Set in the Greek city-state of Priene in 650 B.C., this fascinating murder mystery opens with Bias, the protagonist, being stalked by a murderer at the sacred grounds of the Panionion, the religious and political center of the Ionic League.
As Bias crouches at the back of a cave, he recalls the events of the previous weeks which led him to his predicament.
A minor priest, Bias assists at the opening of the Panionic Games by securing the blessing of Priene's reigning deity, Poseidon. But while the games are being blessed, Priene's best athlete is poisoned and dies in Bias's arms. The citizens perceive Bias to be infected by the "miasma of death" and he is challenged with the responsibility of finding the killer.
As the Games progress, Bias is in the unenviable position of having to interrogate some very influential people and their families. The magistrates, athletes and aristocrats grow increasingly impatient with his murder investigation. When another favored athlete is killed in a chariot race, the pressure on Bias intensifies. Was it an accident? The athlete's uncle doesn't think so, and Bias himself is nearly killed before yet another victim is claimed.
Finally, Bias sets a trap for the murderer on the sacred grounds of the Panionion and he finds a solution to these crimes in the darkness of the cave where the action began.
Told with wit and authentic period color, this is an unusual mystery that readers will remember for its convincing plot and unique historic atmosphere.
This is the first of a series.