The Gates of Hell: A Mystery of Alexander the Great [Hardcover]

Paul Doherty (Author)

Book Description

Series: Doherty, P. C. | Publication Date: July 2003

Spurred by dreams of conquest but dogged by treachery, the volatile young Alexander has set his ambitious eyes on the prize city of Halicarnassus in this new novel by Paul Doherty—a writer who offers what Publishers Weekly calls "a rare example of historical fiction that isn't overloaded with history and doesn't give suspense short shrift." It is 334 B.C. Exultant with victory, Alexander is marching south to Halicarnassus, a city of treasures and an ancestry that links the bold but superstitious conqueror to his assassinated father's past. Outside the city, at the farmstead where Alexander's court and commanders set up camp, a series of gruesome murders draws the great warrior's trusted friend, the physician Telamon, into a search for Persian spies operating inside the Macedonian ranks and reaping a bloody harvest through intrigue, terror, and sabotage. And on the other side of the famous Triple Gate in the city's fortified walls, three formidable enemies—the Lion Darius's commander-in-chief Memnon of Rhodes, the Persian satrap Orontobates, and the Greek renegade Ephialtes—lay the trap they have cunningly devised to make this battle Alexander's hellish last.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 334 B.C., Alexander the Great's march toward world conquest halts before the formidable battlements of Halicarnassus in the third installment of British author Doherty's riveting historical series featuring the sleuthing of Telamon the physician. Scholars race to decipher the enigmatic Pythian Manuscript, which holds the secrets of a fatal weakness in the city's defenses, as well as the location of a fabulous treasure, while spies haunt the Macedonians' camp and counter-spies lurk within the walled fortress. The body of the scribe Pamenes is found on the pavement below his locked room, the so-called ghost-chamber (whose floorboards creak like a ship's rigging when walked upon), and Telamon must decide if his death is accident or murder. Soon other more obvious murders occur, including another body found strangled in the ghost-chamber (even the mysterious death of the villa's cat!). Amid the battles and siege of the city, crucifixion of captured spies and dispatching of soldiers whose wounds cannot be cured, the physician keeps to his investigations. "I cannot explain the deaths of thousands. I can only concentrate on the task in hand. It keeps me sane." Telamon, who wasn't quite a dominant element in the previous novels (The House of Death and The Godless Man), comes to full literary life in these pages, as the prolific Doherty moves masterfully from a terrifically atmospheric prologue through the fiery fall of Halicarnassus. As usual with this assured writer, the solution to the crimes is extremely satisfying.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Doherty, noted master of the medieval mystery, reaches further back in time to continue his intriguing series of novels revolving around the military exploits of Alexander the Great and the behind-the-scenes adventures of Telamon, his boyhood friend and personal physician. When Alexander's determination to invade and conquer Halicarnassus, a city inextricably linked to his infamous father, is threatened by an unsettling series of murders within his own inner circle, Telamon must use his considerable powers of detection in order to uncover a treasonous plot linked to the legendary Pythian manuscript. The manuscript, a cipher purported to reveal both the hidden stronghold secreting a great treasure and a strategically crucial weakness within the fortified walls of the city, holds the ultimate key to the treachery plaguing the Macedonian ranks. Another intelligent whodunit steeped in both suspense and martial history. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; First Edition edition (July 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786711574
• ISBN-13: 978-0786711574
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,128,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Doherty continues his Alexander quest, September 17, 2003

By 

Billy J. Hobbs "Bill Hobbs" (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Gates of Hell: A Mystery of Alexander the Great (Hardcover)

In this, the third of his series with Alexander the Great as his featured subject, PaulDoherty appears to have grasped the atmosphere, the spirit of the times, and the aura of royal intrigue of 334 BC.

Alexander has now marched to the outskirts of Halicarnassus, the most formidable fortress city on the Persian-held coast. Alexander has already met--and routed--the forces of King Darius in an earlier battle but he has not defeated the Persians, yet. This city appears to be the thorn in his side (after all, he'd already solved the Gordian Knot puzzle!). Enter Doherty to make this scene his own in "The Gates of Hell."

This is a historical mystery and the premise that you have to have a dead (or missing) body arises early and Alexander's personal sleuths Telamon the physician and his lovely and willing (but, so far, not in THAT way) assistant Cassandra must pit their skills and brains against yet another dangerous murderer. As readers of the previous two in the series know, Telamon is a companion of Alexander's from his childhood, as well as his personal and trusted physician.

Again (for Doherty), it's another "locked room" death and, once again, the author solves the unsolvable.At the base of all this intrigue is the Pythian Manuscript, believed to hold the secret
of capturing Halicarnassus (among other things). To decipher would be the triumph of the time, or so one is told. It is written in such a secret code that, so far, the top cryptologists have been unable to get anywhere.

Alas, the first body is that of young Pamenes, who's found dead in his locked room and Telamon begins his work. Of course, it is not long before other murders are committed, a plethora of "clues" is presented, and the solution seems impossible.

Along the way, Doherty has treated us to a welcomed accounting of the men and the times, brutality and beauty alike. The author's penchant for historical detail is a plus. Doherty's mysteries generally run predictable but that does not take away from the satisfaction of reading him. He does seem more comfortable in his English mysteries, but "The Gates of Hell" shows great maturity and his many, many fans will add this
to their favorites. ([e-mail])

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Put the head in a basket and send it to the king.", September 2, 2003

By 

Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Gates of Hell: A Mystery of Alexander the Great (Hardcover)

It is 334 B.C., and Memnon of Rhodes, a mercenary, has been appointed Governor of Lower Asia by King Darius of Persia. Memnon's mission is to prevent Alexander the Great of Macedon from taking the important Persian city of Halicarnassus as easily as he has taken other Persian cities in his southward march through Asia Minor. With vivid sense imagery and a keen eye for detail, Doherty brings color and drama to the maneuvering by both sides as they get ready for the siege of Halicarnassus, a city of strategic importance, which overlooks the Aegean and the Greek islands.

Using primary sources for much of his research, Doherty recreates the story of this ferocious and bloody battle. Ignoring the lofty, epic rhetoric of classic battles, he chooses instead a conversational tone, creating a sense of urgency and rapid movement in the narrative which matches the speed and drama of the action. His research, however serious it might be, is fully integrated into an exciting story, not imposed upon it, and gives a sense of harsh reality to events. His characters on both sides are memorable despite their large number, and his stunning descriptions of costume, customs, weaponry, and the frenzy of battle keep the reader almost breathless with anticipation.

While the battle rages, both sides try to decipher a mysterious manuscript by Pythias, the architect of the walls around Halicarnassus, in which he supposedly reveals a secret weakness in the walls and the location of a treasure. Scribes and cryptographers work non-stop, the breaking of the code providing an underlying motive for a series of murders which take place within the battle drama. The murder mystery adds intrigue and excitement to the historical setting, but it is the siege itself, and the details of the war, which really bring the narrative to life. Catapults turning men and horses into torches, and the euthanasia of wounded men and horses convey the brutality of warfare, while the formality of movements and the parades of warriors in battle dress show the choreography within this brutality. In this testament of one of Alexander's most ferocious battles, the reader sees that though he can be brutal and quixotic, "Alexander has a genius. He seems to have been touched by fortune." Mary Whipple

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A complex addition to the series, August 1, 2003

By 

ilmk "ilmk" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gates of Hell: A Mystery of Alexander the Great (Hardcover)

The third of Doherty's Alexander mysteries finds the son of Philip II preparing to attack Halicarnassus. Firmly ensconced in the city is the Persian 'triumvirate' of Memnon of Rhodes, the Persian satrap Orontobates, and the Greek renegade Ephialtes who are preparing the city against the coming assault.
Having been informed that the city is impregnable we learn of the Pythian manuscript whose encryption hides the secret to Halicarnassus' achilles heel. Both sides are racing to translate it.

Into the mix steps Telamon and Cassandra, tasked with project managing the decipherment effort for Alexander. The Persians have their master cryptanalyst, the Eunuch, a master-forger. However, before we can delve too deeply, Pamenes, Lord Mithra's Persian spy and on the code-breaking team of Queen Ada, is found murdered.
After the Persians raid Alexander's villa to steal Parmenes corpse and protect the identity of a spy who is supplying them with all Alexander's plans, it becomes evident that Pamenes was on the verge of cracking the code.. . the only problem with this is that for Doherty the code seems to be using english letters and there are several references to a twenty-six letter alphabet (all very inaccurate, but you can see the author's problem with introducing a code based on the Greek)
There is a fairly curious technical plot method here as we follow the actions of each side, then switch to follow the thought process of the other side as they puzzle out how and why the other side acted. It does, essentially, double the writing required for the action as it is really a regurgitation of what has previously happened. Still...past Chapter Five we move into a series of feints at the Harlicarnassus walls. Some time is spent describing the tactics Alexander used, but it is mainly used as a vehicle to emphasize that the defenders are somehow in constant possession of Alexander's military tactics.
Two more deaths then result, those of the Mageros and his daughter at the villa (plus Pamenes' cat). Telamon steers us to a sense of unease about Sarpedon (in charge of the security of the cryptoanalysts), the overtly thespian Gentius (whose presence enables Doherty to indulge in his favourite pastime of quoting various Greek authors - as he has done in the previous novels) and his implied-promiscuous wife Demertara, all the whilst teasing out the true facts as to the cryptanalysts movements on the night before and morning of Pamenes death. By page 200 of the hardback Constable version Telamon spends a page neatly summing all the questions he has now to answer. From here there are several more deaths, the most prominent being Demerata (though it's fairly obvious - and Doherty has Telamon solve it extremely rapidly - it was Gentius in a fit of passionate rage), Telamon experiments with theory after theory to determine how the spy was getting information to Memnon, the Eunuch is murdered and civil unrest inside Harlicarnassus forces the Persians to take to the open field in battle. Eventually, Telamon solves the somewhat simplistic code of Pythias, reveals the secret to gaining the city (which Alexander knew already) and participates in the storming.
Thereafter a quick return to the villa of Cybele reveals the spy and Telamon explains all in his denouement, following his usual process of granting a quick death to the guilty party in return for details of where the treasure is. Doherty's style of ancient murder mystery rolls along nicely, it is not overly heavy on characterisation, historicity or plot, but tends to focus somewhat on complexity of mystery, with his usual cryptic puzzle thrown in along the way. Whilst it is not in quite the same leagues as a Saylor or Davis, perhaps, if you're a fan of the genre the third Telamon mystery is worth the time.