Product Review

It's not every day a man's blood drains out over you, and you watch the light die in his eyes. Memories like that stay with you for ever. Just like being framed for his murder.

On the eve of the Roman festivities, the last thing Claudia wanted was to be heading out of the city. But even hedonistic young widows must put business before pleasure when their vineyards are threatened with arson.

Taking a shortcut through the Umbrian countryside, her cart is forced off the road, and her beloved cat goes missing in the skirmish. Refusing to leave without her, Claudia accepts the hospitality of Sergius Pictor and the menagerie of wild animals he is training for the Games.

That night, a stranger knocks at her bedroom door, with a knife sticking out of his belly.

And before the first ray of dawn, Claudia has become the prime suspect for his murder.