One for Sorrow

John the Eunuch #1

by Mary Reed, Eric Mayer

Byzantium, capitol of the 6th century Roman Empire, simmers a rich stew of creeds, cultures, and citizens with a sprinkling of cutthroats and crimes. John the Eunuch, Emperor Justinian's Lord Chamberlain, orders a Christian court while himself observing the rites of Mithra. Thomas, a knight from Britain, Ahasuerus, a soothsayer, and two ladies from Crete stir up events and old memories for John, who must ask how the visitors link to the death of Leukos, Keeper of the Plate. An Egyptian brothel keeper and a Christian stylite know more than they are telling.... In due course, John gets his man - and a love scene....

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Historical, Medieval, Crime

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Mary Reed and Eric Mayer began writing together in 1992. They have contributed to a number of anthologies such as Royal Whodunnits, MammothBook of Historical Whodunnits and Mammoth Book of Shakespearean Detectives, as well as to Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. They have also published several short stories set in and around the 6th century Constantinople court of Emperor Justinian I as well as four (to date) novels about their protagonist John the Eunuch, Lord Chamberlain to the emperor. The series was listed as one of four Best Little-Known Series in Booklist Magazine in 2003, and a Greek edition of the first novel, One For Sorrow, appeared in late 2002. They live in Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Richard Derus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.25* of five

The Book Description: Byzantium, capitol of the 6th century Roman Empire, simmers a rich stew of creeds, cultures, and citizens with a sprinkling of cutthroats and crimes. John, Emperor Justinian’s Lord Chamberlain, supervises a Christian court while himself observing the rites of Mithra. Thomas, a knight from Britain; Ahasuerus, a soothsayer; and two ladies from Crete stir up events and old memories for John, who must discover how the visitors link to the death of a treasury official.

My Review: First Mystery Novel Syndrome: Introduce characters, drop them for north of two chapters, come back and explain why they're game-changers, drop them for north of two chapters, and then shuffle them off-stage unceremoniously.

Then kill people the main character doesn't much care about, and make them part of the final solution.

Describe dead bodies in such a way that the savvy mysterian will be wondering why the sleuth doesn't spot something immediately; explain this away with Backstory Stress Disorder.

Set your story in a transitional time in history, which allows you to do interesting things with characters' beliefs and ideas. Skate along the surface of this possibility. Offer simultaneously a little too much and nowhere near enough of the tensions this would naturally create between the characters, instead of within them.

But in the end, after getting past the utterly urpsome description of a man being gelded, this first mystery in an ongoing series is just on the knife-edge of good enough to keep me going.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

A good mystery set in the time of Justinian at Constantinople (~550 A.D.). I liked the setting and the main character John, Lord Chamberlain for Justinian.

[Lolly's Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, I have to give kudos to the authors: It's obvious they did their research and did it well. They managed to layer a wealth of information into the novel, immersing the reader in Byzantine Constantinople without impeding the flow of narration or cutting it off altogether with large info dumps. All other considerations aside, the novel does a wonderful job of bringing that chaotic and rich city to life. That said, the story itself is thin. According to the biography, the authors, a husband and wife team, have previously written short stories concerning the main character of the novel, John the Eunuch. I think they should stick to that format, as the book felt to me as though they'd taken a short story and padded it out in order to create a full-length novel, with little success. The mystery, such as it was, was not very mysterious and the search for its conclusion was constantly interrupted by side tales of tertiary and other even more minor characters. While those short interludes gave us glimpses into assorted lifestyles, from the lowest of the poor to high-end courtesans, they didn't do anything to advance the story. In fact, they did the opposite, by delaying the action and any suspense, of which there wasn't much, which might've built up. While I agree that a short description is a good thing--after all, these minor characters are witnesses and victims, so it's always good to know where they're coming from--it was completely unnecessary to go into such lengthy descriptions of their day-to-day lives. In fact, such detail was given that I came to know more about them than I did about the first victim, the one who drove the whole story. If a mystery has any chance of being compelling, we, the reader, have to care about the victim, or at least care about why s/he was murdered. The victim of One For Sorrow, Leukos, is a virtual cipher as there was almost no information given about him or his history; even when I finally reached the end of the book, I still didn't have a clue as to why I should care that he was murdered. We're also supposed to care about the protagonist, John the Eunuch, and while we did discover some of his backstory and history, it didn't seem enough. In the end, after the first few chapters, I ended up skimming the book as I just couldn't connect to any of the characters; none of them seemed like flesh-and-blood people and I didn't care what happened to them.

[Sportyrod · Rating 2 out of 5]

An historical murder mystery set in the Byzantium Empire. A eunich investigates the murder of his friend. Due to his high position he is able to interview everyone he wants.

The surrounds are quite descriptive and enjoyable to read about. The characters were colorful - lots of dubiousness - a charioteer, a jewel hunter, royalty, soldiers, fortune tellers, acrobats, jesters, prostitutes and many more. The character development is basic.

Screams in the next room and failed pursuits are a repetitive theme and feels like a constant segway. The amount of times this ex-army eunich is unable to chase down the elusive murderer is beyond me.

The mystery itself didn’t feel solvable. Either there were too many red herrings or the clues were so minuscule you would miss them. Even at the reveal I felt like why am I only hearing about this information now.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I liked the setting, the characters and how easy it was to read.

I would recommend this book to young readers who are beginning to enjoy reading about history.

[Keith Currie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first John the Eunuch story set in Byzantium during the reign of Justinian and Theodora. John is the Imperial Chamberlain, a very high ranking member of the household, but he also is an investigator of mysterious deaths and in this novel he seeks the murderer of a friend who is found stabbed in a dark alleyway.

What makes this story interesting is not the mystery, but the insights the author reveals into life in Justinian's New Rome. There is some excellent characterisation, the sinister emperor Justinian, his dangerous wife Theodora, John himself, calm and emotionless in public, but deeply wounded in his mind and psyche. Imagine his turmoil when he finds his old lover and discovers he has a daughter, born before he was maimed.

[Mark Higginbottom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little trepidatious about beginning this book as I'm not massively keen on this period of history,I usually read and enjoy historical fiction set in the Medieval period onwards.I had found it in a charity shop for £1 and it has been sat on my shelf for quite a long time so I thought it was high time I got it read!Well,I am so glad I did.I found it a thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery that was so easy to read,had great descriptions of the period and the locations and some fascinating characters.I am definitely going to try the others in the series although I have looked on various internet sites and the rest of the series aren't too freely available which is strange.I highly recommend this to anyone with a passing interest in history.

[Victoria Gaile · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this - I was quite looking forward to it because of the historical setting charged with religious complexity. But, although the background bits were great, I never cared that much for any of the characters. And I didn't like the ending.

I might try the next one from the library, in hopes that the characters will develop in more interesting ways. But I don't have high hopes.

[Mike White · Rating 3 out of 5]

“John eyed the cat, which had returned and was dabbing a paw at water spilt around the fountain basin, examining it with interest. ‘I am told you are a soothsayer,’ he stated. ‘Do you find trade brisk?’
‘I do. Rich and poor alike want to know their futures. The poor wish to learn whether they will ever possess anything, the rich wish to learn whether they are in danger of losing what they have.’
Constantinople, CE 535. Emperor Justinian’s Lord Chancellor, John the eunuch, investigates the death of his friend, Leukos, keeper of the Imperial Plate. The official religion is Christianity but many, including John, stick to the old religion, Mithraism. He keeps meeting Thomas, a soldier who seeks the Holy Grail on behalf of Arthur, his British king.
A detective story set in a place and time that could be very interesting and we learn something of John’s back story. However, John doesn’t seem to show much energy and I found I didn’t care much about the outcome. There are another eight books in the Death in Byzantium series: Two for Joy, etc. but I don’t think I’ll pursue it further. I prefer Jason Goodwin’s detective stories also set in Istanbul but in 1836, during the Ottoman Empire: The Janissary Tree, etc. His protagonist is also a eunuch, btw.

[Filip · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed by this one. It wasn't bad, not at all. Just... Eastern Roman Empire is my favourite historical nation and I find the times of Justinian, Theodora and Belisarius particularly appealing. So I wanted to LOVE this book... and it was only good.

The mystery wasn't that great, neither was the way it was solved. The description of the times and place (for me a second important facet of a historical mystery) was also OK - it wasn't bad but it didn't grip me as Steven Saylor's or Lindsey Davis' books. I liked the characters, though I wish it would include more of the Emperor and Empress... but then again there are many other volumes in still ahead for me.

[Curlemagne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Mediocre mystery, no real character depth, and fairly purple prose. Also by the third time someone said "this sure is a city of theologians!" I wanted to scream. The Byzantine Empire is a glorious setting and a Grail hunt is always fun but the twists and turns got tedious, I don't care about John the Eunuch's family drama, and Antolius was truly irritating - especially his tendency to spill secrets. The rites of Mithras were probably the best part. This series feels like it's trying to do Brother Cadfael in Constantinople but missed.

2.5 rounded to 3 to be generous to the amount of research that clearly went into writing this.

[Anna Bergmark · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character, John the Eunuch, is a likable fellow - and thank goodness for that! Because the murder mystery itself is not all that engaging and there are plenty of books in this genre that does a better job with the atmosphere of time and place. So...

A nice "hero" doing his sleuthing at a nice leisurely pace is what renders this story it's 3 star rating (not all that good, but not all that bad either), and since it's the first installment in a series of at least eleven... Who knows? It might improve; the authors learning the trade and the reader growing closer to the regular characters. (Having binge bought the whole shebang I am of course keeping my fingers crossed for just that kind of a development.)

[Lila · Rating 2 out of 5]

An American husband and wife team wrote this historical mystery set in 6th century Byzantium under Emperor Justinian. The government is Christian, but the populace worships various gods. The detective, John, rose from being a slave to the position of Lord Chamberlain, although he follows Mithra, being from Crete. There is a lot of historic details, a map of the city and a glossary. The plot itself is a bit too formulaic. Those interested in religious history may find this of interest. However, the editing errors might be distracting for others.

[Cliff Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, not great. I like the setting very much, and the authors' efforts to incorporate historical elements with additional flavor (an emissary from the court of King Arthur at the court of Justinian is cool). But the characterizations are merely ohhh-kay, and I didn't find myself caring for the main characters as much as the authors (or I!) had hoped. I have the second book in the series already and will eventually get to it.

[Tom Watson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Work a day mystery

I was disappointed. There was no feeling of ancient Constantinople or imperial Rome. The characters were lackluster; the mystery boring. The protagonist John could be anyone. Neither his mutilation nor his post made any difference to him or the plot.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really did not live up to the hype on the dust jacket. A dull mystery, poor characterisation and dialogue and not well edited. I finished it but with no great enthusiasm; frankly I didn't really care.

[Joyce Scrivner · Rating 5 out of 5]

History with people

Folklore of ravens and Constantinople and Istanbul. Sing, dance, bull jumping, empires. Joy. Sadness. Friends. Enemies. Fights. Flights. Unexpected meetings and leaving.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

set during the reign of Emperor Justinian, I liked the way the cosmopolitan city with the mixture of beliefs came together. The mystery was ok, characters are starting to be established. I have the second around (I bought it for the cover,) so will pick up at some point.

[Beverly D Pawlikb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great read!

The writing style keeps the reader rapt. Such great descriptions and knowledge of time period makes the reader feel they are with the protagonist and other characters, no matter how minor. I am diving right into the next novel!

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I did. But I will try the next one and see ...

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine, but didn't grab me the way I'd hoped. I did appreciate the look at life in the empire from the commoner's point of view rather than the elite.

[Linda Chrisman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit average. Good premise - actual Byzantine history much more interesting.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The setting is good and I enjoyed the characters. The mystery is not good. I just couldn't find anything to latch onto as a reader, which meant the ending was shrug-worthy.

[Potatoes · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. Too many characters though which made it hard to keep track of what was happening.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

535 AD Constantinople. John Lord chanberlain, discovers the body of his friend, Leukos, the Keeper of the Plate, dead. He decides to investigates. Are the next deaths connected.
An entertaining historical mystery. A good start to this series

[Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

John is a fictional contemporary of the historical Narses, the famous eunuch general of Justinian who, as briefly mentioned in the book, quelled riots in Constantinople. (191) In the novel, John is said to have recovered a supposed relic of the True Cross during this riot. (79) He serves as Emperor Justinian's Lord Chamberlain. John, however, is not a Christian. He follows Mithraism, a pagan religion still grudgingly tolerated in the Christian Byzantine empire. He speaks Egyptian and Greek. (129)

He is observant, making him a good detective. As he acknowledges: "Small details are essential in court ceremony, are they not, and I have had to cultivate a keen eye." (288) Part of his job as Lord Chamberlain is to cultivate a divine mystique about the emperor. (64)

John's former life ended when he strayed from his home to attempt to buy silk on the black market and was abducted and castrated completely. (87) In John's words: "The agony is indescribable. At some point the plug is removed. If the healing is such that you are able to void, you must continue to live, as best you can. If not, then you die, mercifully, but in the most terrible torment." (89) "Remember, when I arrived in this city I was a slave, as well as a eunuch," he says. (100) He became free and got a palace job, then became Lord Chamberlain, and has a younger servant of his own, Peter. (84)

Friends are constantly reminding him that he cannot enjoy sexual pleasures and then immediately apologizing for their comments. John faces this with equanimity, seeming to find it neither funny nor enraging. When presented with the Bible verse of "those who make themselves eunuchs to better serve Heaven," John replies: "One doesn't serve by refraining from that which he cannot attempt. And my condition is not of choice, I can assure you." (85) When he is reunited with his long-lost lover Cornelia, she slaps him, but ultimately, he makes love to her again. (70, 238) He also discovers that he is a father to a girl who was born after his abduction. "Struggling with his emotions, John realized he was not what he thought he was. Half of his being, his identity as a man, had been wrenched away from him and twisted around and then thrust back into his dazed grasp, all in the space of the second it took for Cornelia to say two words. 'Like you.' Europa was his daughter." (73)

Metaphorical references to his condition -- possibly unintentional on the part of the authors -- include his practice of carrying a concealed dagger that he is sometimes expected to surrender, especially in the emperor's presence. (29, 53, 80) On another occasion, he observes that his friend has a damaged finger that he is less likely to raise with the other fingers. (104) There is foreshadowing that Hektor, an attractive young page who serves Justinian, might be castrated to remain in palace service. (146)

John does not acknowledge feelings of bitterness or anger about his castration. He tells his former lover: "Don't feel sorry for me, Cornelia. How many die before they ever reach manhood? How many more are ill treated or starved of affection by those they desire?" (236) Instead, he seeks vengeance for his friend Leukos's death. He tells Anatolius that "I feel that if I don't bring his murderer to justice, it [this black creature inside me] will gnaw at me for the rest of my life." (188) When his former lover and daughter are kidnapped, he resolves to save them, too. (275) However, in the last line of the book, he admits his need of the powers rumored to be contained in the Holy Grail: "Mithra forgive him, but did there live in Constantinople any man who had more need of such a mighty heal-all than he?" (292)

Mary Reed and Eric Mayer. One for Sorrow: A John the Eunuch Mystery. Scottsdale, Ariz.: Poisoned Pen Press, 1999.

[Italo Italophiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This adult historical mystery series is set during a time that usually gets overlooked by historical novelists: the Byzantine Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire that spanned 1000 years. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Roman traditions, law, architecture, sports, literature, etc. carried on under the Greek-speaking Eastern Empire. And under Emperor Justinian, the Empire grew back to be the major Mediterranean power.

The protagonist is the all-powerful and unpredictable Emperor Justinian's Lord Chamberlain, John, the chief-of-staff, so to speak. John's character, life and history make up more than half of this 300+ page novel, which feels right, since this is the first book in the series and we want to know who this man is.

John's history is tragic, and his present is dangerous and precarious, but John has made the most of his situation, rising to a position of great power. It is his religion, Mithraism, that gives John the self-control to overcome his past and to perform his present duties. The Christian Empire allowed other religions as long as they were not too ostentatious.

The reader learns a lot about life in the sixth-century in the Empire's capital Constantinople. That is the fun of historical novels, and what the reader of historical novels enjoys. The amateur historian will not be disappointed! We get a real feel for what it was like to live in the walled city. For those less familiar with the times and people, be sure to read the Glossary before reading the novel. It provides most of the terms and historical people you need to know to appreciate the book.

Refreshing for me was John's attitude about slavery, since he "would not have employed a slave". But John is a man of his times, although not partaking of prostitution and pedophilia, he accepts it, along with the practice of men selling their daughters into sexual slavery in exchange for an ox. (You will see many similarities with some eastern nations today!). John was also a soldier, so he knows about the bloodlust that can overtake a man, and even relishes it at times.

There are some editing errors, some missing punctuation or punctuation errors, some fragmentary sentences, some missing words, but perhaps these have been edited out by now in the later editions and in the e-books.

The narration of the book is third-person limited. But we are not always limited to John's perspective. We get to inhabit the minds of men, women, and children, all convincingly done. This allows us to see how the other characters view John.

Who is John? What kind of man is he? Well, he is contemplative, mature, principled, modest, well-traveled, an ex-soldier, religious, tall, austere, handsome, from Crete. He is also a eunuch. The reader learns through the plot of the One for Sorrow why Eastern rulers employed eunuchs to run their administrations, and how eunuchs were made. We even get one suggested love scene for John.

The English is graceful and clear, the narration expert, the plotting solid, and the characters are believable. We get to meet the empress and emperor briefly. There is a very exciting finish to the story, and a nice summing-up for those not as clever as John, when he explains the events of the book to his "Watson". This book, and the series, is for lovers of historical fiction, for amateur historians, and for lovers of traditional mysteries.

Please read my full and illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews.
http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot...

[Lucinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

One for Sorrow (Poisoned Pen 1999) introduces John the Eunuch, Lord Chamberlain to the Emperor Justinian in Byzantium (Constantinople), capitol of the 6th century Roman Empire. When Leukos, the palace Keeper of the Plate, is found murdered in an alley, the emperor asks John to investigate. Leukos had consulted a traveling soothsayer the night of his death, and John is convinced that his death is more than a random mugging. Thomas, a knight from the court of King Arthur, has traveled to Constantinople in search of the Holy Grail, an unknown object that might be a cup or platter or stone. A guest at the same inn inhabited by the soothsayer, Thomas may be the last to have spoken to Leukos. Though the court is officially Christian, John continues to worship Mythras, the god of the soldier, and Thomas seems to also be a Mythran. Interesting characters, court intrigue, the conflict of religious beliefs, and a vivid historical setting provide a fascinating backdrop to the mystery and the unfolding of John’s own personal history.
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/R_A...

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this e-book several years ago along with quite a batch of books I had decided to try out, and back then they were free from Amazon. I had forgotten about the books because I dropped my first kindle in a museum in Ireland and that was the end of number one and favorite kindle. I think now this is around $5, not free any longer. I would not recommend it at that price, but then perhaps my book was early edition full of clumsy errors that may have been corrected by now. The book with two authors is choppy. Shouldn't two make it better? Anyway, I shall proceed to the second and then the third as they were available at the library and I was desperate to find historical fiction that was not too far off from true history. So far this is not up to what I hoped to find. I shall forge ahead and see if things got better. Fingers crossed and all of that.

[Vickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mysteries can be hard to write I would imagine. Believable story and characters the reader relates to. One set in the ancient past would be even more difficult with the research and not letting modern-isms get in the way.
Mary Reed and Eric Mayer did an amazing job with all that it took to make this an intriguing story and mystery.
John is the Lord Chamberlain to the Emperor Justinian, in charge of the Emperor's Christian court while John worships, dangerously, as a non-Christian. His friend, Leukos Keeper of the Plate, is found murdered. John investigates the many suspects as well as walking the fine line that is the royal court.
I empathized with John and enjoyed the peek into the past. I absolutely look forward to reading more of this series.

[BookAddict · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was sooo much fun. Lord Chamberlain John the Eunuch in the court of Justinius tries to unravel the mystery of his friends death and the Holy Grail all in one great romp in medieval Constantinople. But, don't mistake this completely for light reading -- there's serious history in here woven intricately with real and imagined characters.

If there is a downside it would be that I read this on my Kindle so didn't get to the glossary until the end when it may have been more helpful if I'd checked it out at the beginning.

Be careful with this one -- you'll want to go out and buy/read the rest of the series right away and then you really won't get anything done the rest of the summer.