The Tournament by Matthew Reilly
The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire sends an invitation across the
world to invite chess champions to Constantinople in 1534 to complete in the
first world-wide chess tournament. The
invitation to Great Britain is answered by a good friend of Roger Ascham, who
happens to be the tutor of young Princess Elizabeth Tudor. Ascham suggests Elizabeth come along on the
journey to learn about the world and see life in all its variety firsthand. A motley party of chaperones and friends
accompany young Elizabeth on her travels.
Constantinople is a city of wonders and delights, but also debauchery,
treachery and murder. Ascham is
approached by the Sultan to solve the murder of a visiting cardinal and the
intrigue that surrounds him and his pupil will require all his wits and reason
to solve.
Fans of Reilly’s fast paced thrillers may not enjoy this book as
much as historical mystery fans. The
pace is slower than some mysteries; travel was difficult and long and chess is
not exactly played at breakneck speed.
There are a lot of descriptions about the goings on in the harem, the harsh realities of poverty and the power of the rich and powerful. The mystery and palace intrigue is
multi-layered and murder upon murder makes puzzling out who did what extremely
challenging. I thought it was a lot of
fun, and I enjoyed it on audio.
