A Murder in Macedon

Palace intrigue, treachery and secret rites pervade the court of Philip of Macedon in this promising kickoff to a new series set in ancient Greece. In 336 B.C., Philip is at the height of his political power and is happy at home with his new wife and infant son. However, his first wife, the sorceress Olympias, also lives in the palace with her son, Alexander. Olympias is determined that Alexander will one day be king, despite the rumors that he is not Philip's son. At a great ceremony to celebrate the enforced unification of all Greece under his rule, Philip is murdered by the captain of his guards, Pausanias, who is quickly captured and killed. Amid whispers that he and Olympias arranged his father's death, Alexander assumes the throne and asks his trusted companions, the Jewish actors Miriam and Simeon, to investigate his father's murder. Eagerly assuming the role of detective, Miriam discovers that Pausanias, a homosexual and transvestite, had been Philip's lover, and that Olympias had wanted Pausanias to kill Philip's new wife. But gradually she learns that Philip himself was the architect of a labyrinthine plot designed to expose any traitors to him. With scrupulous attention to period detail, lively characters and an unusual detective, this is a fine addition to the ranks of historical mysteries. (Nov.)