Mayer, Eric 1950–

PERSONAL: Born 1950, in Philadelphia, PA; son of a painter; married Mary Reed (a novelist and journalist). Education: B.A. and J.D.

ADDRESSES: Home—PA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Poisoned Pen Press, 6962 E. 1st Ave., Ste. 103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Technical writer for legal publications; novelist.

AWARDS, HONORS: "Best Little-Known Series" citation, Booklist, for "John the Eunuch" series; Glyph Award for Best Book Series, 2005, for Five for Silver.

WRITINGS:

"JOHN THE EUNUCH" SERIES; MYSTERY NOVELS

(With wife, Mary Reed) One for Sorrow, Poisoned Pen Press (Scottsdale, AZ), 1999.

(With Mary Reed) Two for Joy, Poisoned Pen Press (Scottsdale, AZ), 2000.

(With Mary Reed) Three for a Letter, Poisoned Pen Press (Scottsdale, AZ), 2001.

(With Mary Reed) Four for a Boy, Poisoned Pen Press (Scottsdale, AZ), 2003.

(With Mary Reed) Five for Silver, Poisoned Pen Press (Scottsdale, AZ), 2004.

(With Mary Reed) Six for Gold, Poisoned Pen Press (Scottsdale, AZ), 2005.

OTHER

Contributor, with Mary Reed, to anthologies, including Royal Whodunits, The Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunits, and The Mammoth Book of Shakespearean Detectives. Contributor, with Reed, to periodicals, including Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Author, with Reed, of "Inspector Dorj" short-story series and "Herodotus" short-story series.

SIDELIGHTS: In partnership with his wife, Mary Reed, Eric Mayer has created an historical mystery series set in sixth-century Byzantium and featuring an unlikely detective named John the Eunuch. Reed and Mayer's series reveals details about class structure and power politics in ancient Constantinople, a city beset by fighting between religious factions, archaic practices, and bizarre murders. Since the debut of their first installment, One for Sorrow, in 1999, Reed and Mayer have earned a growing readership and warm reviews for their "John the Eunuch" series. Booklist contributor David Pitt called the works "charming mixtures of humor, intrigue, and period detail," and a contributor to Mystery Reader online considered the fictitious John the Eunuch to be an "unusual and intriguing character."

In the first book in the series, One for Sorrow, John, a former slave, has risen to the important position of lord chamberlain to Emperor Justinian. John's friend Leukos, Keeper of the Plate, is found murdered near a brothel. As John investigates, he uncovers pagan suspects and a knight from King Arthur's court in search of the Holy Grail. "Reed and Mayer are able to create an interesting cast of characters and well-crafted plot," noted a contributor to Mystery Reader. A Publishers Weekly reviewer liked the way the authors paint "an enticing picture of sixth-century Byzantium."

Two for Joy reveals the dangerous palace intrigues besetting John, as his friendship with Justinian provokes the jealousy of the emperor's wife, Theodora. The mystery in this tale involves three holy men who have been burned to death—strangely, they seem to have burst into flames spontaneously. As John and a friend try to learn what caused the bizarre deaths, they are plunged into a world of competing Christian sects and rivalries for control of the city. A Publishers Weekly critic praised the book for its "fascinating historical details" that are unobtrusively worked into the plot without interfering with the storyline. Writing again in Booklist, Pitt concluding that Two for Joy "is darned close to being the perfect historical mystery."

In Three for a Letter a young child with important political ties to Rome is killed during a lavish staging of the "Jonah and the Whale" story. John must protect the child's twin sister while also preserving his delicate relationship with the unpredictable Justinian. Again a Publishers Weekly reviewer cited the novel for its "strong historical backgrounds and solid plotting," while Pitt observed in Booklist that the third "John the Eunuch" installment preserves the authors' reputation for "near-perfect" history mysteries.

Four for a Boy includes John's back story, revealing how he became a eunuch, a slave, and a favorite in an intrigue-filled court. Again in Booklist, Pitt found the title "more enjoyable than many" similar mysteries that have been written by historians with academic backgrounds, concluding that the story of John's rise to power is "a real corker." A contributor to Publishers Weekly deemed the novel "superior," and on the All Readers Web site, Harriet Klausner characterized the mystery as "colorful and exotic."

Installments five and six of the series find John pursuing cases that abound in bizarre circumstances. In Five for Silver Constantinople is beset by the plague, an ill-ness with no respect for social status. In the midst of mass death, John's servant has a vision of the murder of another associate, and sure enough John finds the victim amidst the plague dead; he has died not from plague but from a stab wound. According to a Publishers Weekly reviewer, Five for Silver proves to be a "sterling historical page-turner." In his Booklist critique, Pitt praised Reed and Mayer for putting "story first and research second." The plague still rages in Six for Gold, but John faces more peril from the machinations of Empress Theodora. Seeking refuge from court, John travels to Egypt to solve a bizarre case in which sheep seem to be committing suicide. Even far from his home base, John must dodge an assassin sent by the jealous empress. A Kirkus Reviews contributor commended Six for Gold as "a busy historical mystery with an engagingly wry tone." In Publishers Weekly, a critic felt the novel is "captivating" and a "fresh entry with … intriguing details."

In an interview with Mystery Reader, Reed and Mayer said they had no contact with other mystery writers before beginning their historical series set in the distant past. Both had strong writing backgrounds, however: Mayer has worked as a technical writer for legal publications, and Reed as a freelance journalist. The authors chose to explore John the Eunuch's life in depth after having some success with short stories set during the period, but as Mayer noted: "In a historical there's practically nothing you can write that you can't second guess yourself about…. Worse yet, the experts don't all agree!"

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, December 15, 2000, David Pitt, review of Two for Joy, p. 790; December 15, 2001, David Pitt, review of Three for a Letter, p. 708; March 1, 2003, David Pitt, review of Four for a Boy, p. 1150; March 15, 2004, David Pitt, review of Five for Silver, p. 1273; October 1, 2005, David Pitt, review of Six for Gold, p. 40.

Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2005, review of Six for Gold, p. 1055.

Library Journal, December, 2000, Rex Klett, review of Two for Joy, p. 194.

Publishers Weekly, October 11, 1999, review of One for Sorrow, p. 59; November 6, 2000, review of Two for Joy, p. 74; November 26, 2001, review of Three for a Letter, p. 42; January 13, 2003, review of Four for a Boy, p. 45; March 22, 2004, review of Five for Silver, p. 66; September 19, 2005, review of Six for Gold, p. 46.

ONLINE

All Readers, http://www.allreaders.com/ (October 31, 2005), Harriet Klausner, reviews of Four for a Boy and Five for Silver.

Eric Mayer Home Page, http://journalscape.com/ericmayer (October 31, 2005).

Mystery Reader, http://www.themysteryreader.com/ (October 31, 2005), "Faces 21—Mary Reed & Eric Mayer," reviews of One for Sorrow, Two for Joy, and Three for a Letter.