The detections undertaken by John the Eunuch, Lord Chamberlain to Emperor Justinian I. A free born Greek, he was emasculated and enslaved, but won back his freedom, eventually rising to his current high office. The novels and short stories are set in and around the 6th century Constantinople court and have featured (among other things) the Justinianaic plague, automatons, a herd of fortune-telling goats, religious relics including the Holy Grail, the sea in flames, suicidal sheep, Mithran ceremonies such as a bull sacrifice, palace intrigue, curse tablets, a holy fool who dances with the dead, magic, murders in locked rooms, and much more, all based on - or extrapolated from - intense historical research.

Many thanks to Eric and Mary for this series description