3.5*

A good mystery set in the time of Justinian at Constantinople (~550 A.D.). I liked the setting and the main character John, Lord Chamberlain for Justinian. ( )

I was disappointed in this - I was quite looking forward to it because of the historical setting charged with religious complexity. But, although the background bits were great, I never cared that much for any of the characters. And I didn't like the ending.

I might try the next one from the library, in hopes that the characters will develop in more interesting ways. But I don't have high hopes. ( )

A good mystery set in the time of Justinian at Constantinople (~550 A.D.). I liked the setting and the main character John, Lord Chamberlain for Justinian. ( )

Rating: 3.25* of five

The Book Description: Byzantium, capitol of the 6th century Roman Empire, simmers a rich stew of creeds, cultures, and citizens with a sprinkling of cutthroats and crimes. John, Emperor Justinian’s Lord Chamberlain, supervises a Christian court while himself observing the rites of Mithra. Thomas, a knight from Britain; Ahasuerus, a soothsayer; and two ladies from Crete stir up events and old memories for John, who must discover how the visitors link to the death of a treasury official.

My Review: First Mystery Novel Syndrome: Introduce characters, drop them for north of two chapters, come back and explain why they're game-changers, drop them for north of two chapters, and then shuffle them off-stage unceremoniously.

Then kill people the main character doesn't much care about, and make them part of the final solution.

Describe dead bodies in such a way that the savvy mysterian will be wondering why the sleuth doesn't spot something immediately; explain this away with Backstory Stress Disorder.

Set your story in a transitional time in history, which allows you to do interesting things with characters' beliefs and ideas. Skate along the surface of this possibility. Offer simultaneously a little too much and nowhere near enough of the tensions this would naturally create between the characters, instead of within them.

But in the end, after getting past the utterly urpsome description of a man being gelded, this first mystery in an ongoing series is just on the knife-edge of good enough to keep me going. ( )

I debated whether to include this book in my library as my intention is only to include books I like a fair bit (there are and will be exceptions).

As a novel it didn't quite work for me. Most of the ingredients are there, but in my opinion more polishing was needed both in plotting and character development, and in the writing itself.

However there is enough of interest in the book--the setting, which is well wrought overall, and what is learned about that world, as well as some evocative writing. If you have an interest in the era it might be worth your reading it. If you are looking for a really good mystery or a seamless escape from daily life, there is too much that doesn't quite come together in this book. Still, it is not far off the mark. ( )