Three for a Letter: A John the Eunuch Mystery [Hardcover]

Mary Reed (Author), Eric Mayer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2001

High jinx in the imperial court mixes with lowlife in Constantinople's mean streets...
"If the perfect historical mystery is one that uses the past to let us see the present from a new angle, then this is darned close to being the perfect historical mystery."--Booklist (starred review for Two for Joy)
It is 539 AD and as the reconquest of Italy draws toward its close, a pair of eight-year old twins descended from the last Ostrogothic king have become valuable pawns in Emperor Justinian's plans to restore the glory of Rome. Unfortunately, during the performance of a play at a banquet honoring the two young diplomatic hostages, death makes an entrance and claims one brother.
Then Empress Theodora's favorite mime vanishes and John, Lord Chamberlain to Justinian, is ordered to find both the missing mime and the murderer.
In this third John the Eunuch novel, his investigations are hampered by squabbling courtiers, servants harboring social ambitions, an eccentric host, and an egotistic inventor, not to mention the complications posed by a herd of prophesying goats and a protective whale. His friends the Mithran Anatolius and the excubitor captain Felix only add to John's worries when they fall under the spell of two ambitious women. Can the trio avoid Theodora's wrath as they work to protect a child and stop a heartless killer? It is uncertain whether the solution lies within the villa where all have assembled or back in Constantinople--or in some other world altogether.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

John, Lord Chamberlain to the Emperor Justinian, continues his sixth-century A.D. adventures in this third worthy installment (following One for Sorrow and Two for Joy), in which nimble wits are required not to keep one's job but to keep one's head. John's position is particularly fragile since Justinian's support is notoriously fickle and his consort, the beautiful and dangerous Theodora, despises John. When an entertainment devised for Theodora results in the death of a young royal hostage and the disappearance of Barnabas, the empress's favorite dwarf, John is once again charged with the difficult and delicate task of ferreting out the truth. He is also charged with protecting the life of the remaining hostage, eight-year-old Sunilda, a task made even more daunting by the child's recklessness. Set not in Constantinople but on the nearby estate of a wealthy noble, the authors' latest mystery combines a finely nuanced historical background with a plot of great subtlety. The details of daily life, from food and food preparation to the care and writing of manuscripts, enhance the action. And the ongoing struggle between Christianity (Justinian's state religion) and the pagan rites that play a central role in the plot is particularly well drawn. If there's any flaw it's that John, while a sympathetic protagonist, is too self-contained to really arouse the reader's passions. Nonetheless, those who appreciate strong historical backgrounds and solid plotting will get their money's worth. The Byzantine mosaic art on the jacket is a real plus.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Return with us now to sixth-century Constantinople (A.D. 539, to be precise), where two politically important, eight-year-old twins are key players in Emperor Justinian's plans to resurrect the crumbling Roman Empire. However, the emperor's plans seem doomed when one of the twins is murdered. Enter John the Eunuch, the emperor's Lord Chamberlain, to save the day and, he hopes, the empire. This is the third John the Eunuch novel (after One for Sorrow, 1999, and Two for Joy, 2000), and it continues the authors' record of creating near-perfect historical mysteries. These novels are charming mixtures of humor, intrigue, and period detail. Like Ellis Peters and Lindsey Davis (whose own novels are also set in Roman times, although centuries earlier), Reed and Mayer have a solid grasp of the era they are writing about. This helps them avoid the all-too-common failing of historical mysteries: lecturing. It's easy to tell a reader all sorts of things about a particular historical period; it's a lot harder to know what not to tell. Characters in the John the Eunuch novels don't spend time telling each other things they already know, for the benefit of the reader: Reed and Mayer educate us in more subtle ways, and we're having so much fun following the story that we don't even realize we're learning things. An excellent entry in an excellent series. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; 1st edition (December 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890208825
• ISBN-13: 978-1890208820
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,122,687 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Professional Reviewers Know Their Stuff, November 16, 2003

By 

Kitty - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three for a Letter (Paperback)

I agree with Ms. Mehl, whose excellent review of this book matches those of the other professional reviewers, from Publishers Weekly and Booklist, noted elsewhere on this page -- reviewers who, presumably, aim to offer informed, helpful opinions. The novel is fascinating, with a wealth of detail and plot twists and an ending that is rather startling.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Murder in the Countryside, January 19, 2004

By 

W. S. McKenzie (Albuquerque, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Three for a Letter (Paperback)

John is again on the high wire without a net. He is still Justinian's trusted Lord Chamberlain and still Empress Theodora waits for an opportunity to eliminate him: ". . . the Lord Chamberlain and his head should part company as soon as possible."

The story is set in 539 when Justinan's brilliant general Belisarius is besieging the Ostrogoth capital of Ravenna. Two young potential heirs to the Ostrogoth throne are guests on Zeno's estate outside of Constantinople and one turns up dead. Theodora directs John to solve the crime and he knows he must do so or feel the wrath of "imperial whim".

As John puzzles out the mystery, Mary Reed and Eric Mayer treat us to descriptions of estate life in the country and to theatrical production with a Greek mechanic who creates "automations". The unusual time and settings continue to make this historical mystery series a treat to read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Home Run!, March 8, 2003

By 

BJ Harper - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three for a Letter: A John the Eunuch Mystery (Hardcover)

This book has it all....depth, character development, writing style, creativity. It is another great offering from its creative and incredible authors.

The character of John is intriguing and the research behind this super series is flawless.

I love this series and can hardly wait for the next one!

Don't miss this!