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Title: Two for Joy by Mary Reed, Eric Mayer ISBN: 1-890208-76-0 Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press Pub. Date: October, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Flames on the Bosphoros
Comment: This time John must divine the cause of stylites suddenly bursting into flames. Is it a godly punishment for blasphemy or the work of sinister plotters? John, Lord Chamberlain in sixth-century Byzantium, must solve the mystery, save his friend Anatolius from execution, keep the city from being destroyed by a panic stricken populace and keep his own head from being detached from his body.
Mary Reed and Eric Mayer bring Justinian and his empress Theodora to life though John's eyes: "Caught unawares, she was simply a short attractive woman, her complexion carefully lightened by chalk, her deep set eyes accentuated by artful application of kohl, as if she depended upon enticement to work her will, rather than command." Theodora sees herself as the power behind the throne and John must step carefully as he serves Justinian and protects the empire.
As in the previous volume, the authors take us to the shores of the Bosphoros and present life in the ancient city. Philo, once John's instructor at the Athens academy, incidentally introduces a board game called shatranj: ". .. something to do with trapping your opponent's king." This sort of historical color, along with the mystery, make this series an entertaining read.
Rating: 5
Summary: Amazing!
Comment: This book is an outstanding mystery with plot turns as intricate as Byzantium's court intrigue and with such seamless detail the reader cannot tell what is fiction and what history. I call it amazing because the reader is not only swept into the larger currents of life as the old gods fell to the new but also such minute detail, one is living it with the characters. The pacing is excellent for an exciting read and the sense of place beautifully crafted. I seldom read historical mysteries; I'm delighted I made an exception here. Mari Ulmer, Taos, NM
Rating: 2
Summary: What's the buzz...
Comment: I'm sorry I don't share the enthusiasm of previous reviewers about this book. I borrowed it at the library because I liked the cover (by the way, I looked in vain in the book for a reference to the jacket illustration) and I was intrigued to read a plot about Justinian's and Theodora's court. I found the book hard to read because it's not well written (and has many typos), it's difficult to get attached to any single one of its many characters, and the style of the descriptions really failed to put me in the picture. Three religions are "described" in the book: Orthodox Christianity, Heretic Christianity, and Mithraism, but you'll be hard pressed to know what each stands for after reading THIS book... I finished reading it only because I was hoping it would get better in the end--no such luck!
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Title: Four for a Boy: A John the Eunuch Mystery by Mary Reed, Eric Mayer ISBN: 1590580311 Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press Pub. Date: February, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Germanicus Mosaic by Rosemary Rowe ISBN: 0747261016 Publisher: Trafalgar Square Pub. Date: September, 1999 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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Title: The Tribune's Curse: SPQR VII by John Maddox Roberts ISBN: 0312304889 Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur Pub. Date: 05 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Germanicus: A Marcus Corvinus Mystery by David Wishart ISBN: 0340825316 Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: A Pattern of Blood by Rosemary Rowe ISBN: 0747261024 Publisher: Headline Book Pub Ltd Pub. Date: September, 2002 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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