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Under Emperor Theophilos, Crete is held by Arabs who were driven out of Spain, and their raids along the Aegean coasts terrify islanders and loosen Constantinople's hold. In November 835, after a fruitless mission to them, the court official Leo is sailing back, dejected, when bad weather drives his warship into harbour on remote Skyros. When a young mason dies, Leo begins to see the ambition, desire and hatred under the calm surface of the little community, and then a second body is found, savagely mutilated. The island's ancient ways and four outsiders he meets there make him rethink what he believes about law, beauty and love, and confront him with his own family's past.

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About the book

Form

Novel

Length

457 pages in the original

Genres

Historical, Crime (assigned by AI)

Set in

Greece, 835

First published

2009 by Άγρα

Author's age

50 when first published

ISBN

9789603258308 (original)