Tom Harper writes with strident clarity in this epic tale of murder and betrayal, bloodshed and romance. Gripping from the first page, the reader is swept up in this colourful and convincing portrayal of an Emperor and his realm, under siege. Well-researched, and cinematic in its imagery, this is a fast-paced and exciting debut.
Ink
Tom Harper's speciality is a hitherto unvisited era in historical crime fiction- It's a world which Harper brings exuberantly to life, clearly revelling in its teeming, tumultuous extravagance.
Yorkshire Evening Post
Harper effortlessly draws the reader into the court intrigues and conspiracies of 11th-century Byzantium in his outstanding debut
Publishers' Weekly
Scholarly but speedy narrative, steeped in medieval horrors ranging from flogging to famine, all anchored in what feels like a passion for history and spelling out the way things were
Literary Review