Four for a Boy: A John, the Lord Chamberlain Mystery

This volume jumps back to 525 and relates the beginning of John's career from slave to Lord Chamberlain. I enjoy this series for the unusual historical setting in sixth century Constantinople with rich descriptions of life in the city on the Bosporus. John is teamed with Felix of the Palace guard who slowly begins to appreciate the slave's talents: "At least I know you can handle yourself in a fight." We meet the dying Justin, his successor Justinian, and Theodora who "does not enjoy the notion of Justinian being grateful to anyone except her."

This is the fourth case for John the Eunuch during the reign of Justinian I, following One for Sorrow, Two for Joy, and Three for a Letter. Except for a brief prologue, this one takes place long before the events of the first three books, when John was fairly new as a slave in Constantinople and very bitter about it. He was owned by the emperor (who was still Justinian's uncle Justin at the time) and worked for the Master of the Plate; he was on loan to the senator Opimius to teach his daughter Persian. Then a close friend of Opimius, Hypatius, is murdered in the Great Church (on the site where Justinian would later build the famous Hagia Sophia, but this was its predecessor that burned during the Nike riots), and Justinian commandeers John and Felix, an excubitor (palace guard) originally from Germany, to work with the head of the city guard to find the murderer. It's all very complex and political, but John ultimately solves the case and also uncovers a conspiracy against Justinian, for which he's manumitted. This series isn't as good as most of the other classical-era mysteries I've read (Lindsey Davis, David Wishart, John Maddox Roberts, Steven Saylor - about on a par with Saylor, but not as good as the others), but it's worth buying and keeping.

Reed and Mayer present a well-researched and fascinating peek at 6th century Constantinople. If you think soccer hooligans are dangerous, imagine them with swords and knives. Supporters of the "Blues" who support one team of chariot racers, terrorize the city and assasinate a well known philanthropist. Rumor start to fly that Justinian, already named succesor to Emporer Justin, is stirring up unrest to hurry the aging Caesar from the throne. John the eunuch and an imperial bodyguard are assigned to investigate by Justinian. Nothing is quite what it seems. Do the police authorities supress or cause the riots? Is Justinian ill or is he being poisoned? Is the father of the woman John tutors a patriot or a traitor? Is Justin demented or is he just pretending to be? Raging against his status of a slave and tormented by the memory of his forced , John is forced to unravel the lies and survive assination attempts. A compelling book.

The aging emperor, Justin, is increasingly infirm and his nephew and heir, Justinian, is sick. As a result, the city of Constantinople is convulsed by doubt and riots. The Blues (one of the racing factions that battled in the streets of the greatest city in the world) rule the streets, suppressed only by the police authorities who have become increasingly violent. When a rich man is murdered, the senators are quick to point the finger at Justinian. Justinian may be sick (he believes he's being poisoned), but he isn't stupid. He asks a slave, John the Eunuch, to help investigate. What John finds seems to point the finger more directly at Justinian. Because there is a conspiracy at work, and the victim seems to have been involved with the conspirators. Yet John, accompanied by the royal bodyguard, Felix, suspects that they are missing something. That suspicion becomes more deeply seated when John and Felix are nearly killed by professional assassins. Somehow, John has to get to the bottom of the mystery, ensure that the results don't reflect badly on his patron, and prevent riots from destroying the city. It's a lot to ask a slave. Authors Mary Reed and Eric Mayer write convincingly of Constantinople in one of its most famous and dangerous periods. Christianity is the legal religion, but pagan and Mithraism remain strong (if illegal) forces. Christianity itself is violently divided by clashing beliefs about the nature of Jesus's divinity--a clash that the Emperor must often play a role in healing. In a few years, Justinian will undertake his epic and doomed quest to restore the Roman Empire--but only if he can survive. Set fifteen years before the earlier novels in this series, FOUR FOR A BOY is both enjoyable and fascinating. Anyone interested in this critical timeframe, or interested in a good historical mystery, will want to read this book.