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John the Eunuch #5
Five for Silver
DEATH IN BYZANTIUM: At the heart of what is left of the Roman Empire, lies a city simmering with intrigue & treachery. Amid this maelstrom stands John, a slave who has risen to become the right hand of Justinian, the greatest of Byzantium's emperors. With violence and murder commonplace, it is John's skills as an investigator that the Emperor prizes the most.
FIVE FOR SILVER: The year is 542 and plague ravages Constantinople. Amidst the chaos, John the Lord Chamberlain is on the trail of a murderer. Peter, John's elderly servant, has an angelic vision telling him a close friend has been murdered, and asks John to find the killer. It transpires that Peter's old friend has indeed been stabbed, but the victim was not what he appeared. In a city being emptied by plague, it's hard to find evidence, but John establishes a possible connection. Only a man of unbending principle could hope to find justice in a terrified city where the good and the bad are struck down indiscriminately, where disorder rules, and where witnesses may die before they can be questioned.
FIVE FOR SILVER: The year is 542 and plague ravages Constantinople. Amidst the chaos, John the Lord Chamberlain is on the trail of a murderer. Peter, John's elderly servant, has an angelic vision telling him a close friend has been murdered, and asks John to find the killer. It transpires that Peter's old friend has indeed been stabbed, but the victim was not what he appeared. In a city being emptied by plague, it's hard to find evidence, but John establishes a possible connection. Only a man of unbending principle could hope to find justice in a terrified city where the good and the bad are struck down indiscriminately, where disorder rules, and where witnesses may die before they can be questioned.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2004
11 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Mary Reed
36 books24 followersLibrarian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 11, 2017
The plague must be the main character of this installment. The look of it, the smell of it, the sheer horror of it. Yes. Having finished the book I can still remember the plague. But the plot..?
The plot was so pointless I kept forgetting it while turning from one page to another. It simply would not stick, however hard I tried. Instead I struggled to find a speck of interest in other things, like Anatolius' romantic endeavors, but it was no use. The story was as dull as dodo droppings.
One measly anorexic star to a book so meager and thin that it seemed endless. An oxymoron you say? Yeah. I sure was an oxy moron for not quitting halfway in. I could of have read something more exciting instead. Like the telephone directory.
(Six more installments to go, binge bought. Oh, deary, deary me! I'm beginning to dread this!)
The plot was so pointless I kept forgetting it while turning from one page to another. It simply would not stick, however hard I tried. Instead I struggled to find a speck of interest in other things, like Anatolius' romantic endeavors, but it was no use. The story was as dull as dodo droppings.
One measly anorexic star to a book so meager and thin that it seemed endless. An oxymoron you say? Yeah. I sure was an oxy moron for not quitting halfway in. I could of have read something more exciting instead. Like the telephone directory.
(Six more installments to go, binge bought. Oh, deary, deary me! I'm beginning to dread this!)
June 7, 2013
I am enjoying this series, and gradually catching up on them. Can't remember where I first saw them mentioned, but the setting is beautifully done, and I like the way in which John's background is gradually filling in
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews