by J M Alvey
Jack Grimwood, author of Moskva
‘Historical sleuthing finally gets its grown-up trousers. The book’s got wit and knowledge and the winning knack of immersing the reader in ancient Greece and the whole theatrical scene there. It shows a thorough understanding of time and place, and has a dark heart of thuggery and murder. Finally, someone has taken on Saylor and Davis and brought us out of Rome at last!’
Robert Low, author of the Oathsworn series
‘Alvey has combined the best features of a crime novel and a work of historical fiction. The result is a pacy, exciting and intelligent story set in a rich world. The plot is clever and solidly rooted in history, the characters vivid, sympathetic and lifelike and the world of Athens is gloriously recreated. Best of all, while Shadows of Athens is taut and historically detailed, it also displays a quirky sense of humour – [I] loved it’
Simon Turney, author of Caligula
‘Historical crime writing that virtually reinvents the genre. Ancient Athens is recreated with a masterly touch, while the beleaguered Philocles is the perfect protagonist to lead us through this vividly evoked menacing world’
Barry Forshaw, Financial Times crime critic
‘The historical detail is excellent, and the story and characters expertly spun out – a very entertaining and satisfying read’
Glyn Iliffe, author of The Adventures of Odysseus series
Copyright
First published in Great Britain in 2019 by Orion Fiction,
an imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd.,
Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
An Hachette UK Company
Copyright © JM Alvey 2019
Map artwork by Hemesh Alles
The moral right of JM Alvey to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (eBook) 9781409180661
Typeset by Input Data Services Ltd, Somerset
www.orionbooks.co.uk