(This is the review I posted on Amazon...)

I finished this historical mystery by the husband/wife team Eric Mayer and Mary Reed, and enjoyed it very much. Unlike the first nine, which featured the Lord Chamberlain John (serving Emperor Justinian) solving imperial mysteries - sort of like an ancient troubleshooter, this one changes focus. In the last (#9), John ended up exiled from Constantinople, and so he (and his wife and household staff) becomes a bit player in this mystery, and instead Felix, captain of the Excubitors, takes center stage. He's in trouble, due to his personal foibles and his possible involvement in the theft of a holy relic, the Shroud of the Virgin Mary. His life and his future are on the line, and John isn't around to figure things out, leaving Felix to his own devices on the sleuthing front. His methods may differ from John's subtler approach, but can he unravel the truths before he ends up in a dungeon, guest of Justinian's torturers?

While I missed John, I thought this was actually one of the stronger mysteries in the series! Looking forward to #11.

*****