The High City
"[Holland has] the hard, sharp lines of a master storyteller. She seems remarkably skillful at portraying the masculine mind."                       --Houston Chronicle"We have come to expect rich, vivid historical novels from prolific Cecelia Holland, and this one, set in ninth century Constantinople, more than fulfills that expectation.  We observe the legendary Byzantine duplicity through the eyes of our honorable barbarian hero as he tries to unravel the intrigue. Swiftly moving, plausible, and with just the right amount of historical details to make scenes come clear, the novel is an engrossing tale."         --Publishers WeeklyonThe Belt of Gold