I didn't take to this book, any of the characters in it or the author at all. To me it seemed the author was showing off everything he knew about the Byzantine Empire in an annoying know it all kind of way. I found the main character very unappealing and far too clever for his own good. And what was it with the author appearing as a minor character. One thing that did make me smile was the reference to one of my favourite fictional detectives, Kinsey Milhone. I was just thinking to myself-isn't this the town where Sue Grafton's novels are set?-when up pops the heroine herself. There is a series I do recommend by the way. Sadly not for me.