Byzantium, 1096. A mysterious assassin releases an arrow aimed at the emperor---but he has more than just a man in his sights. A keystone of a crumbling empire, the emperor is the solitary figure holding all the enemies in check. And if he falls, the mightiest power in Christendom will be torn apart. Demetrios Askiates, unveiler of mysteries, is hired to catch the would-be-killer. But he is entering an unknown world; a babbling cauldron of princes, slaves, mercenaries, pimps, and eunuchs. Not all enemies are within the city walls, however, and with the Turks running rampant across Asia, the emperor has sent to the west for mercenaries to reinforce his position. When a great army, tens of thousands strong, appears before the city gates---the emperor gets more than he bargained for. From the depths of the slums to the golden towers of the city palace; from the sands of the hippodrome to the soaring domes of Ayia Sophia; Demetrios must edge his way through a glittering maze of treachery and deceit before time runs out. Intent on making their fortunes in war, and with no allegiance to this empire, the first crusaders have arrived with eyes full of jealousy and suspicion. As the armies of the east and west confront each other, and with the assassin creeping ever closer to his prey, Demetrios must untangle this golden web of intrigue that surrounds the emperor---before the city, and the empire, are drowned in blood. "His portrayal of the Byzantine city and the intrigues that threaten its destruction is vivid and convincing." ---The Sunday Times (UK) "It's a world that Harper brings exuberantly to life, clearly revelling in its teeming, tumultuous extravagance. But he also has a sharp eye for an intriguing mystery." ---Yorkshire Post (UK) "Tom Harper writes with strident clarity in this epic tale of murder and betrayal, bloodshed and romance. Gripping from the first page, the reader is swept up.... Well researched and cinematic in its imagery, this is a fast-paced and exciting debut." ---INK (UK) "A gripping tale...I look forward to Demetrios's further adventures." ---Elizabeth Hawksley, Historical Novels Review "A lively adventure.... The imperial palace, with all its splendor and intrigue, is brought vividly to life." ---Good Book Review (UK) "An engaging romp---Byzantine not only in time and location but the ins and outs of the plot." ---The Advertiser (Australia)

The Mosaic of Shadows

Literature & Fiction

Tom Harper

Genre Fiction

Arrow

Siege of Heaven

A powerful novel of intrigue, sacrifice, savagery and holy war by the author of the Mosaic of Shadows and Knights of the Cross.August, 1098. After countless battles and sieges, the surviving soldiers of the first crusade are at last within reach of their ultimate goal: Jerusalem. But rivalries fester and new enemies are massing against them in the Holy Land.Demetrios Askiates, the Emperor’s spy, has had enough of the crusade’s violence and hypocrisy. He longs to return home. But when a routine diplomatic mission leads to a deadly ambush, he realises he has been snared in the vast power struggles which underlie the crusade. The only way out now leads through the Holy City.From the plague-bound city of Antioch to the heart of Muslim Egypt, Demetrios must accompany the army of warlords and fanatics to the very gates of Jerusalem where the crusade climaxes in an apocalypse of pillage, bloodshed and slaughter.

St.Martin's Press

Review 'Tom Harper has been writing elaborate thrillers that marry ironclad narrative skills with some of the most elegantly understated writing in the field; he's the thinking person's Dan Brown. Actually, Harper deserves the latter's success -- and more, as Harper is comfortably the better writer.''Harper effortlessly draws the reader into an unfamiliar time, bringing alive the characters and their motivations'

The Orpheus Descent

Literary

Hodder Paperback

Zodiac Station

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Thrillers & Suspense

Hodder&Stoughton

Hodder and Stoughton

Secrets of the Dead

AudioGO

In a villa on the coast of Montenegro, Abby Cormac witnesses the brutal murder of her lover, diplomat Michael Lascaris. The last thing she remembers is a gun pointed directly at her. She wakes to find herself at the centre of a diplomatic nightmare. Everyone wants an answer but no one wants to listen. Even her employers at the Foreign Office believe she's hiding something. She is completely alone.  As Abby tries to piece together the last few months of Michael's life in order to get at the truth, she soon realises that he wasn't quite what he seemed. What exactly was his relationship with one of the most ruthless men in the Balkans - a war criminal who has never been brought to justice? And what links Michael's gift to her of a gold necklace with its Christian monogram, a 4th century manuscript left in the shadow of Emperor Constantine's palace at Trier and an inscription on a tomb in Rome?  When Abby investigates further, it becomes clear that someone wants to suppress a secret, one that has been kept hidden for centuries. And they will stop at nothing to do so...

Paragon (?}

In a snowbound village in the German mountains, a young woman discovers an extraordinary secret. Before she can reveal it, she disappears. All that survives is a picture of a mysterious medieval playing card that has perplexed scholars for centuries.Nick Ash does research for the FBI in New York. Six months ago his girlfriend Gillian walked out and broke his heart. Now he’s the only person who can save her―if it’s not too late. Within hours of getting her message, Nick finds himself on the run, delving deep into the past before it catches up with him.Hunted across Europe, Nick follows Gillian’s trail into the heart of a five-hundred-year-old mystery. But across the centuries, powerful forces are closing around him. There are men who have devoted their lives to keeping the secret, and they will stop at nothing to protect it.

Book of Secrets, The

Mystery

Bolinda Audio

Lost Temple

“This book should be read by every police officer, every politician and everybody who cares about law and order in this country.” – Peter Oborne 
“The police are there to look after us. But someone has to look closely at the police – and Tom Harper has done just that in this comprehensive overview. Some of it makes for difficult reading, for much has gone wrong in policing over recent years. But the book is also constructive and never loses sight of the importance of the role the police have in any well-functioning democracy.” – Alan Rusbridger 
“Meticulous and passionate. Tom Harper has written the most authoritative critique of British policing in years.” – Lord Macdonald QC, former Director of Public Prosecutions 
*** 
A searing account of corruption, racism and mismanagement inside Britain’s most famous police force 
Barely a week goes by without the Metropolitan Police Service being plunged into a new crisis. Demoralised and depleted in numbers, Scotland Yard is a shadow of its former self. 
Spanning the three decades from the infamous Stephen Lawrence case to the shocking murder of Sarah Everard, Broken Yard charts the Met’s fall from a position of unparalleled power to the troubled and discredited organisation we see today, barely trusted by its Westminster masters and struggling to perform its most basic the protection of the public. 
The result is a devastating picture of a world-famous police force riven with corruption, misogyny and rank incompetence. 
As a top investigative reporter at the Sunday Times and The Independent , Tom Harper covered Scotland Yard for fifteen years, beginning not long after the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent Brazilian killed by Met Police officers after being mistaken for a terror suspect in 2005. Since then, reporting on Scotland Yard has been akin to witnessing a slow-motion car crash. 
Using thousands of intelligence files, witness statements and court transcripts provided by police sources, as well as first-hand testimony, Harper explains how London’s world-famous police force got itself into this sorry mess – and how it might get itself out of it.

BROKEN YARD

Biographies & Memoirs

True Crime

Biteback

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Tom Harper. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Tom Harper