One for Sorrow:
John, Lord Chamberlain to the Emperor Justinian, aka John the Eunuch, stumbles across the body of his friend Leukos, the Keeper of the Plate, in an alleyway after a near-riot. Since Leukos still had his purse and some jewellery with him it wasn't a simple mugging, so why was Leukos killed?

A great opening number in this series, it's a dizzying mixture of medieval and Roman and Greek, just as the real Constantinople must have been at this time. It definitely keeps you hooked, turning the pages to find out more about the characters and what is going on. The only downside is a couple of points where some typos slipped through.

Two For Joy
On a stormy night, three stylites are apparently struck by lightning and burnt to death in fulfilment of a prophecy by Michael, a charismatic preacher camped across the Bosporos from the city. Was it divine judgement or was there a more earthly cause? And how is the Emperor going to deal with Michael as the city descends into chaos?

The mystery was intriguing and a startling revelation about a character from the first book means we won't be seeing that person again. But apart from marking that it is a sequel, I don't see the relevance of the title. There wasn't much joy for anyone, unless surving all the upheavals counts a cause for joy in itself.

Three for a Letter
John's friend Anatolius's uncle Zeno is putting on a staging of the story of Jonah at his country estate to entertain the empress Theodora. When one of the special effects doesn't work properly, the mangled body of a young royal guest (i.e., hostage) is found inside the whale. At the same time, Theodora's favourite dwarf performer, who was playing Jonah, goes missing. Unfortunate accidents or foul play? The empress orders John to investigate.

Lots of satisfying twists and turns in this one. I'm glad to say that three chapters later John came to the same conclusion I had. Unfortunately we were both wrong. Still fascinating is the interplay between triumphant Christianity and the remnants of paganism and Mithraism, and the consciousness of still being part of what we think of as Classical antiquity.

Four for a Boy
Flashback/prequel in which John remembers his first case for Justinian 15 years before, when he was still a palace slave and Justinian was the heir apparent rather than emperor. Who killed Hypatius in front of the statue of Christ in the old Haghia Sophia which he financed?

The story of how John met Felix, Anatolius, Isis, Darius, and Gaius. Other bit players pass through unrecognised by the characters but recognisable to readers who've read the earlier books. I think it would still work as a good historical mystery for someone who hasn't read the earlier books, though. ( )