Alexander the Great: Murder in Babylon - Tapa dura

In the second half of the fourth century BC, the Macedonian king Alexander the Great created the largest empire the world has ever known. He was a fascinating, duplicitous character who had both male and female lovers, and was both brave and arrogant, thinking himself invincible and blessed by the gods. On June 11, 323 BC, in the ancient city of Babylon, at the very height of his power, he died suddenly of a mysterious illness at the age of thirty-three. For centuries scholars have debated what really killed the man who was arguably history's most successful soldier. Ancient sources record every detail of Alexander's strange and shocking demise after attending a feast to honour a fallen comrade - but the cause of death has never been established. Now, with the help of the Los Angeles Police Department and scientists at the University of Southern California, Graham Phillips reveals compelling forensic evidence that Alexander the Great was actually poisoned by a member of his court. Phillips recreates the scene of the crime to reveal eight prime suspects, each with the motive and opportunity to have assassinated Alexander. Examining their lives, he uncovers the maze of sexual intrigue, vicious power-play and romantic tragedy that led inevitably towards his death. Ultimately, in a dramatic twist in the tale, the one person with the means to commit the murder is finally unveiled. Murder in Babylon is a real-life historical detective story: a true tale of murder and mystery that has remained untold for over two thousand years. Historical mystery has never been so sexy!

Graham Phillips has been one of Britain's best-selling authors of historical mysteries for over twenty years. After working as a radio journalist and broadcaster for the BBC, he turned his talents to investigating unsolved historical mysteries. To date he has published eleven books in this area, including the highly acclaimed Act of God (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1998) and The Moses Legacy (Sidgwick & Jackson, 2002)