Nine for the Devil

DEATH IN BYZANTIUM: At the heart of what is left of the Roman Empire, lies a city simmering with intrigue & treachery. Amid this maelstrom stands John, a slave who has risen to become the right hand of Justinian, the greatest of Byzantium's emperors. With violence and murder commonplace, it is John's skills as an investigator that the Emperor prizes the most.

NINE FOR THE DEVIL: The year is 548 and Empress Theodora is dead, the victim of cancer. Or so everyone believes - everyone except the Emperor himself. Justinian orders John to find the murderer or suffer the consequences. It is an impossible investigation: there is no sign of foul play, but there are many at imperial court (including John himself) who had good reason to want Theodora dead...