For the sake of space, I’ve combined two short series into one list. First there are the two books written under the pseudonym Anna Apostolou, set early in Alexander’s reign, with the prime investigators being the Jewish sister and brother Miriam and Simeon.

• A Murder in Macedon (1997)

As Philip of Macedon leads a celebration in front of his people, he is killed by his loyal bodyguard who, as he flees, trips and is killed by the guards. As Alexander ascends to his throne, questions remain about his father’s death. Why did Pausanias kill his beloved master? And did Alexander himself have anything to do with it?

• A Murder in Thebes (1998)

Alexander wants vengeance on the city of Thebes but first he wants to find the traitor who caused the revolt that has so angered him. A traitor who also seems to be a very clever murderer, a killer who can bypass a locked door and a savage guard dog in order to throw an experience soldier from a window…

Then, three years later, Paul Doherty started another series concerning Alexander the Great, this time featuring Alexander’s childhood friend Telamon as the sleuth. I’m presuming the change in sleuth is due to a change in publisher, as Miriam and Simeon have vanished without trace or mention.

• The House of Death (2001)

334BC and Alexander is about to attack the Persians. But the omens are not good, Alexander’s guides are being killed and soon a priestess of Athena is poisoned inside a sealed tent. There is a spy in Alexander’s camp and it’s up to his childhood friend, the physician Telamon to find him.

• The Godless Man (2002)

Alexander’s push into Persia brings him to Ephesus, home of the long-dead assassins known as the Centaurs. But his plans are upset when the city’s leaders are murdered inside a locked temple – their skulls smashed with what appears to be a horse’s hoof. Could the Centaurs have returned? Are are they actually centaurs??

• The Gates of Hell (2003)