Ten for Dying (John, the Lord Chamberlain Mysteries) - Hardcover

Reed, Mary

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1464202273 ISBN 13: 9781464202278

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 2014

Synopsis

548 CE, Constantinople. Emperor Justinian, distraught from the death of his wife, Empress Theodora, has exiled his longtime aide, John, the Lord Chamberlain. At the Church of the Holy Apostles, an Egyptian magician tries to raise the empress from the dead. As the unholy ceremony explodes into chaos, supposed demons vanish into the darkness with one of the city's holiest relics. Felix, Captain of the Palace Guard, is selected as John's successor and charged with finding the missing relic.

But before Felix's investigation even begins, someone deposits a corpse at his house. A botched attempt to dispose of the body leaves Felix looking suspect. To make matters worse, it seems as if half the city wants to possess the relic, see Felix dead - or both. If only Felix's friend, the shrewd John, were still in the city, but the former Lord Chamberlain has already sailed for Greece.

Now Felix enters a fight for his very survival, a crucible in which he cannot cannot tell friend from foe - or worldly dangers from the supernatural.

About this title

About the Author

The husband and wife team of Mary Reed and Eric Mayer published several short stories about John, Lord Chamberlain to Emperor Justinian, in mystery anthologies and in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine prior to 1999’s highly acclaimed first full length novel, One for Sorrow. Entries in the series have been honored by a Best Mystery Glyph Award, an honorable mention in the Glyph Best Book category, and was a finalist for the IPPY Best Mystery Award (Two For Joy), nominations for the Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award (Four For A Boy and Five For Silver), and a Glyph Award for Best Book Series (Five For Silver). The American Library Association’s Booklist Magazine named the Lord Chamberlain novels one of its four Best Little Known Series. Mary Reed & Eric Mayer also write under Eric Reed.

Review

"Reed and Mayer mix things up a bit with their 10th whodunit set in Constantinople during the reign of Emperor Justinian... [T]he chamberlain has been dismissed from his position, and decides to start a new life in Greece. That decision leaves his friend Felix, a captain of the palace guard, to solve a series of crimes. Bizarre circumstances surround the theft of a relic kept in the Church of the Holy Apostles: the thief left behind 30 frogs, sacred to an Egyptian god, and a scarab beetle on top of Theodora's sarcophagus. The case is complicated by witness reports of demons and Felix's discovery of a corpse, under potentially compromising circumstances." (Publishers Weekly)

About this edition

• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1464202273
• ISBN 13: 9781464202278
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 250