An unputdownable novel about the Empress Theodora, considered by many the most influential and powerful woman in the history of the Byzantine Empire. The reader follows her journey from her humble beginnings, the loss of her father, the compromises she must make between her personal sense of honour, faith and survival, and we watch with fascination as this strong woman fights her way through the ranks, from public entertainer and high-class prostitute to empress, to rule alongside her husband, Emperor Justinian. Heese unwinds a story of immense intrigue and historical detail. Her previous novel, The Double Crown, won the Commonwealth Prize (Best Book: Africa) 2010.Once again we are reminded that power tends to corrupt (and absolute power corrupts absolutely). And significantly, the colour of power is not the purple of royal robes, it is the colour of blood ...