Nine for the Devil (John, the Lord Chamberlain Mysteries) - Hardcover

Reed, Mary; Mayer, Eric

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1590589947 ISBN 13: 9781590589946

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 2012

Synopsis

"[A] spot-on recreation of the political and bureaucratic climate of the times." ―Publishers Weekly STARRED review

The year is 548 and Empress Theodora is dead. Emperor Justinian suspects murder and orders John, his Lord Chamberlain, to find her killer or suffer the consequences. Many aristocrats at the imperial court had reason to want Theodora dead. General Artabanes, Justinian's cousin Germanus, and Antonina and her husband General Belisarius have suffered at Theodora's hands. Might Gaius, palace physician, have tampered with Theodora's medication? Even Pope Vigilius, detained in the capital by a religious controversy, is not above suspicion.

Meanwhile, John must also grapple with domestic upheavals. His daughter is about to give birth and his aging servant Peter is dying. Will John be able to serve justice, his loved ones, and the emperor?

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

"The puzzle is challenging enough to keep readers searching for clues, but the triumph of the authors lies in their spot-on recreation of the political and bureaucratic climate of the times." (starred review) (Publishers Weekly)

"The authors once again make the Byzantine Empire vibrant and nuanced." (Library Journal)

"More complex and colorful than any Byzantine mosaic, Nine for the Devil by Mary Reed and Eric Mayer, will sweep you back into the cruel intrigue-ridden court of the Emperor Justinian, where treachery and murder linger behind every shadowed column of the imperial palace in Constantinople." (Robin Burcell, New York Times bestselling author)

"Twisty plotting, fabulous dialogue, and aristocratic backstabbing drew me into this clever plot (Who killed an Empress who showed no signs of being murdered?) and I could not stop reading until I watched master problem-solver John dance his way out of the deadly wrath of his grieving emperor." (Jerrilyn Farmer, bestselling author of the Madeline Bean mysteries)

About this edition

• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1590589947
• ISBN 13: 9781590589946
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 250