| Marcus Corvinus hates doing the household accounts but he'd rather do them than his latest assignment - investigating an attack on a foreign prince. Marcus tries to avoid involvement in politics but since he's "requested" to do so by the Emperor, there's little he can do. The prince is to be backed by the Empire in a coup against the Great King of Parthia. So it's not long before he's deep in the mire of political machinations being caught between Parthian politics (where assassination is practically expected) and Imperial bureacracy - which is impossible to baulk at.
This novel leads Marcus through diplomatic intrigues, high-class brothels, a lethal criminal gang and the spice trade where pepper can be worth a Great King's ransom. He meets an affable yet lying potentate and a drab and lying bureacrat. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - very humorous How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 80% Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Any non-mystery subplot? descript. of violence and chases - 10 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Main Adversary Identity: - none Setting City? Yes City: - dangerous Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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