Book Review: Three for a Letter

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Three for a Letter     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Mary Reed , Eric Mayer
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Historical
Series: Lord Chamberlain John the Eunuch # 3
Poisoned Pen, Dec 2001, $24.95, 372 pp.

In 539 AD in Constantinople, the Emperor Justinian wants to bring Italy back into the Empire. General Belarius succeeds in recapturing Northern Africa and is on the verge of retaking Italy so that the Empire becomes a power again in the West. The Emperor has under his control, Godaric and Sunilda, the two claimants to the Italian throne.

At a theatre festival held at the seaside estate of Zeno, a patriarch known for his eccentricities, the Empress Theodora is in the audience, eager to see her favorite mime, the dwarf Barnrabas. The event ends abruptly with the death of Godaric and the disappearance of Barnabas. The lord Chamberlain, John the Eunuch, is assigned by Justinian to find the killer so that he can be properly punished. John, who is in disfavor with the Empress, comes very close to losing his head when the sole heir to the Italian throne disappears.

THREE FOR A LETTER is a fascinating historical mystery that allows the reader to imagine what Constantinople was like at the height of her glory. The political power plays, the court intrigues and the populous come alive in Mary Read and Eric Mayer’s latest John the Eunuch mystery. It is obvious that the authors have done meticulous research so that the era feels very realistic. John is an amazing character that would made a fine twenty first-century detective.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner