Jane Finnis

Jane Finnis has definitely succeeded in rooting the narrative in Roman Britain from the interesting and refreshing imagined viewpoint of a colonist who feels herself to have acquired roots in the new province.... The overall impression is vivid and convincing, thanks to a lively but disciplined use of historical imagination.'' - Professor W. Horbury, Cambridge University Junius pulled back the travelling-cloak further than I'd done. ''It looks as though his money-belt is still there as well, under his tunic. Wait a bit though, what's this? What do you suppose....'' He pointed to a small bone disc, attached by a crude bronze pin to the front of the blue tunic. Just an ordinary looking object, some kind of official medallion or pass perhaps, the sort couriers often wear. But when Junius unpinned it and began to read it, he caught his breath, and when he turned the disc over, he swore. ''What is it?'' I held out my hand and took the little disc. On one side was a rough drawing of a skull, with the words ''Shadow of Death'' written below it. On the other were a few crudely scratched Latin words: ALL ROMANS WILL BE KILLED GET OUT OR DIE We stared at it blankly. It might have been in Carthaginian for all the sense it made. It sounds strange now, but at first it didn't seem frightening, just weird. Of course if I'd known what it meant, if I'd had any idea of the trouble it would bring us.... But how could I? How could any of us?

Get Out Or Die

It’s freezing in late December, 95 A.D. Roman settlers in Britannia are preparing to celebrate Saturnalia. Innkeeper Aurelia Marcella, who runs a mansio near Eboracum (modern York) in consort with her (mostly absent) brother and her younger sister, Albia, finds her plans for a peaceful holiday shattered when her brother makes a surprise midnight appearance. His news? An enemy in Rome is trying to destroy the family by spreading rumors they are plotting against Caesar. Lucius has, through an unwise affair, lost his job as a government investigator. To add to Aurelia’s woes, the mansio is threatened by a sort of protection racket, and a party of rich, demanding travelers related to the provincial governor rolls up at the door. Their quarrels, verging on the murderous, and their quest for a rebellious heir, the elder son, spill over into Aurelia’s household. And then, at the Saturnalia feast, one of the party dies and Albia becomes the chief suspect. An outraged Aurelia is forced to contend with conspirators—and threats—of all stripes in a story that moves from the quiet countryside to a busy garrison town.

An Aurelia Marcella Mystery

A Bitter Chill

Roman Britain in 91 AD is a raw frontier province, a troublesome part of the mighty Empire ruled by Domitian Caesar. Though it is almost fifty years since the legions invaded, many native tribes still hate their conquerors and seize any chance to harass the Roman settlers who are flocking in to colonise the new province. Tension is especially high in the north, where Aurelia Marcella, a young innkeeper from Italy, runs the Oak Tree Mansio on the road to York. A string of savage murders disrupts her peaceful life, and she and her Roman friends find themselves under attack from a secret native war-band, the Shadow-men, whose aim is to drive all Romans out. A traveller, Quintus, is nearly killed close to the inn, and he and Aurelia must track down the rebel warriors and identify their mysterious masked leader, the Shadow of Death. Their investigations bring them into personal danger from ruthless killers and devious deceivers. Can they find and destroy the Shadow of Death before his campaign of terror turns into open rebellion, so that all Romans must get out or die?

Get Out or Die

A fine summer in 100 AD and good government under Trajan Caesar promise well for the Roman settlers in the frontier province of Britannia. Aurelia Marcella runs a mansion on a busy road to York. June is always busy, but one day two unusual events occur: a soldier is murdered in his bed at the inn, and a letter arrives from Isurium, a small fort north of the city. It is from a cousin, Jovina, inviting Aurelia to a midsummer birthday party. But the missive also reads as a plea for help, referring to “danger in the wind.” The murdered soldier also bore a message, locked in Aurelia’s strongbox, indicating violence would erupt at the very same fort on the day of the party. At Isurium, Aurelia finds Jovina and her drunken husband and unruly children caught in a tangled web of greed, love, intrigue, and death. When violence engulfs the district, Aurelia suddenly finds herself in peril from enemies engaged in an anti- Roman plot and from family members bent on misguided or evil agendas of their own. This is the 4th in a series.

An Aurelia Marcella Roman Mystery

Danger in the Wind

The spring of 98 AD is a time of optimism in the turbulent frontier province of Britannia. The season looks set fair for peace and prosperity and business is brisk at Aurelia Marcella’s inn on the road to York. Then a wagon arrives bearing a local farmer seeking treatment for a grievous sword wound. Before the farmer dies, he tells Aurelia his family is in grave danger and hints that her sister’s family, living near him, is threatened too. Aurelia sends for her twin brother Lucius, who is a government investigator. Together they head for the eastern coast to find out more, and to check out a shipwreck bearing valuable official cargo. A band piratical Gauls is working the area—are they cover for something worse? The aura of peace cracks further as friction between native farmers and Roman settlers over ownership of the best farmland turns to open violence. Both sides resort to terrorist tactics: stealing, kidnapping, and murder, all building to a terrible climax at the annual festival for the sea god. Underneath flows a current of subtle, personal agendas....

Buried Too Deep

WELCOME TO ROMAN BRITAIN. It is almost fifty years since the legions invaded but Britannia is still a raw, frontier province. Tensions run high, especially in the north, where Aurelia Marcella, a young Roman woman fled from the ruins of Pompeii, runs the Oak Tree Inn on the road to York. DANGER IN THE WIND. On fine summer's morning in 100 AD, Aurelia awakes to two unusual events: a soldier murdered in his bed, and a letter arrived from Isurium and her cousin, Jovina, inviting Aurelia to a midsummer birthday party. But the missive also reads as a plea for help, referring to 'danger in the wind'. The murdered soldier also bore a message, locked in Aurelia's strongbox, indicating violence would erupt at the very same fort on the day of the party. At Isurium, Aurelia finds Jovina and her drunken husband and unruly children caught in a tangled web of greed, love, intrigue, and death. When violence engulfs the district, Aurelia suddenly finds herself in peril from enemies engaged in an anti-Roman plot and from family members bent on misguided or evil agendas of their own.

WELCOME TO ROMAN BRITAIN. It is almost fifty years since the legions invaded but Britannia is still a raw, frontier province. Tensions run high, especially in the north, where Aurelia Marcella, a young Roman woman fled from the ruins of Pompeii, runs the Oak Tree Inn on the road to York. A BITTER CHILL. In late December 95 AD, Roman settlers in Britannia are preparing to celebrate Saturnalia. Aurelia Marcella's plans for a peaceful holiday are shattered when her brother brings bad news. An enemy in Rome is trying to destroy her family by spreading rumors that they are plotting against Caesar. Her brother has lost his job as a government investigator, the mansio is menaced by a gang of native criminals, and when a party of rich, demanding travelers arrive to stay, their quarrels and violence spill over into Aurelia's household. Then the Saturnalia banquet, highlight of the festival, culminates in tragic death.

K.J. Larsen

Tina Whittle

Meet three brand new female detectives. LIAR, LIAR: Ever suspected your husband has had his hand up someone else's skirt? Call the Pants on Fire Detective Agency to investigate the love rat in your life. Join the fabulous Cat DeLuca, avenging all cheated upon women, in this comic new crime series. THE DANGEROUS EDGE OF THINGS: You've just inherited a gun shop. You've just discovered a dead body.You're the Police's top suspect. Can things get any worse for Tai Randolph? SHADOWS IN THE NIGHT: AD 91. It is almost fifty years since the legions invaded but Britannia is still a raw, frontier province. Tensions run high, especially in the north, where Aurelia Marcella, a young Roman woman fled from the ruins of Pompeii, runs the Oak Tree Inn on the road to York. Aurelia is going to discover just how cheap life is in Roman Britain.

Liar, Liar, The Dangerous Edge of Things, Shadows in the Night

3 Great Female Detectives

WELCOME TO ROMAN BRITAIN. It is almost fifty years since the legions invaded but Britannia is still a raw, frontier province. Tensions run high, especially in the north, where Aurelia Marcella, a young Roman woman fled from the ruins of Pompeii, runs the Oak Tree Inn on the road to York. BURIED TOO DEEP. The spring of 98 AD is a time of optimism and business is brisk at Aurelia Marcella's inn on the road to York in Britannia. Then a wagon arrives bearing a local farmer seeking treatment for a grievous sword wound. Before the farmer dies, he tells Aurelia his family is in grave danger and hints that her sister's family, living near him, is threatened too. Aurelia sends for her twin brother Lucius, who is a government investigator. Together they head for the eastern coast to find out more, and to check out a shipwreck bearing valuable official cargo. A band of piratical Gauls is working the area – are they cover for something worse?

This is a collection of mystery short stories, a variety of traditional whodunnits, all with an Ancient Roman background. The tales take us to the turbulent frontier province of Britannia, the showy luxury of Rome itself, and right inside the glittering and dangerous court of Nero. These make dramatic settings for crime and mystery, and show us a little of life (and death) two thousand years ago. The Roman world had its share of crime, because human nature was much the same then as it is now. Greed, vengeance, and jealousy were motives for theft, fraud, and murder...and where there were crimes there were also investigators. The sleuths in these stories are not professional detectives in the modern sense. Innkeeper Aurelia Marcella, (heroine of the Aurelia Marcella series of mystery novels, ) just wants to get on with running a successful business; Rufus the bodyguard becomes an investigator when he is present at a fashionable banquet where celebration turns to tragedy; and elite guardsman Marius learns how criticising Caesar's singing can have deadly consequences. And of course they all lack the elaborate tools for crime-solving that modern detectives take for granted. But they share an over-riding determination to seek out truth and bring justice, even when that puts them in danger. These stories show how they can succeed, using intelligence, courage, and of course a pinch of pure cunning,

Six Mysteries from Ancient Rome

A Pinch of Pure Cunning

John Grant

Bev Vincent

Lavie Tidhar

Eric Brown

Martin Edwards

Jared Cade

Michael Bracken

L. C. Tyler

O'Neil De Noux

Sandra Murphy

Amy Myers

Rhys Hughes

David Quantick

Deryn Lake

Keith Brooke

Ashley Lister

Paul Charles

Christine Poulson

This anthology draws together some of the best new stories of mystery and murder—compiled by the Anthony Award–winning crime fiction editor. This anthology collects the most original stories of murder by some of mystery fiction's most inventive talents from the United States and United Kingdom. With innovative new takes on locked-room mysteries and impossible crimes, these short stories are full of vexing conundrums and reality-defying puzzles. A murder has been committed—but how could it have happened? Curated by Maxim Jakubowski, one of the crime genre’s most renowned editors, this volume features never-before-seen stories by acclaimed authors—including British Science Fiction Award–winner Eric Brown, Derringer Award–winner O'Neil de Noux, and multiple CWA Dagger Award–winners and nominees.

The Best New Original Stories of the Genre

The Book of Extraordinary Impossible Crimes and Puzzling Deaths

AD 91: Life is cheap, and so is death... WELCOME TO ROMAN BRITAIN. It is almost fifty years since the legions invaded but Britannia is still a raw, frontier province. Tensions run high, especially in the north, where Aurelia Marcella, a young Roman woman fled from the ruins of Pompeii, runs the Oak Tree Inn on the road to York. SHADOWS IN THE NIGHT. When a traveller is beaten and left for dead outside her inn, Aurelia finds herself confronted by a man known only as The Shadow of Death. The Shadow of Death leads a clandestine warband and they have but one message for Roman settlers like Aurelia: GET OUT OR DIE. Can Aurelia discover who The Shadow of Death is before his campaign of terror turns to outright rebellion?

Jane Finnis

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