An Evil Eye, by Jason Goodwin

An Evil Eye is wonderful addition to the series, which is set in Turkey during the heyday of the Ottoman Empire.  The main character is Yashim, an investigator and fixer, who serves the power elite.  The fact that he is also a eunuch gives him access to both the men's and women's worlds.  In An Evil Eye, Sultan Mahmut II has just died and the political realm is kind of dicey.  Yashim needs to solve the murder of a Russian quickly before an international incident begins, while ensuring that he can keep his freedom outside of the palace.  The Bellini Card was a little dull, but in An Evil Eye, Goodwin is back in form.

Abyssinian Proof, by Jenny White

This is the second Kamil Pasha mystery, after The Sultan's Seal (2006).  The books take place in Istanbul during the late 19th century.  Kamil is a magistrate and a Pasha, a bachelor and a bit of a ladies' man.  In this book, Kamil is charged with stopping the thefts of religious artifacts, which are causing increasing friction among the religious groups living in Istanbul.  He has a personal interest in these thefts through his friendship with Malik, who holds the position of caretaker of The Proof of God within a secret sect of Melisites.  The supporting cast might be a bit overdrawn:  Omar the policeman, Avi the waif, Gudit the very creepy midwife, Balkis the priestess, Saba the priestess to be, and Elif, the artist/love interest.  Reviews say White did a huge amount of research about the place and time. 

Nadia May is a great reader.