The Road to the Next City

Set against a background of Alexander the Great campaign in Persia and the spread of Greek culture, the Warring States Period and the reign of the penultimate Zhou dynasty king in Ancient China, four young Macedonians follow their equally young, and ambitious, monarch to pursue their own adventures in Palestine, Babylon and eventually Samarkand, as they cross the Persian Empire along their ancient routes. PI Li is commissioned by Sam Smith and Alexandra Roussos to make provenance enquiries when two ancient items, with Chinese origins, are found in unusual situations at opposites ends of the world. His investigations reunite him with his former school desk mate, Louise, and take him from Lanzhou to California, Greece and Jerusalem. PI Li successfully faces new challenges along the way. Louise and her mother have secrets they eventually disclose, changing all their lives dramatically.