A Death in the Venetian Quarter

Constantinople, 1203. The ships of the Fourth Crusade have turned away from the Holy Land and now lie outside the city walls, laying siege to it. Inside, Theophilos and Viola, a married pair of jesters, are working as agents of the Fools' Guild under the names Feste and Aglaia. Their task is to head off a catastrophe.

With an army massed at the gates, the death of a single silk merchant in the Venetian Quarter looks like a minor matter. But the merchant was not what he seemed. Feste has little time to learn which forces were at work when the man died, because the city's chance of surviving the siege may depend on the answer.

The book is a historical mystery that mixes a murder investigation with espionage and a city under threat. The jester-spy premise gives it a wry edge, and the siege keeps the pressure on as the inquiry moves through the city's districts.

It belongs to a series about the Fools' Guild. This edition is the first in paperback and also includes a short story, The Jester and the Thieves.