The Sultan's Seal
J. B. White
Norton, Feb 2006, $24.95
ISBN: 0393060993

In 1886 as the Ottoman Empire shows signs of old age lethargy, the upper elite of society is a hodgepodge of British expatriates mingling with Turks. However, most natives of Istanbul are concerned with what is perceived the outrageous avant garde behavior of English women.

Thus the Turks are not stunned to learn of the drowning death of an English woman, imperial harem governess Mary Dixon, whose drugged body was found in the Bosporus. Though she was considered reticent and no social butterfly; however, her home country expatriates are shocked as they felt they were superior to the masses and thus quite safe. Magistrate Kamil Pasha leads the official investigation, assisted by Jewish surgeon, Michel Sevy. Upon seeing the corpse, Michel says the victim was too healthy to have been an opium user; that she was murdered by drug poisoning. However, neither have access to the pillars of society, especially females where the case leads. Thus the Magistrate enlists Sybil Hanoun, daughter of the British ambassador, to join his team. They soon find an apparent sexual link between the deceased and Jaanan, raped by the man chosen by her father as her husband, and propositioned by the dead Mary.

THE SULTAN'S SEAL is a terrific late nineteenth century police procedural, that shines a deep light on Turkey at an interesting moment when the Ottoman Empire is starting to collapse. Though too many suspenseful sidebars cause some difficulty following the inquiries, the who-done-it is deftly developed so that the audience understands the societal pecking order, however, it takes a back seat to the rich historical tidbits. Fans who enjoy a lot of history in their mystery will want to read J.B. White's fine tale.