Seven for a Secret

For years, John, Lord Camberlain in the service of Emperor Justinian, has solved his problems by talking to the mosaic on his office wall. Zoe has never answered back, but her silent gaze has helped him. Never answered back, that is, until now. John is approached by a woman who claims to be the mysterious Zoe. Before they can meet, however, John discover's the woman's murdered body. The plague that recently hit Constantinople has faded, but there are plenty of other problems for a Lord Chamberlain to deal with... including constant plotting against the Emperor and his controversial wife, Theodora. As he investigates the murder, John runs into a number of disgruntled former officials, the author Procopius (who wrote 'The Secret Histories' detailing scandals of the Byzantine court), and learns that Zoe was actually Agnes, daughter of a disgraced former official. When John is attacked on the streets and his family threatened, he concludes that the murder is not an isolated event but somehow connected to a plot against the throne. The one rumor that seems both everywhere and constantly denied is that Theodora had a son before marrying Justinian and that this son is somewhere in the city. Authors Mary Reed and Eric Mayer continue their charming 'John the Eunuch' series with a story set amongst the depravity of the court, the ongoing religious conflict among Christian factions and between these factions and residual paganism and mostly-soldier followers of Mithra. John's investigation among the mosaic-makers, antiquities-dealers, eunuchs and court officials, actors and nunneries of Constantinople paint a vivid picture of this cosmopolitan city at a time when it seemed that perhaps the Roman Empire could be recreated with Constantinople, New Rome, at its center.

John, Lord Chamberlain to the Emperor Justinian in Constantinople, pursues a rather personal murder mystery when a girl claiming to be "Zoe" seeks to meet with him and then is found murdered. "Zoe" is John's name for a girl depicted in a mosaic on the wall of his study, whom he sometimes talks aloud to in order to think things out, so he's quite surprised to find that a real girl is claiming to be Zoe--particularly since he recognizes that she could very well be the model. He first needs to find out about the mosaic (created for the house's previous owner), and also who has gossiped about his private habit... and of course who the body actually is, and why she wished to speak with him. The mystery is intriguing... involving the past and the various nobles banished from the Palace, and possibly an old rumor about the Empress and maybe a plot against the Emperor. There is also a nice twist at the end. The setting of ancient Constantinople is particularly fun in this outing, since John is exploring the alley-ways of the Copper Market, full of beggars and merchants and prostitutes and actresses and holy men living on pillars. The truly Byzantine politics and intrigue and lifestyle of the city makes this series interesting.

Take a look at the wonderful cover of this book, and consider this quote from Ezra Pound: "The eyes of this dead lady speak to me." That's John the Eunuch's experience, too: the Lord Chamberlain to Justinian and the toxic Empress Theodora has found a safe and reliable confidante in the mosaic portrait of a girl he calls Zoë. Through the first six books in this series, Zoë--more than just a picture on a study wall-- has become real to the reader as well. So imagine how disconcerted John is to run into a young woman who claims to be the model for Zoë-- and how even more disconcerted he is to find her painted red and floating in an underground cistern, quite dead. Finding the truth about Zoë becomes first a quest and then something of an obsession with John, and obsessive quests seldom go smoothly. As always, authors Reed and Mayer weave a fund of information about religion, politics, and life in Byzantium and a vivid cast of characters into a story that will draw you in and leave you thinking. John's servant Peter, his beloved Cornelia, and his conflicted excubitor friend Felix (among others) are real and plausible to a 21st-century reader, yet consistently true to the understandings and assumptions of their time and station. And anyone who remembers their college days can probably call to mind a pedantic poet.... One definition of a good mystery is that it leaves the reader in dialog with the characters even after the book ends. Using that definition, after the strong and poignant ending of this story, I still have a few choice words for Theodora. I join other reviewers in hoping that there will be many more chances to enter the world of John the Eunuch.

In mid sixth century Constantinople, the lord chamberlain to Emperor Justinian, John the Eunuch, has found a confident whom he shares his concerns and issues though she does not speak back to him. Instead she is a young girl painted on a mosaic on his wall. He calls her Zoe. One day John is stunned as he sees his Zoe on the street. He introduces himself and she says her name is Zoe and that she was the model for that mural. John is stunned by her revelations and has doubts about her name; he ponders who overheard his discussions with the wall Zoe. However, before he can confront the woman, someone brutally murders her. John assumes to silence her so he investigates not realizing his past and the Empress Theodora are intermingled with the death of Zoe. John's investigation is clever and fun to follow, but like the previous six numbered tales, it is the insightful look at ancient history that makes SEVEN FOR A SECRET (and its predecessors) a great reading experience. John is at his best as each step he takes is dangerous and increasingly personal as he begins to unravel ties back to himself. Ancient historical mystery readers know the John the Eunuch tales are one of the best series on the market; and though the verse is finished with SEVEN FOR A SECRET, hopefully Mary Reed and Eric Mayer will write number eight for their fans. Harriet Klausner

This is the seventh mystery in the highly acclaimed John the Eunuch historical mystery series. But it can be read as a stand-alone novel, which is what I did. The series takes place in Constantinople during the turbulent reign of the Christian Emperor Justinian. John, who is indeed a eunuch, is Justinian's highly placed Lord Chamberlain. He's also a secret pagan, and he leads a precarious existence because the Empress Theodora, a psychopath of almost unlimited power, has taken a personal dislike to him. John is an interesting guy with an interesting military background: not your typical eunuch. In this book, he has another murder to investigate: a young woman who tried briefly to contact him. Could it connect to a possible conspiracy to overthrow Justinian? The mysterious woman is a possibly an actress-prostitute with connections to the disenfranchised demimonde who despise Justinian. Even more unsettling, the murder victim resembles a mosaic portrait on the wall of John's study of a little girl who was the daughter of the unfortunate tax-collector who owned the house before John did. Over the years, John has come to think of the little mosaic girl as almost a surrogate daughter to whom he confides his thoughts as he sits at night in his study, analyzing the complexities of his life in Justinian's court. So he has a personal motivation to solve this mystery. All of the strengths of this mystery series are evident in this latest book: the streamlined, concise writing; the vivid sensory details; and the colorful characters including irrepressible lawyer Anatolius, gruff captain of the imperial guard Felix, jaded brothel owner Isis, and Peter the disapproving but fiercely loyal servant to John. Those of you who enjoyed the recent Edgar-winning historical mystery The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin may even like this series better. Don't miss this latest book in a highly entertaining series.