The House of Death

Sweeping across the ancient world, from the sprawling army camp of the Macedonians to the haunting city of Troy to the opulent empire of Persia, and set against the background of Alexander the Great's campaigns, this historical novel of mystery and intrigue unmasks the young warrior who conquered Greece and would make the world his empire. Behind the peerless soldier and strategist it reveals a panic-stricken man hamstrung by superstition, for he has become intimately familiar with fear. Murder can do that, even to a brilliant king and general. At the outset of this ingeniously devised tale, Alexander and the Macedonian army have arrived at the Hellespont. The accomplished general is poised for his conquest of Persia, but the gods -- and scores of dangerous men -- are against him. Troubled and wary, Alexander needs neither omens nor cryptic messages -- death threats encoded in quotations from Homer's Iliad and the tragedies of Euripides -- to know that no one can be trusted. His own generals harbor secret ambitions, Persian spies have infiltrated his camp, his troops are demoralized. Even the physician Telamon, the longtime friend in whom Alexander seems so openly to confide, stands in the shadow of suspicion. But who among them has set in motion the plot to alter Alexander's date with destiny?