John is accosted by a woman claiming to be the original of a mosaic portrait in his house. She asks him to meet her the next day but when he arrives at the meeting place, he only finds a corpse with its head bashed in, only recognisable from the tatoo on its wrist. Of course he looks for the murderer, who seems to be involved with a group of disgraced courtiers who may or may not be a threat to the regime.

Lots of twists and turns that certainly left me confused. ( )

Another John the Eunuch mystery set in Justinian's Constantinople. Not as good as some others in this series; much was contrived, as you'd expect based on Procopius, the old gossip and rumormonger. This mystery brought together a woman who claims to be the model for the mosaic girl in John's study and who is murdered then thrown down a cistern and dyed red as an attempt to conceal her identity and to obliterate a tattoo on her wrist. John feels he must investigate the death as in a way it touches him personally. There are several more bodies as the story progresses. The novel brings together a stylite, several eccentric shopkeepers [sundial maker, antiquities seller, dyer], the putative illegitimate son of Theodora, and a cabal planning a coup against the royal couple.

John's a fascinating character; the others felt as though they were merely foils who played off of him. The author's done her research, but the style was a bit arid and events were often implausible. You do get a good feel for Constantinopolitan life. The author is nothing if not original. ( )

I thoroughly enjoy John the Eunuch series. John is such an interesting character, the plot is well developed, and the setting and historical background are first rate. ( )

This mystery is set in Constantinople during the reign of Justinian, when people still vividly remember earlier riots and our facing waves of plague outbreaks. The story starts when John the Lord Chamberlain is approached by a woman who introduces herself using the name of a woman in a mosaic in John's house. When John attempts to meet her, he finds a body and then of course he proceeds to investigate her death. While I found parts of the plot overly contrived and confusing when I finished the book my overall feeling for the book was positive. ( )

Den sjunde boken om John the Eunuch är förmodligen den bästa hittills. Men hur kan det bli på något annat sätt när så mycket har hämtats från Prokopios "Hemlig historia" ("Anekdota")? På 300 sidor ryms mer än lovligt fromma kristna, burleskt skådespel, besatta styliter (pelarhelgon), giriga antikvitetshandlare och förstås den inte alltför trevliga kejsarinnan Theodora. Väl värd att läsa.. ( )