Two for Joy: A John, the Lord Chamberlain Mystery (John, the Lord Chamberlain Mysteries Book 2)

Reed and Mayer combine the scholarship of Steven Saylor with the humor of Lindsey Davis. Starred review in Booklist 12/00.It is now two years after One For Sorrow and John the Eunuch, Lord Chamberlain to the Emperor Justinian, is faced with a new and byzantine problem: why are Constantinople's holy stylites bursting into flames as they stand atop their pillars? His investigations are hampered by a pagan philosophy tutor from his youth and a heretical Christian prophet whose ultimatums threaten to topple the Empire.Then murder strikes close to home and John has only days to find a solution before he, his friends, his Emperor, and the city itself are destroyed. The sumptuous halls of the Great Palace and the riot-torn streets are filled with the same danger and deception. A colorful cast of characters that includes a runaway wife, servants and soldiers, madams and mendicants, a venomous court page and a wealthy landowner or two - not to mention John's bete noire, the Empress Theodora - adds texture to this rich, exotic tale of sixth century life and mysterious death. Winner, The Glyph Award - Best Mystery Honorable Mention - Glyph Best Book Award List Ippy Best Mystery Award Finalist John The Eunuch, Lord Chamberlain To The Emperor Justinian, Is Skilled At Keeping His Footing On The Treacherous Slopes Of Court Intrigue, But Even He May Slip When Presented With A New And Byzantine Problem: Why Would A Holy Man High Atop His Pillar Spontaneously Combust During A Thunder Storm? Soon, Other Stylites Burn To Their Deaths. John, Still Fresh From Working A Tricky Murder Case Two Years Earlier In One For Sorrow, Finds That His Investigations Are Hampered By A Pagan Philosophy Tutor From His Youth And A Heretical Christian Prophet Whose Ultimatums Threaten To Topple The Empire. Then Murder Strikes Close To Home And John Has Only Days To Find A Solution Before He, His Friends, The Emperor Justinian, And The City Itself Are Destroyed. A Colorful Cast Of Characters That Includes A Runaway Wife, Servants And Soldiers, Madams And Mendicants, A Venomous Court Page And A Wealthy Landowner Or Two - Not To Mention John's Bête Noire, The Empress Theodora - Add Texture To This Rich, Exotic Tale. Reed and Mayer combine the scholarship of Steven Saylor with the humor of Lindsey Davis. It is now two years after One for Sorrow and John the Eunuch, Lord Chamberlain to the Emperor Justinian, is faced with a new and byzantine problem: why are Constantinople's holy stylites bursting into flames as they stand atop their pillars? His investigations are hampered by a pagan philosophy tutor from his youth and a heretical Christian prophet whose ultimatums threaten to topple the Empire. Then murder strikes close to home and John has only days to find a solution before he, his friends, his Emperor, and the city itself are destroyed. The sumptuous halls of the Great Palace and the riot-torn streets are filled with the same danger and deception. A colorful cast of characters that includes a runaway wife, servants and soldiers, madams and mendicants, a venomous court page and a wealthy landowner or two, not to mention John's bete noire, the Empress Theodora, adds texture to this rich, exotic tale of sixth century life and mysterious death In sixth-century Byzantium, John the Eunuch, Emperor Justinian's Lord Chamberlain, questions why a holy man, high atop his piller, would spontaneously combust John the Eunuch investigates the mysterious deaths of several religious figures while working for the Justinian Emperor.