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Alexander The Great Mysteries #3
De Poorten van de hel
It is 334 B.C. Alexander and his troops have crossed into Asia and shattered the Persian army at the battle of the Granicus. Marching south he has conquered all in his path, including the great city of Ephesus. But he knows, and his enemies know, that the great prize is the city of Halicarnassus, strategically important and with fortifications to make any attacker despair. Alexander, by now famous as the "Great Besieger of Cities" must take Halicarnassus. The city has a link with his own past and his difficult relationship with his father; he needs to prove something to himself.
The city's commanders, Alexander's old enemy Memnon of Rhodes, the Persian Orontobates, and the Greek renegade, Ephialtes, plot to ensure that Alexander will meet his nemesis at their gates. Fortifications are redoubled and a trap is prepared. This time, surely, they will bring down the "Macedonian Wolf" and bring his dreams of conquest to nothing.
Alexander's court is set up close to the city, and his physician and boyhood friend Telamon is there. Even as Alexander brings up his troops for one of the most dramatic confrontations in the ancient world, a series of brutal killings begins, proving that the Persians have infiltrated the court. While his lord prepares for the fight of his life, Telamon enters a maelstrom of murder and intrigue. He must go through "The Gates of Hell" to find the traitors and protect Alexander - but all the while the evercunning Alexander keeps his counsel and pursues his own plans to foil his enemies.
302 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2003
14 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
About the author
Paul Doherty
236 books609 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
He has been published under several pseudonyms: P.C. Doherty, Celia L. Grace, Paul Harding, Ann Dukthas, Vanessa Alexander, Michael Clynes and Anna Apostolou but now writes only under his own name.
Paul Doherty was born in Middlesbrough (North-Eastern England) in 1946. He had the usual education before studying at Durham for three years for the Catholic priesthood but decided not to proceed. He went to Liverpool University where he gained a First Class Honours Degree in History and won a state scholarship to Exeter College, Oxford, whilst there he met his wife Carla Lynn Corbitt. He continued his studies but decided that the academic world was not for him and became a secondary school teacher.
Paul worked in Ascot, Nottingham and Crawley West Sussex before being appointed as Headmaster to Trinity Catholic School in September 1981. Trinity is a large comprehensive [1700 on roll] which teaches the full ability range, ages 11-18. The school has been described as one of the leading comprehensives in the U.K. In April, 2000 H. M. Inspectorate describe it as an 'Outstanding School', and it was given Beacon status as a Centre of Excellence whilst, in the Chief Inspector’s Report to the Secretary of State for January 2001, Trinity Catholic High School was singled out for praise and received a public accolade.
Paul’s other incarnation is as a novelist. He finished his doctorate on the reign of Edward II of England and, in 1987, began to publish a series of outstanding historical mysteries set in the Middle Age, Classical, Greek, Ancient Egypt and elsewhere. These have been published in the United States by St. Martin’s Press of New York, Edhasa in Spain, and Eichborn, Heyne, Knaur and others in Germany. They have also been published in Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, Romania, Estonia, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Bulgaria, Portugal and China, as well as Argentina and Mexico.
He has been published under several pseudonyms (see the bibliography): C. L. Grace, Paul Harding, Ann Dukthas and Anna Apostolou but now writes only under his own name. He recently launched a very successful series based around the life of Alexander the Great, published by Constable & Robinson in the U.K., and Carroll and Graf in the U.S.A., whilst his novels set in Ancient Egypt have won critical acclaim. Paul has also written several non-fiction titles; A Life of Isabella the She-wolf of France, Wife of Edward II of England, as well as study of the possible murder of Tutankhamun, the boy Pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, and a study on the true fate of Alexander the Great.
Paul and Carla live on the borders of London and Essex, not far from Epping Forest and six of their children have been through his own school. His wife Carla currently owns two horses and is training, for showing and dressage, a beautiful Arab filly named Polly.
Paul lectures for a number of organisations, particularly on historical mysteries, many of which later feature in his writings. A born speaker and trained lecturer Paul Doherty can hold and entertain audiences.
His one great ambition is to petition the Privy Council of England to open the Purbeck marble tomb of Edward II in Gloucester Cathedral. Paul believes the tomb does not house the body
He has been published under several pseudonyms: P.C. Doherty, Celia L. Grace, Paul Harding, Ann Dukthas, Vanessa Alexander, Michael Clynes and Anna Apostolou but now writes only under his own name.
Paul Doherty was born in Middlesbrough (North-Eastern England) in 1946. He had the usual education before studying at Durham for three years for the Catholic priesthood but decided not to proceed. He went to Liverpool University where he gained a First Class Honours Degree in History and won a state scholarship to Exeter College, Oxford, whilst there he met his wife Carla Lynn Corbitt. He continued his studies but decided that the academic world was not for him and became a secondary school teacher.
Paul worked in Ascot, Nottingham and Crawley West Sussex before being appointed as Headmaster to Trinity Catholic School in September 1981. Trinity is a large comprehensive [1700 on roll] which teaches the full ability range, ages 11-18. The school has been described as one of the leading comprehensives in the U.K. In April, 2000 H. M. Inspectorate describe it as an 'Outstanding School', and it was given Beacon status as a Centre of Excellence whilst, in the Chief Inspector’s Report to the Secretary of State for January 2001, Trinity Catholic High School was singled out for praise and received a public accolade.
Paul’s other incarnation is as a novelist. He finished his doctorate on the reign of Edward II of England and, in 1987, began to publish a series of outstanding historical mysteries set in the Middle Age, Classical, Greek, Ancient Egypt and elsewhere. These have been published in the United States by St. Martin’s Press of New York, Edhasa in Spain, and Eichborn, Heyne, Knaur and others in Germany. They have also been published in Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, Romania, Estonia, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Bulgaria, Portugal and China, as well as Argentina and Mexico.
He has been published under several pseudonyms (see the bibliography): C. L. Grace, Paul Harding, Ann Dukthas and Anna Apostolou but now writes only under his own name. He recently launched a very successful series based around the life of Alexander the Great, published by Constable & Robinson in the U.K., and Carroll and Graf in the U.S.A., whilst his novels set in Ancient Egypt have won critical acclaim. Paul has also written several non-fiction titles; A Life of Isabella the She-wolf of France, Wife of Edward II of England, as well as study of the possible murder of Tutankhamun, the boy Pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, and a study on the true fate of Alexander the Great.
Paul and Carla live on the borders of London and Essex, not far from Epping Forest and six of their children have been through his own school. His wife Carla currently owns two horses and is training, for showing and dressage, a beautiful Arab filly named Polly.
Paul lectures for a number of organisations, particularly on historical mysteries, many of which later feature in his writings. A born speaker and trained lecturer Paul Doherty can hold and entertain audiences.
His one great ambition is to petition the Privy Council of England to open the Purbeck marble tomb of Edward II in Gloucester Cathedral. Paul believes the tomb does not house the body
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 23, 2024
Sorry to.get to the end.
I wonder if this series would have continued on it not for the.death of the author. We are at the siege of Halicarnassus in this book. Each book deals with a great military victory for Alexander in his campaign against Persia while his close friend and personal physician Telamon, solves a murder mystery. Surrounded by spies and intrigue with Alexander as the.master manipulator at the centre of it all. I really, really enjoyed these books I especially likes Cassandra, Telamon's companion and aide, she's so acerbic, loved her....................
I wonder if this series would have continued on it not for the.death of the author. We are at the siege of Halicarnassus in this book. Each book deals with a great military victory for Alexander in his campaign against Persia while his close friend and personal physician Telamon, solves a murder mystery. Surrounded by spies and intrigue with Alexander as the.master manipulator at the centre of it all. I really, really enjoyed these books I especially likes Cassandra, Telamon's companion and aide, she's so acerbic, loved her....................
July 23, 2022
A series of brutal murders in Alexander's camp as he prepares to take the strategically important city of Halicarnassus has his physician Telamon investigating an increasingly complex tangle of death and intrigue.
Like the first in the series (I have yet to read the second), this was an entertaining read though not exactly a pageturner. Using the Greek alphabet for the cipher certainly would have made more sense.
Like the first in the series (I have yet to read the second), this was an entertaining read though not exactly a pageturner. Using the Greek alphabet for the cipher certainly would have made more sense.
July 2, 2018
A death in Alexander's camp during an important campaign to take Halicarnassus causes Telemon, the general's physician, to investigate. Ciphers, espionage, and political posturing ensue before the culprit is caught.
November 13, 2020
Like others in this series, this isn't a book for cozy mystery lovers and those who don't want a close look at the gritty realities of conquest and warfare. But if you're willing to take the times as they were, this is a good read.
October 29, 2017
A compelling historical mystery. Full review at classicmystery.wordpress.com
July 20, 2019
Real history
This was an enjoyable story based on real history ,a lot of it I never knew about,I read it in two days,Excellent
This was an enjoyable story based on real history ,a lot of it I never knew about,I read it in two days,Excellent
March 7, 2016
This is the second book about Alexander and his physician that I've read, and it was interesting in terms of historical content. I don't know all that much about Alexander's exact campaigns, only the broader history.
In this novel, Alexander lays siege to the coastal city of Halicarnassus, one of the last ports Persia controls before heading inland to destroy his ancestral foes. The deeds of his past, such as the razing of Thebes, haunt Alexander, as does his father's death. As he prepares to attack, the strange coded message of famed architect Pythius may hold the secret to a weakness in the city's walls. Meanwhile, murders among the Macedonian camp begin to reveal a strange plot, spies within their midst, and a dark secret from the past.
I enjoyed the book as it was revealed, but I had to downgrade the rating slightly because of some poor editing issues (several points were repeated wholesale by different characters as if the author forgot what he'd said earlier or thought maybe we had), and the use of English characters to explain the code, down to using 26 letters in the alphabet (greek alphabet has 24). Other anachronisms popped up, which were jarring to me. Overall a great mystery well developed and delivered and an interesting story, despite the flaws.
In this novel, Alexander lays siege to the coastal city of Halicarnassus, one of the last ports Persia controls before heading inland to destroy his ancestral foes. The deeds of his past, such as the razing of Thebes, haunt Alexander, as does his father's death. As he prepares to attack, the strange coded message of famed architect Pythius may hold the secret to a weakness in the city's walls. Meanwhile, murders among the Macedonian camp begin to reveal a strange plot, spies within their midst, and a dark secret from the past.
I enjoyed the book as it was revealed, but I had to downgrade the rating slightly because of some poor editing issues (several points were repeated wholesale by different characters as if the author forgot what he'd said earlier or thought maybe we had), and the use of English characters to explain the code, down to using 26 letters in the alphabet (greek alphabet has 24). Other anachronisms popped up, which were jarring to me. Overall a great mystery well developed and delivered and an interesting story, despite the flaws.
September 27, 2015
Esta novela contiene más acción que las anteriores (The House of Death y The Godless Man). Las batallas libradas frente a las murallas de Halicarnaso, el ambiente del campamento militar, y los asesinatos (en varias tandas) que tienen lugar en la villa se suman para conformar una narración rápida con mucho gancho. A ello se añade el mayor peso tomado por Memnón y Efialtes (griegos contrarios a Alejandro) que se encuentran defendiendo Halicarnaso. Memnón podría ser un enemigo a la altura del macedonio.
September 20, 2014
I liked this book. It's a good historical fiction/detective story, with a great asset: the period of time and Alexander the Great.
Even if it's not a biography but a novel, I have found the way Paul Doherty describe the life of Alexander the great really interesting.
And above all the military campaign.
The detective story itself is well written and I didn't guess who was the murderer.
I'm looking forward reading the two other books about Alexander the Great.
Even if it's not a biography but a novel, I have found the way Paul Doherty describe the life of Alexander the great really interesting.
And above all the military campaign.
The detective story itself is well written and I didn't guess who was the murderer.
I'm looking forward reading the two other books about Alexander the Great.
February 13, 2015
Another great story
As usual Doherty blends interesting characters, a historical event, and an intriguing premise into a very enjoyable story. My only criticism is the use of the English alphabet instead of the Greek while attempting to crack the code. Fans of this genre can handle a matrix of Greek letters.
As usual Doherty blends interesting characters, a historical event, and an intriguing premise into a very enjoyable story. My only criticism is the use of the English alphabet instead of the Greek while attempting to crack the code. Fans of this genre can handle a matrix of Greek letters.
November 19, 2007
INteresting. More fantasy than historical fiction ... but is fun to read and there is always something new to learn. Go for it!
Want to read
May 20, 2011rec: Rapp
December 9, 2011
Well-written, as always with this author, but less fascinating than most of his books. Well-researched as always!
March 13, 2012
One of his series about Alexander the Great - this is another good read.
November 25, 2013
Alexander the Great...eternal hero
September 1, 2024
I did not find this as interesting as his Roman mysteries. It could be that the style is now repetitive for me (every book looks the same) but also maybe the Roman Empire is more interesting
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews