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Next book up is another historical - which I confess I would have never read in the past, and I've had quite a few as review books recently - many of them extremely good.

From the Blurb:

Constantinople, May 1453.  In the dying days of the Byzantine empire, as 7000 armed men prepare to defend the city against the might of the Ottoman Turks, Isaak Merochites and his family are entrusted with a purple velvet bundle.  Inside is a silver reliquary entrusted with a purple velvet bundle....

Four hundred years later, in Istanbul, the local magistrate, Kamil Pasha, is plauged by thefts of antiquities from mosques and churches that appear for sale in Europe within days.  In addition, there has been a series of murders in which the bodies all bear the same distinctive markings.  Sources lead Kamil to a community living in an abandoned cistern called Sunken Village and to a mysterious sect descended from Abyssinian slaves.  Deep within the tunnels under the old city, a war is being waged, and the re-emergence of the forgotten reliquary sets off a race between those sworn to protect it and those who will stop at nothing to explot the secret contained within.

Opening LInes:

Isaak Metochites and his family set off through the unlit streets.  His son, Michael, pulled the cart with their belongings, its wheels greased and padded to make no sound.  His wife and seven year old daughter, cloaked in dark veils, followed behind.

BOOK DETAILS
BOOK INFORMATION
Author
ISBN
9780297851844
Year of Publication
Series
BLURB

Constantinople, May 1453.  In the dying days of the Byzantine Empire, as 7000 armed men prepare to defend the city against the might of the Ottoman Turks, Isaak and his family are entrusted with a purple velvet bundle.  Inside is a silver reliquary carved with the figure of a weeping angel and an inscription 'Behold the Proof of Chora, Container of the Uncontainable'.  It holds proof of God's existence.

In Istanbul in 1887: the local magistrate, Kamil Pasha, is plagued by thefts of antiquities from mosques and churches that, within days, appear for sale in Europe.  In addition, there has been a series of murders in which the bodies bear the mark of angel's wings.  Could this be connected to the rumours of an ancient cult?

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Submitted by Karen on Mon, 15/12/2008 - 07:15 pm