A Murder in Thebes [first edition]

Thebes has fallen under Alexander the Great's power, but the days following are filled with murderous treason. Lysander and Memnon, Alexander's two favored officers, have been killed by a dangerous spy, and Alexander's rule is precarious until he solves the riddle of Oedipus's crown.Protected by the shrine dedicated to the legendary Oedipus, the crown can only be handed over to one pure in heart and innocent of any crime against his own parents. Alexander is determined to seize this crown, not only as a vindication of his divine status, but also as an answer to the malicious rumors that he had a hand in his own father's murder. But the crown is not easily had, watched over by a priestess and surrounded by poisonous snakes and a glowing bed of charcoal.Alexander relies for help on his two Israelite friends, Miriam and Simeon Bartimaeus. Now for Alexander to assume power they must learn who betrayed Lysander to the Thebans - and how did Memnon, guarded and protected in his own locked chamber, fall to his death? Who is killing Macedonian Sentries in the dead of night? Is it true that the specter of Oedipus has returned to Thebes to exact vengeance on Macedon?