languages and won the Edgar Award in 2007. The Snake Stone was shortlisted for the Historical Crime Award in 2007.

Reviews and Press Quotes

Christina Hardyment, The Times

“Daniel Philpott is as convincing as the intrepid and subtle Yashim as he is as the headily sexy Contessa d'Aspa.”

The Big Issue

“Full of compelling historical detail and excellent cooking tips, this old-school mystery of beautiful aristocrats, loyal courtesans and bumbling bureaucrats is an enjoyable read.”

The Daily Telegraph

“Yashim is a scholar, fighter, master chef and sex machine. But he's a reluctant eunuch, serving "the Sick Man of Europe", and a pervading sense of loss and decline suffuse these rich romps with melancholy intelligence.”

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Content Advisory

(What's this?)

• Violence: Moderate
• Sex: Mild
• Language: Mild