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    Four for a Boy
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    Four for a Boy
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    Four for a Boy
    Ebook331 pages5 hours

    Four for a Boy

    By Eric Mayer and Mary Reed

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Nominee, Bruce Alexander History Mystery Award
    Best Little Known Series, Booklist

    It's unnaturally cold in Constantinople this winter of 525. The Emperor Justin is dying, and Theodora, the ambitious former actress his gravely ill successor Justinian intends to marry, is making demands in the imperial court.

    When a wealthy philanthropist is killed in broad daylight in the Great Church, it isn't entirely surprising that Justinian engages an anonymous young slave called John to investigate what many believe could be a conspiracy aimed at swaying the succession. Suspects are many among those whose lives might be touched by an emperor: senators, churchmen, wealthy businessmen, even laborers, beggars, and prostitutes.

    In this prequel to the series, John takes his first dangerous steps along the path toward freedom from slavery and his eventual appointment as Lord Chamberlain.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPoisoned Pen Press
    Release dateJan 31, 2010
    ISBN9781615951710
    Unavailable
    Four for a Boy
    Author

    Eric Mayer

    The husband and wife team of Mary Reed and Eric Mayer published several short stories about John, Lord Chamberlain to Emperor Justinian, in mystery anthologies and in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine prior to 1999’s highly acclaimed first full length novel, One for Sorrow. Entries in the series have been honored by a Best Mystery Glyph Award, an honorable mention in the Glyph Best Book category, and was a finalist for the IPPY Best Mystery Award (Two For Joy), nominations for the Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award (Four For A Boy and Five For Silver), and a Glyph Award for Best Book Series (Five For Silver). The American Library Association’s Booklist Magazine named the Lord Chamberlain novels one of its four Best Little Known Series. Mary Reed & Eric Mayer also write under Eric Reed.

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    Reviews for Four for a Boy

    3.5/5

    13 ratings2 reviews

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    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      The John the Eunuch mystery series is set in the sixth century Byzantine Empire. This fourth entry in the series actually goes back in time and precedes chronologically the other three novels. This novel explains how John begins his rise from slave to the high position of Lord Chamberlain at the imperial court that he holds in the other books. To some degree the mystery takes a back seat to the exploration of John's past as he meets up with characters that are his friends and colleagues in the series.The book is filled with period detail from the Byzantine (Late Roman) Empire with descriptions of Constantinople and the imperial family (Emperor Justin, his nephew Justinian, and Theodora). A nice combination of historical fact and mystery fiction.