The Printed Page

Title: The Sheen on the Silk
Author/website(s): Anne Perry
514 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication date: March ’10
Genre: Historical fiction
Review book or pleasure reading: Review book
New-to-me author: Yes
Would I recommend this book: Definitely
Would I read more from this author: Yes
Journal notes: Loved it! It is an incredibly wonderful HF novel. I was totally immersed in Byzantine culture for the three days I spent reading this novel. The sights, the sounds, the people and the lifestyle are vividly portrayed in The Sheen on the Silk. I was Anna’s shadow as she searched for the truth. This story is filled with political and religious intrigue. I found some of the religious intrigue to be a bit complex simply because this is a historical period I have little familiarity with. And for those of you who read Ms. Perry’s mystery novels there is a murder mystery within these pages. It is one of my favorite books this month and will most likely make the favorites list for 2010.

Arriving in the ancient Byzantine city in the year 1273, Anna Zarides has only one mission: to prove the innocence of her twin brother, Justinian, who has been exiled to the desert for conspiring to kill Bessarion, a nobleman.

Disguising herself as a eunuch named Anastasius, Anna moves freely about in society, using her skills as a physician to manoeuver close to the key players involved in her brother’s fate. With her medical practice thriving, Anna crosses paths with Zoe Chrysaphes, a devious noblewoman with her own hidden agenda, and Giuiliano Dandolo, a ship’s captain conflicted not only by his mixed Venetian-Byzantine heritage but by his growing feelings for Anastasius.

Trying to clear her brother’s name, Anna learns more about Justinian’s life and reputation—including his peculiar ties to Bessarion’s beautiful widow and his possible role in a plot to overthrow the emperor. This leaves Anna with more questions than answer, and time is running out. For an even greater threat lies on the horizon: Another Crusade to capture the Holy Land is brewing, and leaders in Rome and Venice have set their sights on Constantinople for what is sure to be a brutal invasion. Anna’s discoveries draw her inextricably closer to the dangers of the emperor’s treacherous court—where it seems that no one is exactly who he or she appears to be.

(The Sheen on the Silk was provided to me by Katie at Ballantine Books, a division of Random House. I was not paid and this book is being passed along to the another book blogger through Read It Forward )